Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1864-05-24

$bun& Evening Post, and Coins1ercial ADJ
|snisi ration paprs sll, are % fhk an can
lid = to denousec &c high han6ed md RI
licusus proceedings n Secretary 6e~artin
t.,e invidious course, apparently prompted
partisan malgnity, pursued towards the
World and journal Of Commerce. We
quote
From the Tribune.
Two Of the morning papers Of this city
lrc to-day suspended. II is done in conse-
lucnce OF the publication yesterday in The
Journal Of Commerce and The Ossnos the
orgcd proclamation. and, we presume, ny
rider Of the government The forged proc
| amation was sent 10 every paper o. the AS
ISOLATED Press, except our own, and IN s'icn
| > shapcas to lead those who received 1t TO
| ,elieve Il came from the office OF the Asso-
1 iation. twas sent, designcdly no doubt,
| xhen it was presumed that it would be seen
by none Of the editors but would be taken
by the printers and hurried. into part OF
the morning edition Of each paper, the prin-
ters having no time to examine it, even il
they were disposed to take the responsible
| ty Of rejecting what seemed to be an impor-
tant proclamation, and to have come by an
authorized channel. That it did not find
its way to this Office was probably an acct
dent-thc editorial rooms being closed. and
the messenger, perhaps, not knowing how
to find his way to the printing officc-and to
this accident it is due that it was not pub
lishcd in two other Of the morning papers
In both Of these Offices it became known
by the mcrest accident in one of them, by
inquiry in the othcr--that we had not re-
ceived it, and suspicion being excited by
hat fact, the forged document though in
.ype, was suppressed in both Offices
The real facts which led to the publication
Of this monstrous forgery were not, we pre-
sumo known yesterday in Washington, or
the suspension Of the two journals would
not, we suppose, have been ordered. The
order, no doubt, will be revoked to-day =
We hope it will, for certainly 10 journal
should be. punished for mistake which
mig,.t have very nnocently been committed
by the most loyal paper in the land.
From The Evening Post
With our views of the importance and
inviolability Of the liberty Of the press, on,
readers will not expect US to approve Of the
suppression Of the two newspapers, the
Journal Of Commerce and the World, BY
the authority Of the federal government
II there be any right which the founders
) of our government sought to guard from
. violation with special care, it is the right
freely to discuss political questions and pub
lie measures by means of the press. Ac-
cOrdingly, the Constitution Of the United
States provides that Congress shall make nc
law abridging the freedom of speech or Of
the press, and in another article declares
that "thc right Of the people to be secure
III their persons, houses, papers and effect,
from unreasonable searches and seizures
shall not be violated The freedom Of the
press is asserted in the same article of oul
constitution as the freedom Of religious be
lief, and guarded from infringement by the
same explicit terms.
Moreover. in every constitution Of ever,
. state in the onion it is expressly stipulated
that certain rights are to be exempted from
the ordinary proceedings of government
and among these is the freedom Of the press
5 which is placed on the same high level witt
the rights OF conscience and the right o
the people to assemble for the purpose o
demanding redress Of grievances, or L
bring about change of administration. -
The early statesmen Of our country, b,
/ whom these constitutions were made, wer,
so jealous OF the infringement of these erea
rights, that they would not leave it to tn,
; discretion OF any government, Of the state.
or the nation, to interfere with them.
To march a platoon of armed men into
the office Of journal and stop its publica
ton, in part OF the country which has no.
been placed, and which there is no nccessi
ty OF placing, under martial law, is n pro
: ceedIng which has strange aspect when VIZ
/ compare 1t with the constitutional provf-ion,
by which the rights Of the press are SO Sc
obviously guarded from violation.
We cannot, therefore, but Join in the hone
expressed by some Of the morning papers
that the order for the suppression of these
journals will be Immediately rcscinded: and
this not so much for the reason that the
publishers might have been entirely una
ware that the pretended proclamation was a
forgery, as for the higher and stronger rea-
son that the order is an extreme measure.
suited only to state Of things which does
not exist IN this community, and for which
the plea OF necessity cannot be urged.
1t is a remarkable indication Of the haste
with which the order to suppress these
Journals was given, that it included the ar
rest of five Of the operators Of the Indepen-
dent Telegraph office in this city. who have
been sent to Fort Lafayette. although it j,
well known here that they had nothing
whatever to do with the false proclamation.
except to send Il despatch 70 Boston an
nounc!ng it to be most shameful limo, :.
ture
From the Commercial Advertiser
II Is to be hoped tina: by this time the
facts in regard to the publication Of this
proclamation are known in Washington.
ana tina; also wisdom enough will be mani
tested there to revoke the order arsinst
these two journals. 1t is fully time that
arbitrary and unju tifiablc procedure be
brought to an end. The sentiment that
found expression when the attempt was
made to throttle freedom Of debate on the
floor of Congress, has not lost its force when
presses are suspended for. acts committed
entirely without design or thought Of crim;
nality
From the y. Y. Times
SO far as infant enters into the essence of
the crime. we do not believe that the cdi
tor OF either of the journals in question is
IN the least amcnable to so grave a charoe
We are quite sure, that Secretary Seward
at least. will not exact at the hands Of cd;,
tors degree Of inituitive knowledge a. to
the authenticity OF pretended official dozen.
ments ''h'M ere" Secretary Of State does
not ARRAYS possess
This cut Of the Times upon Mr.. Seward
has reference to the fact that the Secretary
of State made the forged Report of the re.
bel Secretary Of War the basis Of diplomatic