Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1864-11-24
pnLITICAL RlGOTRY.

It has been the constant cry oil GER
tain one. horse politicians Of the Cop {
perhead persuasion that the party in
power was interfering with the freedom
of speech-that the Government was
fast running into a despotism underits
Administration, and destroying all per-
sonal freedom--that men were bound {
to think, talk and act in accordance
with the views and wishes of thatparty,
or not think talk or act at all
Every intelligent man or woman
whose sense of selfrespect has not
prevented them from reading the col
umns of abuse, denunciation and CO.
vert treason with which the organs of
the Copperhead party have been filed,
or listening to the frothy falsehoods
and ISLANDERS uttered by the chosen
champions of that party against the
Government, the laws, the party in
power, its leading men, and all the
measures adopted by it for the enforce
ment of the laws and the maintenance
of the authority Of the nation, knows
that, since the foundation of this Gov
ernment, there never has been time
when such unlicensed abuse of the
freedom of speech and Of the press
was allowed, as since the Inauguration
|
This cry of political prescription and
infringement upon the freedom of
speech and of the press, as charged
against the party inpower, evenif true,
: would come with q very bad grace from
: the party that is SO constantly using il
: in our midst-for it is the same party
. that has hanged ministers and schoo
= teachers all over the Southern States
s for the mere utterance of their homes
y sentiments upon political questions, o
d for preaching in their pulpits the doc
a trines of their church. 1t is the sam
d party that in Kansas passed laws t
is imprison men in the penitentiary TO
=, a life "for talking against the institutio
r of slavery" 1t is the same party this
m welcomed and feted that arch traitor
=. ~ YANCEY, when he visited Cincinnati
IS. 1860, to abuse and villify the Mort
q, and Northern men, and laud and cal
in nonize the institution of slavery; an
to mobbed WENDELL PHILLIPS for tall
~ ing against that institution. 1t is Il
no same party that carried its spirit of il
al tolerance into the Senate of the Unite
,c- States, and brutally attacked vene
es able Senator while in the exercise
me- me- the freedom of speech.
I'm 1t is not necessary to go abroad fl
~, evidence of the spirit of intoleran
10. ~ that actuates and controls the leade
,h- Of that party, for right here in our ov
40 county, in our own midst, we ha
he abundance of evidence to satisfy al
unprejudiced mind that they are t
ard most bigoted and intolerant prescribe
the of free speech that are to be fou
anywhere in the world. When the &C
tests were fought between this pa
and the old Whig party, it was alm'
ro- worth mans life in some Of the TOW
ships Of this county to even ohallen
the vote of Democrat But we sh
m not run back so far in the history
our local politics for evidence, for
inn past year or two, if not the past CO
for paign, furnishes abundance of evidel
for our present purpose, and OF t
abundance we shall select but few
the the more glaring and ridiculous ext
arly pies; such examples as clearly indie
not only the spirit Of political pros
,o.,, ton, but an intolerant political bigo
~ that ostracizes all freedom Of spe
, 49, and disregards or ignores the requ
,.o. ments Of social and religious obi
ROW tions.
In July last the colored people
this place, too poor to secure mini
ebel of their own, solicited the clergy
)obb of the different denominations her
ex- preach for them alternately, which
was agreed to by all of them, when the
Jon- zette, the mouthpiece of the malig
of this country, issued in its colu
.,uo of July 21st what it afterwards ter
,,;.s "a bombshell," fiom which we n
tho the following extract:
,,.. with all due respect for the other
auty gentlemen [Revs. Cambbell and Fouch
teras desire to say-andce speak dduisetl
,o;v. this mlJect--if they permit themselves
'e' made the tools Of the Rev.. b. Johns
to force his negro equality doctrines on
community, they pih yfad their bread
Inder butter veyv thiniv spread.' ..------.
troy Did political bigotry and proscriE
| Al. n. D..