The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1866-04-19

x
President, the Southern press has
borne itself .wibh remarkable modera-
tlon. 1t IS more mild and more in
chned to dlspassionate argument than
before that paper appeared. This is
quite natural While IT was under
stood that the writ of Aabcds corpus
was suspended, and a newspaper
might be-stopped at any molnent q
military commander Of district. or
his subaltern, might think proper,
there was q feeling Of inpatience aud
chafing- of spirit that excited the
temper and stirred the impulse to bit
ter complaint and apprehension But
the Government having relaxed its
rlgors-Peace being declared, and
the hobe0S co,pns, consequently, re-
stored, the editors are somewhat pa
clfied, and begin to talk quietly and
argumentatively SO cat will lie,
meekly sleeping on the hearth, until,
discovering through n half-opened
eye a thread upon her velvet paw,
dropped by the housewife, she rises,
IN great nervous excitement, and fu-
riously dashes it from her.
There is no measure better calcu-
lated to-do harm i'll Il country like
ours than to tramrlel the press. 1t
arouses bad feeling and diniilishes
respect for authority, The press is
the shield of liberty, and it corrects
its own errors. MI. Jefferson's max
I'M, that error ceases to be dangerous
when reason is left free to combat it,
is very Just. The press cannot go far
astray to the public injury, while tits
hntrammelled, and thus enabled to
check its own aberrations.
We need not go into a discussion
OF the liberty Of the press The pub
he opinion is too orthodox, the pub
lie mind too well informed on the
subject, to Justify anything of the
kind. Especially is this the case in the
South. During the whole struggle
IN the South aud notwithstanding
there were papers which made the
measures of the Government the sub
Ject OF daily apprehension and ridi-
cule- in no Single instance was the
liberty of the press interrupted by
the Confederate Administration. Nor
are we aware, with one exception, that
the public Indignation led to the in
raslon of the rights of any editor.
\ bodynf soldiers passing through
Raleigh. DESTROYED the press of a very
notorious gentleman, altogether dis
loyal to the cause those soldiers were
fighting for. 1t did not appear that
citizens had any part in it. 1t was
only rash and impassioned act of
the soldiers, who We're very gallant
fellows, WHO had imperilled their lives
lDhard- fought battles But this out
rage, committed hy such men under
the impulses of the moment, was
made the preteXt for destroying the
press and materials of another news
paper. of opposite sentiments, ut the
same time, in the same town. This
WAS the work of citizens; SO that it
may be truly said that the only press
that Was broken up and destroyed by
the citizens, during the war, was de-
stf"ved by What We're called Union
men. Neither the Government nor
the people of the South, from tie in
ceptlon to the conclusion of one of
the most extensive and bloody of all
evil wars, interfcred with the liberty
OF the press
Hau The Government OF the United
States rlnulute.l so liberal and wise n
policy, 1t would never have found
cause t" regret it. Had it, indeed,
proclaimed peace upon the conclu-
sion of the war, and restored the
States to their equality, it would have
secnred Immediate and enduring
benefits for the whole Union, and
harmonlZcd the nation. 1t would
have restored industry, revived en-
terprise, ended uiscord, and subdued
the rancorons dispositions of the see
tons. 1t would have ut once re- organ
lZed the culture of the great staple
OF the South, and have hll'nsed the
rays of prosperity and Joy over lands
where the genius Of dcsolation now
h"rers IN misery and gloom.
Instead, what have We seen? With
all tue liberal dispositions OF the Pre-
sident. so adverse is Congress to that
beneiircnt policy which characterizcs
great and magnanlmnus minds, that
he has been enabled to accomplish
very little in the way 0i pacitication
of the nation. Congress has been
engaged the whole session in framing
measures for the humiliation of the
south. Their whole policy, rs the
-NHf"'"" IHe/irD,"r,. Justly remarks,
has shown 4 design OF colonizing
the South making lis States sat.'l-