The Cadiz sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1864-1911, 1864-08-03
EXCLUSION OF TIE ENGUIR-
ER FROM KENTUCKY.
Infamous Warfare Upon the
Liberty Of the Press and
the Rights of the
... People.
Views of "a Republican U .
=. senator.


Views of "a Republican U.
=. Senator.
His Criticism Upon Gen. Rur-
bridge.
In the course Of the debate in the Senate
on Senator Powell motion to take up his
resolution requesting the President to re-
woke the order prohibiting the circulation
Of the Cincinnati EBqWrer in Kentucky.
and to prevent the military authorities from
encroaching upon the freedom Of the press
in the future, Senator Cowan, Of Pennsyl-
vana, said -
am going to vote for the resolution of
the Senator from Kentucky, | do not know
any thing about the Cincinnati Euguiye,.,
DO not know, to the best Of my knowledge
that have ever read a copy Of that paper;
! do not know what it says, nor what it ad-
vocates, and | do. not care; but have come
to the conclusion for the future to endeayor
to do all | can to prevent the exercise Of
that arbitrary power which, in my Judgment
| Is dong more mischief to the cause of the
Union to-day than almost all other things
put together. Why, Mr.. President, is it
possible that any thing can be more absurd,
under the theory Of our Government. than
that any body should undertake 10 suppress
a newspaper, particularly in loyal States p
This, sir, is a Government Of the people
In the people the sovereignty is presumed
to be lodged. The fabric is built upon their
presumed intelligence, their presumed good
! sense in understanding what will be good
ed to be equal i'll every respect to their
riders r~
Now, sir, although | am not Democrat
in name, | am 50 far Democrat SO far a
/ Republican that | trust the people trust
the people because they are soyereign; |
trust the people to say what they will, to
read what they will; not to what they will,
but to say what they will, and read what
they will. If we cannot trust the people,
it il has come to this, that a man clothed in
a little brief authority arrogate to himself
the intelligence, the good sense, and the
sovereignty Of the people, and undertakes
to dncct what the people shall shall say and
what the people shall think, then say there
! is. not only an end OF the Union, Int there
! ! an end OF democratic, republican form
OF government, and you can not diSguiscsit.
lcu may sit quiet you may may try to doe
tor it and to cobble It;,,and to hold 1t f0lth to
the world as free government, but it Is a
skeleton; it will tall about your ears and you
will find yourselves swept away bya despot-
| ism and tyranny which it will be too late
perhaps to resist when resistance in the
opinion Of all good men will become neces-
sary. '-#
Why, Mr.. President, what do these pa
pers say? Is there Senator present who
can satisfy himself, much less any body eke,
that these papers that talk what is called
treason, criticising the Administration
croaking, misrepresentating, if you please,
have converted any body? The truth is,
| they do more harm to the cause they ad
vocate than they do to the cause they op-
pose. But suppress them, and suppress
free speech and free thought and free c1iti-
clsm and free examination, and what then?
Then the power that does it weakens ITSELF
then the power that does it is recreant to the
trust contded to it; and that is the thing
which will make it enemies and finally over
! throw it. i'
know, sir that in a time like this, when
the minds Of men are agitated and disturb
ed, and when people are apprehensive, they
are apt to resort to expedents of this kind
in the hope that out of them, in some way
| if there is one lesson which the world has
|
ence, more impressive than any other, it is
that these expedients are not onl fallacious,
not only useless, but mischevious and sub
versive of the very end they were adopted
| to attain F
|, therefore, hope the Senate will express
to the President and his officers that they dis
approves Of this kind of proceeding. ] trust
that the Senate will say to the President
and his officers that it is the representative
of the American people, not Its master, and
that We choose to trust the people we repre-
sent; that we will rely upon their prudence,
! upon their loyalty, upon their good sense to
listen to any kind Of speaking and to read
any kind of reading without having their
faith shaken or their loyalty destroyed |
think that is the manly way to treat this
matter; and think | may say in all safety
| that there has hardly been case where the
exercise Of this power has not been mische-
viOus to our cause. " hat better weapon a.
mong free people could you put in the
hands Of the opposition than acts of this
kind? | cannot conceive of any. Certainly,
gentlemen on this Of the chamber some of
whom have been a long time in opposition,
would have been exceedingly glad if the
power they resisted had furnished them
with capital to trade upon like this. ],
therefore, trust we will meet this thing as
men; as men worthy of the position we oc-
! cupy, worthy of those whom we succeed,
! and relying upon the people and trusting
the people with this which it is their pecu-
liar prerogative under our institutions to en-
joy. .,7 .n .ts ~
Mr. LANE, of Indiana, having addressed
the Senate in opposition to the resolutions,
! Mr.. Cowan replied as follows: Is t
Mr.. President, | have a single word to
say in reply. ] am exceedingly sorry that
my honorable friend has has not taken a cor
rect view of this question. What kind of a
compliment does he pay to the army? What
is the purpolt Of his speech here in the SEN
ate of the United States as regards an
American soldier, one holding in his hands
a part of the sovereignty of the nation, one
/ in possession of political power, one who
under the flag Of his country is ready to
peril his life every day in order to save and
preserve it? What does my honorable friend
say to him? "Iou are not fit to read this,
paper; you ought not to read it; it will
poison you; it will destroy the soundness Of
your principles; it will sap your loyaty;'a it
will endanger the fidelity that you owe to
your government. Why, Mr.. President,
| if | was soldierin the American army |
would.sa to the honorable Senator, "Sena-
tor as you are, who made you my master;
who made you Judge as to what l shall read
and what shall not read2- Have you any
more stake in the, country thapI haye.2 Ii
there any presumption of law that you are
u better Judge Of the matter which my brain
is to digest. di---- ul' 91tan ri
Mr.. Grimes But the military commander
has that power by military law 1-grot
| Mr. CoWan Il will come to that in one