The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1870-08-17
loailp argus.
RAnICALIsMANp LIBERTY.

The St. Louis Republican says that when
persons assume theory to be true ana
endeavor to make facts conform 70 1t, they
are ap, in the end, not only to stuitify
themselves, bat 10 disprove the very theory
tney start out to establish. The Radical
pundits in this country signalized their frat
ventures into politics by making the very
air to bristle with their shouts about "free.
dom = free thought, free speech, free press,
free ballot, free soil aud Fremont made up
the chorus on which they rung the changes
till they made their followers actually be-
lieve that they were the speoial cham pions
of liberty, and all other people in the coun-
try were devotees of slavery. This was In
1856, when they failed 70 elect Fremont,
and again barring Fremont1 in 1860, when
thev succeeded in eecting Mr.. Lincoln.
OF late years, the words elderly and free.
dom have nearly disappeared from their
vocabulary force is the idea and the idol
they now worship, and nearly all the laws
they pass III congress aud in the legislatures
have reference to armies, navles, bonds,
debts, taxes and tariffs indeed it may be
asserted that the ruling spirit in their legis
lation ID how to prevent the people from
doing sometbino they may wish to do or TO
force them 70 do something they may not
vish tn do Under this grim rule, that age
of the republic when the government was
the spontaneous exhibition OF the people
will and wish, hss passed away like dream,
and there has followed government that
continually seeks to sgrAndize itself by the
absorption OF some of the powers and liber
ties Of the citizen-s government that ex
presses itself In exsctions, demands extor
tions menaces seizures. iuterferences, and
swarms OF irresistible agents who stand like
supervisory shadows over every man bust
ness and at every mans elbow. The Ian
guage and habits of freedom have vanished
from them, because. in their constant
employment of force, they have forgotten
their meaning, or because they feel that the
very utterance of the word is self condem-
nation. Having violated every maxim of
freedom that figured in their original plat
form OF promises and in the chorus OF their
first war song, they seem to think that the
less they say on that subject the better for
them.
Still, this party Of fierce sometimes iorgets
itself, and wanders into broken generaliza-
,ions about liberty and despotism that would
De oivertIng II they were not so CHASTITY.
An example is furnished in the following
complacent aud dogmatlc reflections from
Il Journal that is "A recognized authority in
kadIcRiism
Long ago, we remarked that the root idea
Of the so called Democratic party in this
country Yves dlstrust OF sell government,
wat of faith in the capacity OF the people
to shape their own destiny wisely. The
whole political, social sLd industrial system
OF the southern states was based upon the
idea that there should be Il ver:ual landed
sristocracy to DO the ruling, and body OF
! 4
without ownership of land fer whites, and
no suffrage at all for blacks, to do the wor,
king. That was the Democratic ideal. To
tins day, get q; the bottom ola Democrat
heart, and you will lind the notion that the
people are not fit to rule themselves. That
also, is Napoleon ) notion. All his pretsDse
OF submission to the Will OF the people is Il
transparent hum5ug; he submits nothing
except st time anG under circumstances
which insure his success. Sham liberty !;
slavery for labor, and "a landed arisreorscy
for the mastery; that Is American Demo-
Cracy. The two are natural allies.
The journal that thus authorItatively tells
us the root idea of American Democracy Is
"distrust of self government, and want OF
faith IN tue people Is the organ of an
admitted minority that has distTanchiseo
and continues to tistrascLise ue-thIrd the
white votors OF Missouri. To this day" it
tells US, get a. the bottom of the Democrats
heart, aud YOU Will find the notion that the
people are not fit TO rule themselves" Ne
do not need to 60 to the bottom Of til >Radi,
ca. heart to discover the same notion the
party carries 1t IL the face, speaks 1t with It's
lips, EXP PRESSES it IN its laws, and enforces ii
with us armies "DIstrenchised" Is o word
1t mas marAed on the brow of full - ,0U0
good white men of Missouri. 1t pretends to
hold elections like NAPOLEON; but NAPoLE-
On 5 pLe5iScjte a marvel of free popular
utterance compared with the public mocker
les of elections IN Missouri, held under law,
whose whole spirit and object ia to proven
cltI ems from voting. Sham liberty slayery
for labor q tax on the laborer for thu
benefit OF m0nopoIlsts manufacturing
arisLocracy to which the people are forced It
pay tribute to the amount of eight hundred
millions year; military rulers IN thu
southern states, prescription: arrests and
IMPROVEMENTS without trial; the dispersion
OF legislatures; the rejection of the chosen
representatives of constituencies, and the
admission of ~obnoxious persons in their
plsce--this il kadlGailsm.