Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1863-06-20
Government Control of the Press.

The following article from the London Mos
OF June shows how important the people Of
England regard the liberty OF the p'ess. There
Is, 10 regard TO the exercise of power to pun
ish offsuses unknown to the Constitution and
laws, a striking similarity In the argument
used by The Pfussan Government and that re-
Gently advanced by President LIECoLN. IL is q
melancholy fact that despotism in Europe is at
this moment standing side by side with the Ad-
minstr alton party in America, who support the
same doctrine oa which the King Of Prussia
elaine power over the liberty of the presa.-
The fact ia startling, and should be waning
to those reckless men, who foOlshly dream
that such theory can be sustained in his free
country:
The illegal and arbitrary decree by which the
King of Prussia has assumed power OF life
aud death over the newspapers in his dominionsr
is the most despotic measure on which his Maj
esty has hitherto ventured. Bat it is iu PER
feet conformity With his Anteoedents. The
King has openly broken with tho intelligence
and public spirit OF the nation, and having in-
suited and dismissed the Chambers which were
its constitutional organ, wss not likely to toler
ate it's free manifestation through the press
And as the Constitution guarantees to every
Pfussian the right to express his opinion freely,
by writing aud printing, and fofbids any re-
sItictions on the liberty Of the press otherwise
than in the way OF legislAtion, the Constitution
is again violated. The decree OF June makes
the dependents of the King the absolute
disposers of that liberty, and empowers them
to prohibit and suppress any journal with the
tone, tendency, or latitude" Of which they
may be dissatisfied. No reason is given,
and none can be pretended, for this new viola
tion Of the rights of the subject. M foreign
war or internal commoton menaces tranquility.
The Prussian journals like the people, are mod
crate and eef-restrained under the gr0sse9t
provocaton nation ever received. In the Min
isterial report which, in the Pfussian Moniteur,
precedes the royal decree, it is expressly said
that the Government 10 compelled 10 assume sn
arbitrary power over the press, because the
newspaper articles most objected TO contain
"nothing Of which the law can take hold"
nothing which can be made the ground 0f q
prosecution" Ii is, therefore, the utility and
not the abuse Of the press, tha. the Govern
ment seeks TO destroy. 1t is no lighE thing for
a nation, pre-eminent for education and enlight-
enment-a people among whom Intelligence Ia
diffused more widely than among any other in
Europe--to be exhibited to the world as help
less victim of Government which is distin-
gulshed for nothing but ignorance and brutality,
and the Suspicion and Jealousy which always ac
company misrule. The downward course in
which the King has made such rapid progress
since his coronation, has compelled the most
moderate Pruasian plariots to ask Themselves,
and one another, what the country has further TO
hope from family which, for the last forty
years, has done nothing bus betrayed the con-
hdence Of the nation and obstruoted it's progress
The new outrages, which the King covers WitD
his name and which too faithfully represent his
character, are of nature to destroy th, last
link that connects the constitutional party with
his throne. .H