Shreveport news., 1864-12-06


til. people, thus directing and con
trolling their actions =? suppose, for
an instant. that the press ceased it's
work. No more accounts of III.
thrilling and stirring events Of the
war spread through the land; the
history "f our struggle confined 10
verbal statements or the written
pages of manuscripts the soldier in
the field ignorant of what is trans
pirins without the sphere Of his own
actions; the people at home without
information Of what the army is
accomplishing abroad :; the land filled
with rnmors and reports. while the
p""p'" await with sickcnins dread
aud ANXIOUS suspense the details OF
tn. las, Srr", struggle. Bat why
purSu" this train of thought 1t
! leads only into darkness morr pro
found than that which developed
Egypt in il sable mantle during the
reiGn of Pharnah. W. would re-
laps, into an ynoranc" worse than
that of the Barharian
! Interfere with the Freedom of the
press and an attack i made upon til.
chief cornerstone Of tn. structure. OF
Constitutional freedom. Its power
is greater than any other agency
employed to control ana direct hui
man destiny. Its the great light
which prrneatcs heather ignorance
and shines in undimucd -p!endor and
brilliancy upon every grade of free
society, high and low. rich and poor.
, Its power is the terror and de,esta
ton of dcsposs, simply because its
freedom is opposed in the mos,
marked manner TO every plan formed
to dehas", degrade or shacklr the hui
man race. The teachings of history
arr significant on this momcntous
| question. Show It's a nation OPP
pressed or downtroddrn, the victims
OF political or religions ianaticism or
a centralized d"spo;i-m, be it lnonar-
! chical or autocratical, and we will
show youa press hanpcrrd and re-
s,ric,cd in its published sentiments.
Take for instance the history of the
wars of the French Revolution
! When Spain had been overrun by
I'll" l-Gions under Ronaparte, we find
the Cortss assembling at Cadiz. in
| the isle of Leon, to direct the affairs
of the Spanish nation. The his,o-
rian tells Ms that ",he liberty of the
press, wi'hon, which all prrtcnsinns
to national freedom are vain, was
one of the frs, subjects that nccn-
pied the deliberations of the C"rtc-.
Whatever light. said Argu, Has. by
whom this subject was introduced.
HIS spread itself over Europe. that
ligh, has sprung from the liberty of
the press. and nations have risen in
proportion aS that liberty has been
enjoyed by them; while others, in
voIvrd i'll ignorance. and fettered by
drspotism or superstition. have sunk
in III" same proportion. spain has,
for many ages, been in chains in
suited and degraded by succession
OF governments who have d-spi>"d
the wishes of the people. The mo
rails of the nation partook of this
pcrv"rs" Influence. and the glory OF
Spain disappeared i'll The same pro
portion as its liberty. Look at hng
land on the other hand. that free anc
=. generous country, which owes it
, liberty and all its morality to IL fire.,
press. Upon the colossal power o
( England, which III. liberty of tn,
press has raised. the indrpenden
which Is yet left in Europe rests 10
, ito support" See Napoleon Will
, in the zenith OF his power. after hi
, marriage with Maria Louisa. Arch
duchess of Austria. when the Frenci
were wild with enthusiasm and re
| joicing over his sr-a, military sue
cess..- and his alliance with a pow
, eriul nation. making his first s,rid
t. towards an absolute d-spoti~m b,
:. suhircting the press to rigid cen
!. oo.ship aS well as diminishing ,hei
: numbers.
I "Ihcs. men,ures." SAYS the histo
Y rian. "dirninisll-d tn. attachment q
( the French 10 their Emperor, an
= would probably IN their ultimat
a Consequences have undermined hi
h thr"nr; for, rn'srnatical rs II ma
e appear, II is an uuIu"-tIoIablr fac
:. resting upon the authority of n
!. history, that every blow directe
e against the liberties of people TIA
o tendency 10 rec"ii upon the han
o that in.iicts il, /; and thn-. measure
which AT first seem 10 strengthen Il,
l, government of y tyrant. seldom ia
!. to overthrow the fabric of drspotis,
IF, which by shor, sighted policy tn"
4, are intended to supp 'r..' Such wa
nj tn. record OF 1910. Four yea,
A, later, Louis XVIII occupied ii
:, thron. Of France after Napoleon
it abdicntion. aud he adopted mcasur,
N of the restrictive system so hostile
- the etfectual liberty of the press, I
d necessary for the m;.intainan e