The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1863-03-18
f5s ea From the Cincinnati Enquirer.
A Press Destroyed by a MOb.--Its
Meaning..-Danger to Public Lib

.t=
A Press Destroyed by MOb---Ifs
erty. - 49,,
The Office of Medary's Crisis, at Columbus,
Ohio, was destroyed by mob about half.past
ten o'clock, on Thursday night last. Colonel
Medary was himself absent from Columbus at
the time, having left with a portion of his
family on the one o'clock noon train, to visit
daughter in this city, who had, within day
or two, arrived here from Kansas, to have
surgical operation performed on her little
child. The editor and proprietor of The Cri-
sis was, therefore, in this city when the mob
destroyed his effice; and the first news he had
of the cewardly act was when he took up the
morning papers. Advantage was taken of his
absence to destroy his property. 1t was has
editorial and counting rooms that were entered.
The type and press upon which The Crisis is
published were not touched, being in another
building, on the opposite side fthe street, and
not SO easy of access to the mob. His materi-
al injury was in the distraction of his books
andipapers. q
injury to the editor and proprietor of The Cri-
sis the blow falls upon every freeman, from
the Atlantic to the Pacific; for it is blow at
public liberty itself. If the people do not
take alarm at this act, and prepare to defend
their liberties, it will ere long be too late, and
they VIII wake to find themselves slaves. We
do not mean this admonition for Democrats
alon-, but for every citizen of whatever party,
who prefers free constitutional government
TO despotism. The Crisis has been one of
the peoples battlements. 1t has guarded their
nights, and warned them against the encroach-
ments of lawless power. 1t has been mobbed
because it had the ear and reached the hearts
of the people. 1t had too much influence over
-
ry power to accomplish its designs of over
on its ruins dospotism. Therein is the Of
Tense of The Crisis. 1t is that which has
provok ed the 'tmiltary politicians" who got
up and pushed on the mob.
The leading acts of the recent Congress can
not be successful in their main purpose-that
of foverthrowing public iberty-without free
press is first disposed of The purse and the
sword, and the control Of the Judiciary, arc
now in the hands of the Executive of the
United States. But the people, through the
ballot-boxes- long as they have those in
struments to execute their will-might make
an opposition that would render powerless all
efforts to enslave them. The ballot boxes
must be rendered harmless, but to do that, a
free press must be overthrown. The Critis,
and all other Tapers that warn the people a.
gainst the encroachmeLts is of arbitrary power
must be silenced. When they are silenced,
the ballot boxes will be no longer the instru-
nents of the win of freenen, but instruments
to declare the will of a usurper of the righLs
of the people. With a free press silenced,
the ballot-boxes converted into mouth rieces
of usurped power, and the purse and sword ~
tho hands of the Federal Executive, civil lib
erty will soon be among the things that were
Every one, therefore, who values his freedom,
who cherishes love of constitutional govern
ment, and who wishes to transmit to his chill
dren the inestimable blessings of civil liberty,
must feel that the mob thar struck the blow
at The Crisis, also aimed blow at their;rights
and liberties. Any one that does not feel so,
should wake up to a realizing sense of the
danger he is in of losing his political freedom
and becoming the slave of despotism.
The stuff that the course of The Crisis and
such like papers encourage tho enemy; and
that if they were cut of the way, the war would
soon be brought to triumphant close, is the
sheerest nonsense, and the most contemplate
of party fummcry. No man of sense credits
it, and none but party knaves, or weak-minded
women, assert it. The acts Of. Congress, and
the proclamations of the Executive, have done
more to fire the hearts and strengthen the
arm of the enemy than all other causes com:
bined. And were The Crisis and every other
Democratic paper suppressed to- morrow, it
would have no more effect upon a successful
close of the war than would the sinking of a
ship in the Niagra have upon the onward flow
of that mighty river. Sensible people should
not allow themselves to be deluded by such
miserable, paltry party stuff, into the loss Of
their own liberties. We warn them of the
danger that is before them.