Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1867-05-24
4 Solid Shot.

/ Tor deep JlOupnt 10 I'LL lovers VI IDelt -
How to acquire liberty. How to acquire lib
erty has often been a national problem; how
to preserve liberty has long been subject Of
national discussions; how to lose liberty is Sc
plain and simple a que; ton that few care to
consider it, and therefore nation after nation
has walked from stupor, or looked out from
some wild storm of passion, to find it sud
denly and irrevocably lost. At this moment
we are governing population of millions, in
vast territory. in absolute denial Of the first
principles Of liberty, and every month that
we live in this condition eff things carries us
nearer. the end of the experiment America
has been trying, of self-government on free
principles. A cotemporary congratulates
the country on the expedition Of Senator VIII
son and other radical speakers to the South
ern States and declares it an illustration Of
the establishment Of the great right and bles-
sing Of free speech and free discussion in that
region. We confess our inability to see it.
1t is for the present, nonsense to say that free
speech exists in the Southern States. Let
US look at it a little Senator Wilson is ma
king tour in which he addresses audiences
in favor to the military reconstruction law,
and urges on the people the adoption Of its
principles and submission to its requirements.
He advocates his views with entire freedom.
drawing his illustration from whatever source
he chooses. This is free speech on one side
Of question. But when Governor jenkins
of Georgia addresses the people on the other
side of the same question he is met with a
military obstacle. In point Of fact he is
warned off by the military governor. This
is not exactly free speech. On the contrary,
it is a very un-American sort of proceeding
What can be more ridiculous than to style
this state Of things freedom in any sense
Of the word It is not even probable that
Northern politicians holding views counter to
those Of Senator Wilson should 60 down to
the South and address the people. They
would undoubtedly be suppressed with sum
mary proceedings. The consequence Of this
is plain. The southern country is, by mill
tary power, made free to only one class Of
politicians, and the first great result Of the
Military Reconstruction Bill is to launch on
the poor Southerners food of men advoca-
ting one set Of views, while their opponents
are excluded by the military commanders
The South is reconstructed into form gov
eminent once detested by the good sense Of
every American, and the sad spectacle is Of
fered to the world Of a free people. using
military power for the propagandism Of one
shade of principles while it uses the same
power to suppress the advocacy Of any other
shade.
q It would have been in better taste for
the Wilson's and men Of that sort, when they
heard that Governor jenkins was forbidden
to address the people on his side of the ques-
ton, to withdraw from their crusade and de-
cline to appear as advocates of liberty which
was confined to themselves only. 1t should
be notifying to such men to find themselves
placed in such ridiculous position, a position
for which no one can have any respect
"Governor jenkins is, according to oul
judgment, wrong in some Of his views. Bu
neither we, nor Mr.. Wilson, nor the Militia
ry Governor, should decide that ques
ton without free speech and discussion. Fo1
although we have made rapid strides in tina
direction, we have not yet arrived at the def
mite establishments of the doctrine that al
entire people should for any crimes of indi-
viduals among them, be Invested of all priv.
ileges to liberty. The doctrine of the radi
cal party, AS we understand it, is that politi
cal offences may deprive nation entirely 0
all the rights which the Declaration Of indie
pendence enumerates. Heretofore there ha
been a distinction between personal rights o
liberty and public rights Of liberty. Blu
generally liberty has been esteemed SO sacret
that the idea Of depriving nation of it wa
denounced as the grandest political crime
individuals might forfeit it, but that TIL
curse of despotism should be evoked over
vast territory, and liberty forbidden an en-
tire people by the statutes Of nation pro
Tossing to be the great defender of freedom
is an anomaly which will always mark witt
peculiar effect the middle Of the nineteenth
century Had the people of the United State
made statutes for visiting punishment, ever
: to the Imprisonment and death, on each AM
every man who had been guilty III the rebel
lion, they might have been accused Of I'm
merciful rigor, but they could not have beer
accused, as now, Of striking death-blow a
, the great principles Of self government an
liberty which were once their boast. TIL
radical party in power have enacted la,
which is based on the theory that liberty
not the right of a people, but that it is tn
gift of the ruling power that the rulin
power may withdraw it as punishment 70
offence and that when withdrawn, it
proper to suppress all free speech and discus
sion Of the doctrines Of liberty, and to forbi
:: all question Of the right Of the ruling powe
! thus to withdraw it. A strange picture, bu
! ! veritably so and no man can defend til
military bill and It's operations on any othe
, theory than this, that there is no inherer
. !, right of liberty in any people. Curiousl
enough, It IS The same road on which we al
now travelling which other republics hay
taken down to destruction. Must it alway
be so? If the entire nation assents to the re
suits Of radical legislation in this country
America will have damaged free principle
more than she has advanced them"
; GEN j G. BREcKINR1DeE The Nasf
, vile Banner has received information by
! private letter just received from Paris, an
# written by a gentleman who has every re;
t son to know the facts, thai Gen. John {
e Breckenridge, who is at present in that city
D will return to the United States immediate