The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-06-18
Concerning n
From The World.

Concerning Rebels and Their Punish
From The World
Mr.. John Stuart Mill, in his speech at the
Reform meeting in London, promulgate views
on the subject of Furnishing the Fenians, and
rebellion in general, very analogous to those
of Mr.. Buchanan on the subject of secession.
In his message to Congress, at its assemblage
just after the election of Lincoln, Mr.. Buchanan
denied the right of secession, but was equally
clear against the existence of any constitu-
tiOnal power to coerce States. Mr.. Mill is not
very clear as to the right in the question of
the Fenian uprising, though, when he says
that the people of England, so soon as they
have obtained political power, will do justice
to those of Ireland, he may be fairly construed
as meaning that the insurrection was not
altogether uniustifable. Rebellion, however
right or wrong must be punished, he says,
for there must be a check upon the disposi-
tion of men to appeal to arms, and involve
society in civil war. The punishment should
be mild, not extending to life, and limited to
imprisonment for such time as may be
necessary to insure the tranquility of the
State.
1t is rather a dangerous admission for an
associate of Beales to make, that rebellion
should, under all circumstances, be punished.
Hardly, too, is it consistent with the creed of
reformer and extreme advocate of universal
suffrage, to hold the sword of justice over the
heads of those who, under any pretext what
sOever, resort to what is often the only pos
sible mode of recovering or establishing popu-
lar rights. Neither does it seem altogether
compatible with the rigorous logic, the ex-
pounding and inculcating of which forms so
great part of the work of Mr.. Mills life
to say that unsuccessful rebellion, even if
rghtful, must be punished as a matter of ex-
pediency. Thrown into the syllogistic form
and analyzed with that critical acumen which
remorselessly cuts the intricate web of falla-
cious argument, he would with difficulty allow
the universal conclusion from the partial pre-
misses. Of course, if success be the only cri-
teriOn of right and wrong, a great portion of
the difficulty is at once disposed of, and prac-
tically this is, no doubt destined to be the
case until we attain the ''high priori road' in
the shape of universal science, which Mr..
Mill does not despair of in fruitful nature.
Paley, in the last century, considered it
sound philosophy and good Whig doctrine
that an occasional revolution was beneficial to
liberty by breaking the bonds of custom and
forcing Governments, Anteus-liSe, again to
gather strength from contact with the people.
A mild revolution, like that of $685. might, in
this view of the case, be looked upon as sim
ply gentle Alternative, expelling vicious
humors, and restoring the purity of the blood.
s., Whether, however, Mr.. Mill be logically
correct or not, it is gratifying to see humane
views set forth by man of mark and influ-
ence with the masses. 1t is to be hoped that
his radical admirers here will apply his pre-
cepts in the future, though they have GER
tainly shown no such moderation in the past.
That bigoted old Tory, as he is considered,
Alison, it is true went still farther, maintain
ing that political prisoners should not be
punished at all, or only by exile where abso-
lutely essentially to internal quiet. He, how
ever, who has reflected on the history of the
past six years, will not be disappointed if he
finds the loudest liberals in speech tagging
behind absolutists in practice.