The mountain Democrat., 1864-09-10
Political OAsnsss Against P0pulax
Freedom.

j
Freedom.
The catalogue Of oten0Oa committed 10
the three past years Of q Republican Ad.
-nliniserAeivn, 4e~sass fNt1dSar freedom, will
very far outnumber all Of all preceding
Administrations in our land.
In the early days of the Republic the
two distinguishing acts of usurpation oI
power against the spirit Of the Constitu-
tlon, were "the gag act" and midnight
Judges by President John Adams. And
these did more, perhaps, to alarm and
arouse the people to inaugurate change
Of rulers than oil the other alleged often
ses Of that Administration. They were
the key notes Of party rebukes, and to the
music Of opposition to these first dawn
ings Of arbitrary power under cover Of
laws enacted by subServient party Con.
greSs, the popular Fuind rallied in terrific
earneStness. and bore down with expul
sion from public position, the authors
and Abettors Of such anti-repubican meas
Hres.
But they we're harmless episodes Of par
tisan malice, compared with many success
sive acts Uf the present national Admin
istration. Under the alien and sedition
laws Of the elder Adams, all the forms oil
judicial sOlemnity were preserved and re-
quired in every proceeding against an &C.
cused party. A warrant based upon a
complaint verified by oath was requisite
"a trial by jury and the privilege of be.
ing confronted by the accusing patty were
indispensable pre- requisites Of conviction
and punishment. But under the present
Administration these essential safeguards
of justice and personal liberty hav, been
swept away utterly, and utterly ignored
in practice. And as il every test was
Snughtto be imposed upon the patience
and (oreearance Of the people, the Execu-
tive has, within the last month, not only
bearded the National House of Reprcsen-
tatives. to CRAFTY a foreign monarch, with
an insulting degradation Of its action upon
the great outrage committed by that mon
arch upon the continental policy of the
United States, but has de6antly promised
to defeat all practical observance of that
national sentiment 10 which the House
gave truthful utterance. II has indulg.
ed in most alarming invasion Of the com
bined rights of person and property in
the suppression Of two leading newspa.
peis in the city of New York, in the ar
bitrary arrest, without accusation or war.
rant for degrading imprisonment, the able
and unotfending editors Of these papers,
in 9 manner that out. Herods the worst
exercise Of Austrian or even Turkish ty.
ranny.
Not content even with this illustration
Of arbitrary power over people whose
chief alteration, under every preceding
Administration, has been of the Rxedness
and efficiency for personal protection O
the civil law, the Executive has within the
same short period named, struck down al
the landmarks Of Constitutional security
to the person Of the refugee, who seeks
an asylum in our land, from the oppres
sion Of other governments, and has len
itself to n disgraceful act Of kidnapping
distinguished foreigner, and passing hiu
over, without warrant, or examination, o.
one legal form of evidence against his in
nOcence, TO the arbitrary keeping of hii
pursuing enemies, and in spirit of hu
initiation and subserviency of our Gov
eminent to second rate European po
such as never before disgraced it in any
act Of any Administration that has pre-
ceded.
The insulting threat and promise to rem,
der the declaration of the House of Rep
reScnlativeS in favor Of the Monroe Doc
trine" and against the injustice of France
IN Mnvirn and fha Aea h.
Journal Of Commerce and World newspa
prrs in New York, without a hearing OF
opportunity for explanation Of the free.
dom Of both from every act of disloyalty
or disrespect, even towar the ruling pow.
ers at Washington and authorized the
kidnapping and surrender to Spain, with
out warrant, or precedent Of law, Of Col.
Arguelles, are events that have followed
each other with such rapidity and persist.
ent show Of utter disrespect of the popu.
lar teachings of all the past upon the the.
ory of a Republican Government, as to
have profoundly startled the candid among
the past supporters Of the Administration
and excited seriousness Of thought and
inclination among them not easily put al
rest
These secrets tell but too plainly to the
people, the audacity with which their lib.
critics and dearest rights are trampled up.
on by the men now in power And il
such rule is the measure of personal hb-
erty and Of the rights Of property under
the Government for which we are con.
Quoting a war against the Southern rebels,
it would be more creditable to our people
to so far initiate these rebels as to repu
diate such government, but through a
power far more effective than bullets
the ever invincble power of the ballot
box.
How long would the indignation Of a
generation, such as resented and over.
threw the gag laws and alien and sedition
acts, and the mockery of midnight judges
OI the elder Adams, hold it's peace, or
withhold its popular convnlSionS under a
reign of tyranny such as is too unmistak-
ably illuminated in the measures to which
We have advertedf Fallen, indeed, has
this geneEation become from the proud
standard II liberty loving hearts, such as
beat in he boSoms Of our ancestors, If it
will tamtly Gcquiesce in these revolution
ary measures. Between tyranny and an
archy there can be but little choice in the
mind of him that dares to repudiate both
for the sake of we'll organized and well
administered republican liberty. Through
the ballot box, then, let both be repudi-
ated, or else there will be no government
on the face Of the earth so bad that Amer.
leans or rather citizens of the United
Statcs-Inny not well prefer to their own.
Portland (Me.) Advertiser.
TBB Metropolitan record exclaims
Good Heavens Are we in America or
Russia ? Is this man our President. or