The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1868-06-11
FREE PRESS, FREE SPEECH


IF there had been no republican party
free press and free speech would be as un-
known, from the Potomac to the Rio
Grande as ten years ago Colfax's letter
Of acceptance.
1t is a matter of inquiry as to the means
used by the REPUBLICAN party" to bring
about free press and free spe &c, which it
appears from Mr.. Colfax'S statement was
unknown ''from the Potomac to the Rio
Grande ten years ago" the people of this
country, and the district in which Mr.
Colfax resides have had some practical H.
Illustrations Of the manner in which the re-
publican party gave them free speech and
free press. Two years ago We had occa-
sion to speak of these acts of tyranny, and
that the people may not forget them we
produce them here to show how it is sif
there had been no republican party free
press and free speech would be as un-
known from the Potomac to the Rio
Grandc as ten years ago"
For instance 1t was Mr.. Colfax and
his party who seat an armed force of
twelve or fifteen men from indianapolis
to Plymouth. where they dragged from
his room at the dead hour of night, Mr..
Vanvalkenburgh, then editor Of the Dem
ocrat, for calling political brigadler gem
eral a donkey" This little bit Of fun
cost the tax payers Of this district and the
state something like thousand dollars; a
mere song, you knos, bu. it showed that
We had a government
This is Mr.. Colfax's idea of freedom of
the press
1t was Mr.. Colfax and his party that
sent an armed force from Laporte to
Plymouth, and alter pointing sixteen p:s
toll shots at the heal Of a deienceleSs dem
ocrat-Mr. James Thompson, lie was in
formed that he WAS prisoner and must bs
taken in chains-if he could not be iakeL
Observation-Disclosures the military authoritie;
at Laporte to answer to the charge Of dis
loyalty. Alter holding him about Thirty
six hours, during which time he was sub
Jected to insults the most damnable, b,
was suffered to return to his home.
This shows how Mr.. Colfax and his par
ty brought about the freedom Of speech
1t was by the sanction of Mr.. Cola,
and his party that the Laporte Democra
printing office was broken open wher
the proprietor was absent from the Office
and the type and fixtures broken anc
thrown into the street, for no other reason
than that it was democratic newspaper
and opposed in manly way the usurpa
tons and tyrannic acts OF the republican
party.
And this is the manner in which Mr.
Colfax and the republican party establish
ed the freedom Of the press
1t was Schuyler and the republica,
party who had arrested by the proves
marshal, without warrant of law, half
dozen OF the citizens of West township, i,
this county, and taken to Indianapolis
where after being held in "durance vile
for week or ten days they were allowet
to return home, the expenses of eacl
amounting to something like three hun
red dollars.
And this was the way freed ON of speed
was vouchsated to the people by the repub
lican party.
Going outside Of our own district VI
find the great leader of the rcpublica,
party, no longer ago than February 1866
establishing the freedom of the press i,
the following manner:
"HEADoUARrERs ARMIES u. 81
WASHINGTON, Feb II, 1866 (
You will please send to these head quar-
tiers, as soon as practicable, and from tim
to time thereafter, such copies of news
papers published in your department a
contain sentiments of disloyalty and hostll
ity to the government, or any of its branch
es and state whether such paper is habitu
al in its utterance Of such sentiment. Tn
persistent publication of articles calcula
ted to keep up a hostility of feeling be
tween the people of different sections o
the country cannot be tolerated. The in
formation is called for with a view to thei
supp ression, which will be done from
these headquarters.
BY order of Lieut.. Gen. Grant"
Mr.. Colfax will find by the time tn
presidential campaign is over that tn
people of this district are not such numb
skulls as to believe if there had been n
republican party free press and free speecl
would have been as unknown "from tn
Potomac to the Rio Grande as ten year
ago"
But the democracy propose to establish
free press and free speech as it Was "tel
years ago. by going back to the constitu