Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1864-06-09
-;..,oVD1TIOVAI. LOYALTY.


...,, a. This ,lry and hour. would be |
willing 10 accept as the trne meaning o' '''
,,,,,ch sbusca term, mccn li'oaal loyalty
that which for long time ana ah'I W
. recent period, was attached to II Wy wv
time serving sycophants OF executive ~"
CT.
Not many months have elapsed since It
,,s held ly this class, that unconditional
LOYALTY was only convertible term Tor IN
conditional subsection OF mind and soul 70
the President for the time beng, and 70
those who might compose his adninstra-
ton. It also meant utter silence as regards
his act, so far as censurc or criticism were
concerned and that was, in their opinion,
esteemed the highest loyalty, which was
dumb concerning his Deficiencies, errors,
wrong-dongs, or usurpations which apol-
oy;zcd for or defended all his intrusions up
on the law and the constitution and winch
bestowed the most lavish as well as lusoInc
praises upon him converting his vuigarlty'
imbccility. and dcspotc tendencies INTO pat
riotic Writ cs Of the first water. According
TO these men, the President could do no
wrong, he was the gocernmc"t, and there
fore ne was 70 be supper ed and defended IN
all that ne did or else, those who refused
to admit that he not only copH do wfo: z
but had done it, and who declined 10 sup
port or defend him in acts which they be-
licved 10 bc inexcusably dangerous OF evil,
were put down as "disloyal,' md num-
bered among TRAITORS and such other vile
cattle.
AT the time when this prepostcrous and
,owardiy doctrine was so much insisted up
on it was put down as IA test Of man ) 10y
atty, that he should defend every act Of the
president and his administration, no matter
how much Of private right it might destroy;
no matter wha; Of States rights it might
intrudc upon or nulify TO matter what Of
law or constitution it might invade or vio-
late. If man hcstatcd to admit that the
President lcwd and vulgar jokes were the
0tiIlc Vi genuine VII VI IlliioI, Ht as TO-
loyal If he doubted that the president ,
crude, sloyenly, inaccurate, silly, aud ask
wardly inexpensive use Of the English Ian
guayc was not fclcitous beyond precedent
and eloquent without parallel he was dts-
loyal II he refused TO assert that every
act of the President was right, and lawful,
,.I
again disioyui No criticism was allowed,
no freedom Of opinion was pcf,nit.e ; we
mus: all crouch at the feet of ABRAHAM and
knecl submissivcly there, finding TO faul,
with the most stupcndous VIZ 5ngs, making
no complaint for the most outrageous griey-
nnccs, Sc. ing nothing but beauties and vir
tues where We detcc, llonshes and vices
or were incontincntly put down As traitors
and tit for some government tastile. Nay
often and again, when some man plainly cx
pressed the disapprob ,tioE which so many
felt, and calmly and respectfully ccns,Irto
certain policies Of the President which h,
deemed either injudicious or unw>c, or ali
solutc y wrong, we have heard him threat
encd that if he did not hold his peace Ii,
would be suddenly hauled OFF to Fl Lafas
cite, or some other similar prison which al
incipicnt tyranny held over the head, of {.
free people to ntimidntc them into uncom
planning silence.
This standard of unconditional LOYALTY,
,la,,l, r. A.
no longer exists. \ man may now ccnsur,
the abuses and usurpations which he cannot
fail to perceive without being threatened b,
the obscquious partisans of the administra
ten aud the administration itself, in all il.
plcntitudc Of power. dare not to seize tn.
person Of the humblcst citizen, who com
Inits no offence against the laws, anu who's
only C, ime is that he dcnounees such, acts 0
the President Or any of his followers, as h
deems worthy of dcnnnciation, in fit terms
Not that the spirit Of depositism TO lcnse
exists rot that tendency to ,viannica
measures no longer lives in the bosons Q
the men compost ( the present adininis;ra
tioH TIC RECENT iiliiNicts Outrage uPo
the press Of New York city. pro, IS the con
trary. and shows that d,slotisri am, iyra,
ny are only dormant. and waiting 2 plopiti
Gus opportunity or their exhi ition, in
manner the most fcil and memorable. Blu
they are he'll. in curb by the awakcnn
spirit Of the people by the widA s-sprcad
ing conviction, among the Presidents SUI
poitcrs, AS well as his opponents, that h
and all his official advisers are unworthy :;
be retained in office, and that the next Gle,
tion, ADLER, better aud purcr men than the
must be elevated TO the stations which the
now 50 miserably fill Men Of the Pres
dents own party DOMAIN! the right to speal
70 crticise freely, to act without con strain
and they exercise the right. And SO i, com,
tina. the President stays his hand moved b
the Wholesome apprehension that has lei
the hand Of many a despot before, even i
ads less free than ours
The truth is that all this talk about Ut
conditional loyalty, based upon the dcfcnc
OF particular administration or an indi2
hant censure and criticism Of il, IS, to us
the language Of a manly Republican, cotcin
porary, too weak for grown men, To b
loyal is to give hearty support to the gov
crnment, and this support does not cxclud
but often requires free and severe oxposur
Gt sha f.ultc md ar~ar, ~ tl.o.. -,