New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1863-10-01
THE sAFEGUARD Of LrDEETS

The newspapers which, for purposes Of their
own have assumed, while protesting decree
of LOYALTY, an attitude Of hostility TO The Gen
eral Government, declare, with tears in their
ewes, that poor Liberty is being hopelcrsly de-.
bauched. and that al the end OF 4 war waged IN
her behalf. nothing will be lei' Of her bui The
name. These writers are OF Il dubiously duplc'
nature. They are for their OWL freedom 10 sag
what they please and 10 do what they please
and they are for eaPging all who do not speak
what they speak, and Toy lettering all who act
not after their fashion. But u j. not Of this
Copperheal class that we now propose speclii-
cal.r 70 speak We do not believe them 20 De
Internationally conscientious. We do believe
that we estimate their signs and their swearing
at pretty just valuation. and we do no,
pretend that it is a very high one. There
may be- however, and probably l., an
other class Of men who sincerely fear
that in It's struggles the Government
may be betrayed into an unnecessary abandon
ment Of respect for personal rights, and may
oyerstep the Just limits Of Executive interior
ence, even in times OF great public peril. The
apprehensons Of such persons are entitled - a
fair esn siderati6n. We complain Of no rcasona-
bic Jealousy for liberty. We only wish TINT
those who are nOg 30 active in is defense, and
so spa modic in the expression Of their appre-
tensions, bad little sooner disclosed their fore
bodings and acted upon their passionate AZ
lection for freedom. They, and such as they,
seeking to make the General Government the
stay, and the Union the stronghold Of e'gan-
tic despotism, have created whatever danger 70
liberty may really exist, and have stimulated "a
Rebellion requiring the very measures which
they so yociicrously deprecatc.
But il must not be forgotten by those who
are pot too tmid TO think, that this War, by
whatever measures il may be carried on, is spo-
officially, practically, and TO certain inevitable
extent theoretically, War for Liberty against
Despoism. We did not, il is true, create this
issue. The first blow was not struck for Free
dom. Il was not Freedom that acted upon Tue
offensive. WHO has forgotten, even amid
these event which 50 naturally concentrate our
attention upon the present, the wrongs and in
dignities Of the past Who has forgotten that
from the first moment when the Delegates oi
the Old Confederacy assembled to draft Com
stitution down TO the present time, Shareholders
obtrudcd their demands upon u.s. expressly as
Shareholders and asked for Slaychoding peculiar
and important mnunitics Who has forgotten
that these demands have been resisted, with no
particular reference to the particulariact OF Slny-
cry, but because these demands were inconsistent
with the liberties Of the Norlh-wth the right
freely TO .peah, think, write and pnblish-with
the love Of honest popular legislation, and of n
peaceable acquiescencc in its results II is an
abiding love Of liberty, which, we admit, has
been too often in the past uniaithful, which has
led the North in the present contest, TO stand
so resOlutely upon the defensive. Arc there
any so weak or so witless as to suppose that this
love of liberty Is suddenly, by any concatena-
ton of events, TO DO extingushodl -that our
people will quietly submit " tho Suppression Of