The Norfolk post. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1865-1866, 1865-09-30
COMING HOME TO ROosT.

III iaiI way vi UelnS July UNDERSTOOD
by the English nation, through its prac.
tical application to their own case. Ter.
rible were the denunciations of the Brit
ish press and parliamentary orators
against the American Government fol
what they held to be despotic assump
tons of power in suppressing certain
reasonable newspapers, and arresting
their editors, during the war. There
was no limit to their invective, and the
most fearful consequences to free govern
ment and the liberty Of the press were
predicted as certain to result from such
unheard of and tyrannical violations OF,
and interference with, the right of free
discussion by a government claiming to
be republican and democratic in its SYM
pathies and principles. The press must
be left entirely untramelled. 1t must
be permitted to deride and neutralize all
the efforts of the government to save the
State from destruction, without moles-
tation, said these indignant Englishers.
The London Times, the Post, and the
Herald, and all their little echoes, were
vastly astonished that we should show
so little respect for the freedom of the
press as toarbitrarily suppress newspa-
per now and then, in the conquered ter
ritory, and caution its editor, even
while the New York Ne,cs, the World,
the Metropolitan Record, the Freemen'S
Journal, the Chicago Times, and hun
dred Others equally as seditious in char
acter and unpatriotic in sentiment, were
permitted freely to battle for the success
Of the rebellion and the overthrow OF
the government to scatter broadcast
over the land the seeds of dscord and
distrust; to traduce, villify and falsify
the acts of the government, and perform
the work Of spies and traitors by expos
ing military ard State secrets to the ene-
my, thus doing more harm to the Union
and rendering more aid to the rebellion
than Lee and all his armies. 1t was
proper, according to their theory, for the
owner of press and types to throw Oh
stacles IN the way of the authorities at
all times and upon all occasions; to ex.
pose secret operations to the enemy, and
commit overt acts of treason, for which
a private citizen would he justly con
demned to suffer death. This was the
freedom of the press, and it must not be
infringed. TWAS a pretty theory so long
as the American OK was the sufferer
but how does it work now that the
Irish bull is threatening the British
bovine? All their refined liberal ideas
and extra democratic teachings are
forgotten in moment, and they pounce
down upon the Irish press at the very
first mutterings of the coming storm,
and summary suppress the Journals and
imprison their editors. Where now are
our British defenders of the liberty of
the press? Have they nothing to say
against this most unwarrantable attack
upon the sacred right of free discussion
this violation of the freedom of the
Irish press, and outrage upon the priyi-
lege they held should be inviolate in our
case, of permitting man of types to soy
and do just what he pleased? How well
is the doctrine of compensation exempli-
fled and proved by this event. The
poisoned chalice is commended to their
own lips. The Fenian scare has fright
ened all England-and merely on sus-
picion they make haste not only to
abridge the rights Of the person, but to
destroy the freedom of the press. How
does the following paragraph read when
placed in juxtaposition with articles
from the London Times and other Eng
lish journals, abusing our government
for interfering with reasonable publ
cations, and in view of the fact that the
New York Ne,cs and Metropolitan Re
cord were never suppressed, even
in the darkest hour of this coul-
try's trials? The developments in
this Fenian movement bid fair to
prove highly instructive. We shall fire.
quently be called upon to SEQ the physi-
clan refuse his own medicine-tO be-
hold our former friendly counsellors de-
clining to follow the advice they lavished
so gratuitously upon us when We were in
trouble, and they merely lookerson.
The following is very nice paragraph,
truly, to appear in the English prints,
after all they said and did. Weare sur
prised that they should be so prompt to
violate the sacred right of the people to
discuss questions of public policy-and
in times of profound peace.
What has become of the boosted British
liberty of conscience aud FREEDOM of dis
cussion
"On Friday evening, September 10, III
Dublin, u large force 0fpolice proceeded
from the Castle to Parliament street,
where they divided into two bodies, one
at each end of the street. The detectives
then knocked at the door of Il paper
called the Irish People, an alleged Fen
ian organ, but were refused admission.
The police then broke open the door,
took possession of the premises, and ar
rested twelve or fourteen prisoners, said
not to ce conlpositors, and conveyed |
them to the Castle. The police then re-
tained possession of the premises.
there Is no information as to the |
cause OF the seizure, but there are rumors |
OF concealed arms and documents, wit. |
the names OF the leaders; butths rarnrts T
are, not penerallv crad;taI "a - -,