The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1865-06-27


confess we are not Southern svmpa-
rbizer." in that view of the case
a Free People.
II cannot escape the notice Of the OBJ
servant reader of newspapers and speech
ss that there is great difference of
opinion Just now on'the question wheth-
~ the war has yet made this country
wholly free" For example, one lead
ing journal, belonging to the extreme
radical party. says, distinctly and en-
phatically, "our country remains one
and is all FREE" while others declare
that until equal political rights are guar
apfeed to blacks as we'll as whites. there
mo propriety in calling this a free pee
pie. and vet others, such as the editor ct
fhe Tpdependrrf, in letter sent by mn
~ a Boston meeting insist that ia" pru-
ciplcs ofiberty demand the extension OF
the right Of suffrage to women aud that
nothing short of that is consistent with
ths idea Of free country
II is manifsstlv good time 20 study
the question, what is liberty. cr what
constitutes free people There was
never ,Ime when the question wits
none important 20 our own nation. For
t'e iiue between oppression and freedom
aud the ether line between l'hsrlv and
',o+ut!cucuess have been diligently
Fought Ev many nations. and h"r" eel
si,yo been found, Or. if found those l.n"s
have been sooner or latey Lest t. 1ght
row. hv people who lay suplne while
4.s,gning mer destroy their liberties,
'amoving one by one, the monuments
-hioh MARKED the division between des-
vof,..n and freedom now. by people
ehn foolish'v neglected to recognize the
sy,afence Of any line between T." guard
II and cherished rights 81 freedom and
r"e wild rage. Of absolute license. We
ussd rrrs than ever to find these lines
and establish he monuments tn preserve
them.
They ale not necessarily permanent
line. Circumstances may change them.
Perhaps IT would he more correct to say
that the lines are permanent, but that
r'e advance Of education, civilization
and other changes may transfer lndlvld-
ala r,-,y,, .,,a siIa z, tl,. az ,cr ,f tba a.
tahllsbcd lines. As long as human ma
turr j. Just what 1t is. there must be a
difference III the amount Of freedom at
corded 10y law 60 different men. The
man or weak intellect is the subject of
guardianship The man who, by misfor-
tune OF vice, Is uuiitted to take proper
care of his own property, must be de
p,ived of its control The child must he
The servant. ward, and, nmany respects,
the property of his parents until he
reaches wears OF discretion. Where there
are large classes of persons subject 70
disabilities like these, the law must pro-
vide for the entire class. There may I've
many young persons who are fully able
10 govern their own affairs with discre-
t,on before they reach the age oftwenty-
one, and there MAY be others who fail 10
ac0nire the necessary experience until
long after that age Ii is not possible 10
~ &c in each case aud give 10 each one
che stamp of freedom as he seems fitted
joIit So the law has determined an
age III winch all shall have the same priv
ilege. It may be that some remain ill
servitude Longer than is necessary, il may
be too that others acquire freedom soon-
81 than they are fit for it but the gen
eral result is probably good Such is the
theory Of the law. 1t would be a good
rlsn for any person really DESTROYS Of nm
Outstanding the subject Of liberty. as
regulated by law, to study the case of
young man in his twenty-first year, ask
my, first, what is the reason why he can
not vote, buy and sell property, make
contracts, earn money for himself free
from his fathers control, go and come
INST as be pleases, when he is twenty
wears and SIX months old and, second.
Why six months later this should be
changed and his political and individual
rights be suddenly his own. The study
viii show one of the monuments which
mark the line between liberty and servi-
tude, and from this point the line may
he traced through many other classes of
society and life. '-
1t is impossible to establish perfect lib
erty on earth. Much more is it impoSSi-
BE to raise all classes of people at once
TO the same degree of liberty in any eonr-
try. This truth, impressed on The mil DIS
Of the American people, may save us
GREAT trouble in the future. We recog-
nize it in reference to immigrants, andto
Indians who are native to the soil We
recognize il in relation to women ans
raanprs,. pelsons Of weak intellect aud
Iabftha' aT'"'''H - l''S not surprising
81" ,d-ssl 3.u-Ed sSs
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