The mountain Democrat., 1865-03-04
Republican Ideas OF Liberty OF the
Press.

We believe that nn single issue Of the Re.
cord, tIr The last two Years, has tailed Ia cun
tain editorials $" openly, glarIngly Irailurnu.
that they would have Justified It's perempl"rl
shrpIe~siun, and this ~ithnuI the SMALLEST In
fraction "t the liberty ui tue Press Tribune
II We understand the great princlplvs
oi irec'I""', Is We supposed they were
gem rally understood III The Cnited States,
The Tribune differs trom LOUIS NapoIeuIl
not one IOta in It's views Ol liberty.
Let us apply It's Owh test to Itself md
its associates. A Journal may be sup
pressed for "traiIOrouS editorials" Who
is to judge whether they are ''traitorou>, VI
ur the very perfection Of reason and the
dictates Of wisdom?
The law! No; for treason is legal
"ifehS" only upon overt acts. What III, n
public opinion: That. surely, can be
the only other tribunal which has any
authority t. pronounce. Then, TRAITOR.
Gus editorials ARE thu>e which Conflict
With the opinion Of the majority. Wen.
dell Phillips once said that he had been
working twenty years to take nineteeI
States out of the Union. Was that {
''traitornu>" uttrrancr, and were his feel
ingS, object, and toni for tEtnty wear.
"traitnroIS'?
Mr. 5 ward said in the Senate that he
recognized a higher law" ;han the Con
Stitution. and the ~ho,r Republican par
tv is based upon that idea Was that a
",ra;tnrou>' uticrancr II such a thing
aS "tratnrouS' u'trrhnce can he, it was
We understand by liberty If the press.
that liberty which prints any argument
upon any topic, political, religious. molal,
and Of public concern. How can reason
rule, if reasoning is stopped!
In 1915 the great majority Of the En-.
gliSh peop,c believed in the right to tax
the colonies 4 minority believed, with
the colonies, that there was no sutIi right
Chatham told the Lords that the Ameti
cans would be justified in resistance. -
Fox told the Commons the same truth.-
English historians, and the pubic 0pin.
ion Of England Of this dav, arr agreed
that the public opinion Of that dav was
wron!. Fox, after the Dec aration If In.
dependence, said hat the Americans
were fighting the tattleS ~ English liner
u. Was that "traiturOu>" utierancr 7
Was Fox ever suspected Of a want ii ia
trinti>my j. there a name IN En.lisi.
history more dear to the Engli>hunam
Bat let Us come still nearer. NJ. Gree
lev once wrotr that the cotton States had
g. much right to separate from the Union
As the COLONIES had to separate from Great
Britain. lie has, perhaps, trat (ariltv nf
conversion, "r thar perrepilnn Of mistake,
0r thai detection uf distinctions, which is
~ laudahle aud convenient; hut suppose
= man who had read his argument still
thinks it sound, l. il "trait0rOuN" for him
To >av 50, I" write 80, to publish so a! or
j. it lauiab'e:
We desire. IN the name n the Amcri.
can press. to pr"tc I against the ptcu lar
uotinnS Of hhrtv Wh,rh the Il pnhlcan
party presses and the "tfi elected bv
them h ID We say that the, Justify ev.
rythug that has ever been done hv anv
tyranny that ever existed; that if they
are sound, the luQui>ition. the tnrrnr.,
and every measure for r,prrS>ing diSr0n
tent and Sitting Thought, are logical de
du,tionS thrr"trom We assert tha' all
these novel, >tartling,anri American IDEAS
have vertn'ed into hight only within the
last four Yeas, aud that in community
not drunk with paper money they would
he received With hat ed. dI>gn>t. and con
tempi. RI. \. World