The daily bulletin. [volume] (Winchester, Tenn) 1862-1863, 1862-10-19
A Chapter on the Freedom OF
Speech.

The Metropolitan Record, the Roman Cath'
o.ic organ At New York, has an article pro-
testing against the course of the Government
in docking up those who do not agree with
it in every thing it does. 1t says:
Ii is IN easy way Of getting rid Of an argu'
ment that oae cannot answer; it Is far easier
than convincing al opponent in fact 1t Is ''ai
easy as lying" But is II man q Secesslonist
because he desires peace, or deprecatcs subjuSa-
ton. or intimates u wish that personal liberty
was less restricted Is he IA Secessionlst be-
cause he is not blind to the discrepancies in
official reports, or the shortcomings OF govern
mcnt, the incompctency OF n General, or the
blunders of u statesman! Is he u SeceSslonlst
because he abhors the idea Of conquerors and
CONQUERED taking the places OF fellow citizens
in this republic, because he wishes for no such
Union rs that of ireland with England, or Po-
land with Russia, on this broad continent! Is
he n Sccessionist because he is alive to the
wickedness and absurdity of enslavlnS white
men in order to set negroes free! Is Il man Il
oecessionist who does not believe our Govern
ment infallible, our army inyincibie, and our
resources illimitable?
Is it Secessionism to hint that our Southern
brethren are human beings still, that they
have rights which il would be dangerous to
DISREGARD, and feelings it would be wise to take
into account? Is it SeccssiOnism to admit
that they are not so destitute and responding
as it is the fashion to represent them Is
Secessionism to shrink from taxation, to wish
that our Government was more frank III deal
ing with the people, more DESTROYS of reliev'
Ing them from the horrors of suspense, more
chary of interfering with the liberty OF the
press and the freedom of speech, more econom'
ical of public money? Is it Secessionism t.
long with a longing, ofwhich these people have
no conception, for the reconstruction OF thu
Union on the basis of the Constitution, or
the good old guarantees that satisfied the mel
of 1776?
Whatb better arc we than they, and what bet
ter is the negro now than he was in their day,
that he should be made u bone Of contention
between the two sections, a wedge to split W
the Republic? Our revolutionary fathers new
er thought of legislating negroes into equality
with white men; their sense OF right was ne
more shocked by their exclusion from politica
privileges than it was by the exclusion of tn
idiotic, and they were right, for in the case 0
the latter, infcriority Of intellect is judged sui
fcient to place an inferior below the level OF
superior.
Is belief in this secessioEism? We thinl
not, but we have heard men accused of seces
sionism for less. 1t would be well, therefore
to know what constitutes secessionism. l
would be well to know if men are to be dub
bed secessionist because they cannot think a
Government thinks, or as every individual OF
icer of the Government, from the Secretary o
State down to the lowest patrol in a police dis
trict, thinks. For this is what we are com
ing to. Meet abolitionists or las they prefe
TO be called Just now emancipationists wher'
you will, and presume to assert your right t.
think for yourselves, to ~criticise with your lip
what you condemn in your heart; proceed i
the assumption that your right to differ fror
them is as clear as their right to differ from
you; refuse to accept their say SO as an articl
Of your political creed, and they discern d
once that you are q secessionist.
In our opinion it is not wise to handy abou
such charges recklessly; disloyalty to the Gov
eminent should never be assumed, for in
land like ours, under q Government electe
like ours, to say that the people are di'
loyal is to say, that the Government is III
worthy.