The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1865-08-02

horace Oreeley, In0ulgeS IN some very
proper remarks relative to Stanton's with.
holding from Mr.. Ford the use Of his pro
perty. The last paragraph Of the criticism
below is as we'll said as i. is truthful. Here
is the "Philesophers" protest:
From the N. Y. Tribune, July Is.
A Mr.. Ford appears te be the owner Of a
theatre in Washington city, wherein Presi.
dent Lincoln was assassinated. Being there.
upon closed, Mr.. Ford attempted to open
1t some days afterward, but was forbidden
and prevented. He next sold it for church,
but the purchasers were unable to fulfil
their engagement, and the property revert.
ed. Last Monday eevening he tried once
more to re open. but was peremptorily
shut up by an order from the War Depart
ment. The Herald says of Ford's attempt
to resume his regular business:
ut Was an attempt to coin the blood OF
the great man. People in Washington as
well as elsewhere felt that that theatre was
. deodand; that it was morally, if not in
fact, involved in the crime committed in il,
just as murderer's weapon, which from
time immemorial has been forfeited to the
law. The war department. forbade the per.
Torrance and closed the theatre; and in do.
ing 80 it only acted up to the popular
thought; and though we shall on this sub.
ject hear many copperheal howls, the act
will receive the full approval of the peo.
ple."
1t is quite probable that "the popular
thought" accords with the above assump.
ton; but there is at least one journal which
dares defy popular" impulses when they
contravene law and justice. We had in.
tended to let this matter pass without com
ment, with many similar vsgaries of the
War Department.; but its plump justifica-
ton BY the Herald imposes the duty of
emphatic dissent.
Under what law, by what right, did Ed.
win N. Stanton thus deprive John T. Ford
Of the use Of his private property : 1t sure.
ly will not be pretended that an iminent,
over ruling public danger dictated the Sec
retary's high handed course. We have
heard that he apprehended riot in case the
theatre was opened so he arbitrarily closed
it, in pursuance Of a policy to which aboli.
tionists Of other days were long accustom.
ed without becoming reconciled. The DO.
lice fear your property will be injured il
you use It; so-instead Of protecting you
| in tho use-they forbid and prevent your
using it at ali It would take long and
severe training to enlightsn US As to the
beauties of such legal protection.
Mr.. Ford, is said, evinced bad taste, or q
deficient sense Of propriety, in undertaking
to reopen his theatre within three months
after Mr.. Lincoln's assassination. Very
likely. But in what clause of the consti.
tuition, what chapter of the statues at large,
do We find the regulation of public or pri.
vats taste, the enforcement Of due regard
for propriety, made duty of the Secreta.
~ Of Warf If he is to regulate other
mems regard for appearances, who is to
regulate-or educate-his?
We know nothing of Ford nor of his
theatre but what is everywhere CURRENT
But suppose he is in debt, and bis creditors
want their pay-supposs his property heav-
| iy mortgaged, and the interest eating him
up-suppose him to have theatrical com
pany on his hands and no means of paving
them except from his receipts. His loss
by the suspension of his business for eleven
or twelve weeks, while Washington was
full Of idle soldiers just paid of, must al.
ready amount to many thousands of dol
lars; who is to reimburse itr And by
what right is he forcibly deprived of the
use Of bis property, the means of paying
his debts, in obedience to others sense Of
6tnesse Why should they evince their
regard for our late Presidents memory at
bis expense rather than their own?
We urge these considerations with no
idle conceit Of influencing the course Of
Secretary Stanton. That functionary seems
incapable of comprehending that our coun
try has, or should have any other law than
his own arbitrary will. But he cannot re-
main in office forever; and, when he retires,
We hope to have restoration Of the pIivi-
lege of hadeas corpus and the supremacy Of
law; and then We shall hope for legal
scrutiny Of some of his many fantastic
tricks" and an adjudication between them
and the personal rights they ruthlessly vic.
lated. Meantime, We only wish it to stand
en- record that We hold his assumptions oil
power utterly unwarranted and without
excuse.