Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1864-01-20
wEuNEspAY.-JAN o. 1874
FREE GOVERNMENT.

FREE GOVERNMENT. s!
Free Governments have ever been exceptions md
have usually been of btief dufat,on. Within few
months, the whole fabric Of fee gosernnaent reareg
by the Constitution Of the Unted States, hf spotie
bled into ruins. Louis KEY was not If IT, and cast.
in Selling citizens by Lettrss de eSt Lincoln. The
ing them into prison than FIJI By jury are gone
writ OF naoeas eotpasc ussiss is not more Of des
The "A. Autos,s. q lincoln. .53j. 81,
pot than A9a6thority and military discipline have
My Been supposed to be adverse to public liber
3H.The reason is obvious. Military authority and
discipline establish despotism. To command on
the one side and to obey the other, are Its prn
ciples Public liberty, on the contrary can exist
only in the atmosphere Of free enquiry. AZ Tree
press and free debate in all assemblages of the peo
pie, are the two grand instrumentaties Of public.
liberty Hence, one Of the first things the govern
ment of President Lincoln did, when it determined
to establish military despotism over the North,
was to abolish the freedom Of the press The other
fundamentally Of liberty, freedom Of speech and
debate they also abolished in the primary assem-
blages of the people By mob eiolence. 'r'']l -
"A practical despotism has thus been established
on the other side of the Potomac Is it not the
dictate Of the most manifest prudence for the people
of the Confederate States to watch narrowly their
own governments The military authority absorbs,
pTOpUItOuholy, uOIo VI tuelP pUpuaItVli tuau VI tuo
United States All males, from eighteen to forty
five years old, are in the army and most probably
all to ffyfve will also be called into the military
service of the Confederate States. By the Articles
of War; soldier can say nothing against the gov
ernment There will shortly therefore, absolutely,
be no people who speak out in defence of their
liberties nor are they likely to know what is going
on or to vote at the elections for their representa-
tives held far away from their camps In this
IF ,t,kso TO
the army to the government must be most obvious.
The government is without responsibility to the
people, because it holds them under its military
ganization in complete subsection to its will
This being the condition of affairs, the other two
great instrumenalties to maintain free government
amongst us-free and open debate, and the liberty
of the press-become of increased value and impor-
lance The former has been latterly completely
suppressed in the Congress of the Confederate
States The Constitution, both of the Provisional
and Of the present Confederate government requires
that leach House of Congress shall keep journal
of its proceedings, and from time to time publish
the same accepting such parts as may in their iudg
ment require secresy." Secresy is clearly the ex-
ceptiou and publicity the general rule of the Con-
sttution. Congress has reversed this rule, by
making publicity the exception. This course is
not only inconsistent with the mandates of the Con-
sttution but of the first principles of all representa-
What measures have been proposed in Congress
to promote the welfare of the people, and by whom
proposed, and the votes of their Representatives
upon them-the people know nothing What course
the Executive has pursued-what measures have
been recommended, and what defeated by the Ex-
ecutive-are kept from the people 1t is only after
measure has been rpened into Executive approval,
that it is published and known. Free debate is,
therefore, practically abolished because it does not
reach the people, whilst the responsibility of the
Representative to the constituent is also abolished.
The other instrumentality of free government
the freedom of the press-bas net been essentially
infringsd upon .s- y yet bill, however, was Of.
ferea iii the Provisional Congress of the Cohfede-
rate States to authorize the President and the mill
tary authorities to suppress it. The bill failed
The Constitution expressly says Congress shall
make no law abridging the freedom Of speech or Of
the press"
Freedom of the press, like all human institutions
is liable to abuse; but it is pregnant with infinitely
more of good than evil. Giving utterance to the
various views and feelings of the people, it deve-
lopes public opinion in tangible form. Public opn-
ion is the breath of life to Republics. It has usually
been considered the buwark popular liberty, and
an infabe criterion of the freedom Of government.
Nothing is easier, especially in troubled times,
than unscrupulously to support the government
To support it when it is right and to oppose it when
it is wrong, is an ungrasious, and generally most
thankless and Improbable service, although by no
other course can free government be preserved
Jealousy and watchfulness are the essential attri-
butes of libertv-blind confidence and subserviency
are the attributes of despotism. Mercury.