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

sbicct aPolOgists ior 'i'c
~, who at this dry and hour. would De
willing to accept a. the true meaning OF '''
.-a.,,o,, .h.sea term-,mcon ii,oaal loyalty
that which for long time, ana '"'. "
a recent period, was attached TO IL Wy wv
time serving 81 cophants Of executive ~"
err
Not many months have elapsed since 1t
was held by this class, that UNCONVENTIONAL
LOYALTY was only convertible term Tor "n'
conditional suhiecton OF mind and soul to
the President for the time being, and 10
those who might compose his administra-
ton. 1t also meant utter silence as regards
his acts so far as ccnsurc OF criticism were
concerned and that was, in their OPINION,
esteemed the highest loyalty, which was
dumb concerning his Deficiencies, errors
wronp-doings. or usurpations which apol-
oyized for or defended all his intrnSlons up
on the law and the constitution and which
bestowed the most lavish as well a. iulsoinc
praises M N him converting HI, yulgarity,
imbcciity. and dcspo,ic tendencies INTO pat
r;o,c Writ .es oC the first water According
10 these men. the President could do no
wrong: he was the goeorpmem, and there
fore he wa, 10 be supper cd and defended III
all that he did or else, those who refused
to admit that he not only couH do wro;.g
but had done it, and who declined to sup
port or defend him in acts which they be-
licved to he inexcnsably dangerous or evil,
were put down as "disloyal," and num-
bercd among TRAITORS and such other vile
cattle
AT the time when this prcpostcrou, and
,owardly doctrine was 50 much insisted up
on it was put down as "A test Of a man ) 10y
atty, that he should defend every act Of the
president and his administration, no matter
how much Of private right il might destroy;
no matter wha, Of States rights j, might
intrudc upon or nufy no matter what OF
law or institution it mi. ht invade or vio-
late. If man hcsitatcd to admit that the
President lcwd and vulgar jokes were the
acme Of genuine wit or humor, he was dts-
loyl If he doubted that the president.
crude, sloyenly inaccurate, silly, aud ask
wardly inexpensive use Of the English lam
guagc was not fclicitous beyond precedent
and eloquent without parallel, he was d.s-
ioyal IL hc refused TO assert that every
act of the President was right, and lawful,
and polite, and wise or luSti liable, he was
again disioyH No criticism was allowed
no freedom Of opinion was pciint.c wc
mus. all crouch at the feet of ABRAHAM and
knecl submissiycly there, finding TO fault
with the most stupcndous VIZ ngs. making
no complaint for the most outrageous gricv-
nnces, sc ing nothing but beauties and viz
tues where We detect llcmishes and vices,
or were incontincntly put down as traitors
and lit for some government hastilc Nay,
often and again, when some man plainly cX
pressed the disapprobitioE which so many
felt, and calmly and respectfully ccns,rd
certain Iolcies Of the President which he
deemed either injudicious or unwisc, or all
solutc wrong, we have heard him threat
encd that if he did not hold his peace he
would be suddenly hauled off to IT. I.aiay-
cite, or some other similar prison which an
incipient tyranny held over the heads Of a
free people to in,imidatc them into uncom
planning silence.
This standard Of unconditional LOYALTY,
thanks to the unbroicn spirit of our people,
no longer exists. \ man may now censnrc
the abuses and usurpations which he cannot
fail To perceive without being threatened by
ton and the administration itself, in all its
plcnt,tude Of power. dare not To seize the
person of the humb!cst citizen, who com
lnits no offence against the laws, and who's
only c. inc is that he den ounces such acts oil
the President, OF any of his followers, as he
deems worthy of dcnuncation, in fit terms
Not that the spirit of depositsm TO longer
exists lot that n tendency to tv,annica
measures no longer lives in the bosoins O
the men compost Z the present adnnis;ra
ton. The recent infamous outrage uuoY
the press Of New ok city. proves the con
trary, and shows that d,sI,otisro and tyran
ny are only dormant, and waiting pIopiti
GUS opportunity or their exhi ition, in ;
manner the most fell and ncxorablc Blu
they are he'll. in curb by the awakenin.
spirit of the people by the wid,ls spread
ing conviction, among the Presidents sup
Poitcls, as well as his opponents, that h.
and all his official advisers are unwo ortiz, /,
be retained in Office, and that the next clec
uon, ADLER, better, and pnrcr men than the,
must be elevated to the stations which the,
now So miserably fill. Men OF the Presj
dents own party DOMAIN! the right to speak
to criticise freely, to act without con ,trainl
and they exercise the ri ght. And so i; come
that the President stays his hand, moved b
the Wholesome apprehension that has Lc
the hand Of many u lcspot before, even il
Ia DIS less free than ours.
The truth is that all this talk about un
conditional loyalty, based upon the defcnc
of particular administration or an ndig
nant censure and criticism OF it, is, to us
the language Of manly Republican, cotem
porary, too weak for grown men. 10 b.
loyal is to give hearty support to the gov
crnment, and this support does no, exclud
but often requires free and severe cxpos,r,
OF the {, ,lts and error. of tIc,a in ,o...,