The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1863-06-12

il was criminal, our Governor would proba-
bly, use sll the power which be possesses 10
punish such audacity. Courts martial are
not unknown 10 times of peace; aud many a
subordinate Of cur State militia has been
tried. and convicted, and punished. for words
disrespectfully spoken OF his commanding
officer. If You take the ground thai in IS
republic it is impossible to commit any po-
litical offence worthy of punishment. and
that no speech is so dangerous that it should
be restrained-then we say that we wish.
for the sake of consistency, that the Demo
cratic party. of which Horatio Seymour
and Ben Wood are the Respondent lumin
aries, had taken the same ground in the
earlier stages of Its existence. Its love ot
free speech has heretofore been that of a
bully who Grams his defiant curses down
your throat, and threatens to crack your
crown if you are restive under his hugual
license and defan, volubili,y. Never before
ly and dirtily arrogant 1t has lived by
badgeriug and terroIsm-by the logic of
the cudgel and the soft persuasion of the
pistol--by the rowdyism Of Rynders and
and the poltroonery of Preston Brooks by
the audacity Of smashing bollot boxes-by
the utter denial of our righ, to discuss GER
tain political questions at abby continual
efforts to coerce opinion by mobbing the
meetings of lis opponents. and by total
disre gard of the light of petition. A pretty
party this is TO talk Of freedom of speech
A pretty party this to mouth Of the sacred
rights guarrenteed by the Constitution, A
pretty party to grow restive under whole
some restraint aud 10 roar aboat hberty!-
The mean, the inetfably mean creatures for
wears, in Kansas, in South Carolina, in
Washington. in New York, in Boston, in
every great city and every little village.
have been striving to muzzle all dissenting
men--to harass and persecute every object
Of their hatred-and now they turn about.
like some old procuress, converted in her
old are to virtue, and bawl for the largest
liberty OF discussion! Liberty Of discussion
may be a very fine thiag, Mr.. Ben. Wood;
but if you think yoa lovei it, you labor under
a hideous hallucination. Freedom OF dis
cussion may be delightful principle, but
when did you become enamored of il. Mr..
Horatio Seymour A pertty pair OF con-
sistant creatures you are A precious pair
of noodles you must be. if you do not
know that you are stealing all the fne
thun Ter Of the Abolitionists--aud very awk-
wardlg you handle the piifered bolts! You
for freedom of discussion Why, had you
only had your way, YOU woald long ago
have hung Mr.. Garrison, beheaded Mr..
Sumner. drawn and quartered Henry Will
son, and set your bulldogs of the groggery
and the brothel aud the gambling helt upon
the office of this paper! You know you
would. Ben! You know you would. Hors-
ito! D,n't deny, blushingly. the soft i'm
parchment You know in your hearts
clear down to the black bottoms of them
that you would have done it. Nice men
you are to talk of freedom of speech You
would keep Satan rebukiny sin quite in
countenance
1t is no business Of ours to defend par;icu
lar acts of the Administration, but when it
is assailed by Southern asssssins aud North
ern copperheads, it has right. by the law
of self. preservation. to defend itself. What
we have right to urge is. that those who
now undertake to defend Liberty Of Speech,
have heretofore been badly distinguished
BY their hostility to that liberty and all
other liberties whatsoever. except their
own. The people had better beware of
hardening to such recent converts !-Ve,o
York Trtbuae