The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1863-05-27
Liberty and the Abuse Of Liberty.


Among the plausible absurdities nov rife
among politicians of equivocal loyalty, lie the
persistent application OF the maIms and usages
OF peace 10 a state OF war. The Government is
struggling for life, not against political party,
but martial power and ONLY by martial law
can II be saved from destruction. The matter
has TO be settled BY force by deadly combat
not by discussion or by argument-by bullets
not by ballots.
Ia times OF peace a free people can afford to
extend almost Unlimited freedom to speech and
the press vn4 the ordinary operation of law is
sufficient 10 preserve the public safety bat not
IN a time like this \ political opponent i
one thing; and an nemy in war another aud
each must be dealt with according to his char
acter. The opposition of the first NAV be whole
some and sautary, and no restraint ought 20 De
put upon his freedom bat that OF the other u
Taught With danger and national ruin and the
Government would be false to lis trust that
would tolerate the exercise of such freedom
A prOpogaUdist of disalr ction and srdticn
among bis followers Is a. really and truly an Ell
enemy. AS Is the man who takes up arms To fight
sist tie Government because 20 the extent
ot his power aud iIfiuerce be saps ia strength
by taking from il that wherein il rests-popular
support; and the more perfect the freedom OF
a Government III time Of peace, the more strin-
gent ought 10 be the restraint put upon treason
able utteranc,s in time of war, especially var
against domestic traitors. Under a despOtic
Government such as Mr. NallaDdig ham
could do but htte mischief, because under such
a Government popular opinion has but little
force; but where the structure Of tae Govern
ment gives force to public opinion, it is essential
that thay opinion should be loyal Nothing eau
be more absurd than TO claim the right to utter
reasonable Observation-Disclosures calculated
TO weaken the Government and strengthen and
encourage It's enrmes-because the Constitution
declares that the liberty OF speech md OF the
press shall be sacred; for that were TO make
the constitution accessory to its own dest.uc-
ton.
Equally absurd is the plea urged by copper
head politicians tha; they are supporters of the
Constitution and the Government, and only op-
posed TO the men who constitute the living, act
ing Government for the time being This plea
is all very well within the sphere Of party poll
tics; but when such opposition leads men TO
become the aiders aud abetters OF other men en-
gagged in armed rebellion, it is nothing more or
less than treason. Far be it from US to say that
true LOYALTY requires man 10 pledge himself to
sustain or to vote for Abraham Lincoln at
the next Presidential election, or with the men
who elected him in 1860; but to resist him in
his efforts to save the country, Or to do or say
anything calcu lated 10 weaken him either NOR
ally materially in those efforts, is treason, and
ought to be punished such.
Not less absurd is the hue and cry raised
about the alleged curtailment of the liberties OF
the masses of the people. There is not al
honest man in the nation who will say that he
IS not in the enjoyment of as large liberty as he
ever was. Is is only those who wish TO abuse
their liberty by taking sides with the enemies OF
the country, who complain. There is not
loyal outside of the army who is not as
perfectly free TO day as he ever was, it matters
not " bat his political opinions may be. None
but the disloyal feel the curb aud even they
are tolerated to degree that was never known
under any other Government.-Pittsburgh Ga
zette.