The Portland daily press., 1863-07-16
American Despotism.

Watery oil, frozen sunbeams, snowy char
coal, muddy brilliance-there is no more in
herent, utter contradiction in these meaning
less phrases than in the American despot-
ISM" which the opposition are trying to make
bugbear OF. Here is what Professor Holmes
said about it, in the Boston Music Hall, OH the
Fourth:
There are those who profess to fear that our
government is becoming mere irresponsible
tyranny. IL there are any who really believe
that our present chief magistrate means TO
found dynasty for himself and family
a coup detdt is in preparation by which he is
to become Abraham the First, Del Gratia.-
they cannot have duly pondered his letter OF
June 18th, in which he unbosoms himself with
the simplicity OF rustic lover called upon by
an anxious parent TO explain his intentions.
The force of his argument is not at all injured
by the homeliness OF his Illustrations. The
American people are not much afraid that
their liberties will be usurped. An army of
legislators is not very likely to throw away its
political privileges, and the idea OF despotsm
resting on an open ballot-box, is like that of
Bunker Hill'monument built on the waves of
Boston harbor. We know pretty nearly how
much OF sincerity there is in the fears SO clam
orously expressed, and how far they are found
in company with uncompromisiAg hostility
learned to put true value on the services of
the watch dog who bays at the moon but does
not bite the thief,
The men who are so busy holy-stoning the
quarter deck, while all hands are wanted to
keep the ship a1oat, can no doubt show
spots upon it that would be very unsightly ia
fair weather No thoroughly loyal man,
however, need suffer from any arbitrary exer-
else OF power, such as emergencies always
give rise n If any half laval man
his code OF half decencies and half duties so
far as to pecome obnoxious to the peremptory
Justice which takes the place of slower
forms in all centers OF confiagration. there is no
sympathy for him among the soldiers who
are risking their lives for US: perhaps there is
even more satisfaction than when an avowed
traitor is caught and punished. For of all
men who are loathed by generous natures,
such ill the ranks OF armies OF the Union,
none are so thoroughly loathed as the men
who contrive to keep just within the limits of
the law, while their whole conduct provokes
Others TO break IL; whose patriotism consists
In stopping an inch short of treason, and whose
political morality has for its safeguard Il just
respect for the jailor and the hangnani The
simple cure for all possible injustice citizen
Is likely to suffer at the hands of the govern
ment which in its need and haste must commit
many errors, is to take care to do nothing that
will directly or indirectly help the enemy or
hinder the government in carrying on the war.
When the clamor against usurpation and ty-
ranny comes from citizens who can claim this
negative merit, it may be listened to. When
il comes from those who have done what they
could TO serve their country, it will receive
the attention it deserves. Doubtless there may
prove to be wrongs which demand righting,
but the pretense of any plan for changing the
essential principle of our sclf-governing system
is Pigment which its contriyers laugh over
among themselves. Do the citizens of .Har-
risburg, or of Philadelphia. quarrel to-day
about the strict legality of an executive act
meant in good faith for their protection against
the invader? We are all citizens of Harris
burg, all citizens of Philadelphia, in this hour
of their peril. And with the enemy at work
in our own harbors we begin to understand the
difference between good and bad citizen; the
man that helps and the man that binders; the
man who, while the pirate is in sight, complains
that our anchor was dragging in his mud, and
the man who violates the proprieties like our
brave Portland brothers, when they jumped
on board the first steamer they could reach, cut
her cable, and bore down on the Corsar, with
a habeas corpus act that lodged twenty buc-
cancers in Fort Preble before sunset!