Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1866-03-17
ALEXANDRIA.
SATURDAY EVENING, MARCH II.

is impossible to read the striking speech de-
liyered in the French Corps Legislatif, on the
10Th February, by NJ Theirs, without admira
ton for it's boldness, and a feeling of amaze.
ment that such independent utterances are
allowed in the high places of that Government,
when less offensive demonstrations among
private men are punished with severe chas-
tisement. We make one short extract on the
freedom of speech and the press =" Forms OF
government frequently change, but one thing
remains, and will remain eternally-p public
opinion. That public opinion is at the bottom
of all the acts of power, and for that purpose
public opinion must have opportunities OF
formation and propagation. Hence what l
call necessary liberties. The first of these is
individual liberty, which guarantees to every
citizen his personal freedom, secures him from
every arbitrary act, and gives him right to
resort to a court of law against any functionary
who acts Illegally towards him. The second is
the rightto press andit he pleases publish his
opinion It is a right which constitutes the
liberty of the press-a liberty which can only
exist in tie condition of not being subjected
either to previous authorization or an inspect
on which amounts to censure. Does the iber-
ty of the press exist to-day2 No doubt there
are Inconvenience in the liberty of the press.
No doubt the PRESS often abuses it's rights.
But the public reprobatiop, not legal repression,
is the true remedy for these abuses.
PROCEEDINGS OF CONGRESS In the Senate
yesterday, petition was presented from twenty
thousand dressmakers asking a reduction of
taxation on their sales Thejudiciary commit
tee reported back the bill, with amendments,
to reorganize the judiciary Of the U. S. A
bill was introduced and referred to fix tie
salaries of the district judges of the U. s. The
naval appropriation bill was then taken up.
Among the amendments agreed to was an ap-
preparation Of $25, 900 for the purchase of the
Governor mansion and grounds at Annapolis;
100000 for the erection Of buildings to &C.
commodate the naval cadets. An amendment
was also adopted repeating the law authorizing
the appointment of navy agents. The bill was
then laid aside, and the deficiency bill taken
up and passed. A message was received from
the President, in response to a resolution, set
ting forth the facts in relation to the alleged
Kidnapping of colored persons in the Southern
States, for the purpose of selling them as slaves
in Cuba. The Senate adjourned until Monday.
Bills were introduced in the House to author
ize the coinage OF five CT, pieces, and 10 estab-
lish ocean mail service between Charleston and
Liverpool. The new loan Till was then taken
up and debated during the remainder Of the
day, and again at the night session, but it and
all the substitutes were finally rejected
CIVIL RIGHTS Bill" THE following are
the chief features of this bill, recently passed
in Congress - That all persons born in the
United States and not subject to any foreign
Power, excluding Indians rot taxed, are hereby
declared to be citizens Of the United States,
without distinction of color, without regard to
any previous condition of slavery or involunta-
ry servitude except as punishment for crime,
whereof the party shall have been duly con-
victed, shall have the same right to make and
enforce contracts, to sue, be parties, and give
evidence, to inherit, purchase, lease, sell, hold
and convey real and personal property, and to
the full and equal benefit of all laws and pro-
ceedings for the security of person and proper
ty, aud shall be subject to like punishments,
pains, and penalties, and to none other any
law, statute, ordinance, regulation, or custom
to the contrary Notwithstanding
''That in all questions of law arising in any
tbo of ,o+ oolor
peal shall be taken to the Supreme Court Of
the United States
The Southern Express Company. which runs
in connection with the Adams Express Com
pany, paid on Wednesday two hundred thou
sand dollars to the First National Bank of
Memphis for money lost on the w. r. Carter,
which exploded near Vicksburg, Miss. The
money was received by the Adams Express
Company at st. Louis and handed over to the
Southern Express Company at Cairo, by whom
it was shipped on board the steamer W. f.
Carter, which arrived at Memphis during the
night and not making sufficient stay to deliver
the money, it was carried past that city, there
by rendering the company liable for the loss.
K'corespondent, from high official perch
in Washington, sends a friend in New York
the following, which, though having too much |
of flavor of Lamb about it to be quite original
is still too good to be lost: "a Catholic priest
the other day, when on the witness stand, was
asked by the opposite counsel ''Father -,
are you full Jesuit? 1 hope 10 be when I |
shall have dined, answered the quick-witted
ecclesiastic blandly, without moving muscle.
VIM. R. Barbee, the American sculptor, is