New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-03-13
TRuE LIBERTY.

True and genuine liberty, such as an
educated and refined people should crave
and seek to guard and foster, consists not
so much in freedom from individual re-
straint of one man over another, as 1t does
in absolute subsection to law. Or rather
it should be said that uniform and uni
versal subsection to law in any community
or State secures and protects every citl-
zen or subject against all tyrannlcal and
undue individual Observation-Disclosures
him indeed and in truth freeman and
the practical participant Of true and
genuine liberty.
But to make this safe, either to the State
or the individual, due distinction between
freedom and RIGHTEOUSNESS must ever be
kept in view for liberty, like power. if it
does not steal from the many to the few,
may run into equally as dangerous ex-
travagance, and in Overlapping itself,
become the lever of its own destruction.
A very wise and far-seeing statesman of
this country, and one very liberal as well
as clear in his views of freedom, once re-
marked that it requireda very strong gov
eminent to begin with to enable man to
govern himself.
The truth is, the science of free govern
ment is the most abstruce of any known
to man, and the "public functionary" who
speaks lightly or spatteringly of such sub
ject, and says just anything to catch the
fancy and bring up the applause of the
populace, is not only not safe as public
leader or instructor, but is criminal and
unworthy of federation.
1t is extremely difficult to discriminate
between the limits of we'll guarded and
true liberty, and the encroachments OF
loose and licentious freedom from all whole
some and safe restraint or rather it is more
dangerous, in one sense, than it is difficult
i n this, that the masses who are
Justly and of necessity the source of all
power in free country. may "turn and
rend the man or the party who may be
honest and candid enough to make the at
tempt. q
And this very fact at once most strik-
ingly places the Republican party before
the country in the most sublime attitude.
This party, after having freed and enfran-
chised millions of unlettered slaves, who
are naturally very clamorous and most
enthusiastic in their first taste of the sweets
of liberty, nevertheless warns them
that they must understand and appreciate
the true spirit of freedom before they can
be free indeed-that the price Of liberty
is eternal vigilance; and to make this vigi-
lance effective, it must be educated, and
calm, and we'll directed.
And to render this sublime mission of
the Republican party the more difficult
but not the less grand-the Democratic
party comes to the rescue with all its well
digested tricks and appliances Of disorgani-
zation and confusion. Failing in its
bloody efforts to keep millions Of human
souls in eternal earthly bondage, this party
Of ancient stripe and injustice would still
expend its resources to irritate and de-
moralize, and if possible doom to endless
woe those WHO have escaped its present
tortures.
If the Republican party seeks to teach
the colored population that they should
become educated and more experienced in
the science of government before they
assume too much to legislate and shape
the political destiny of the land, the Dem
ocratic party retorts by telling the colored
man that he has as much right to hold
office as the white man; that the white
radicals and scallawags want to hold all
the offices while he does the voting; and
hen, when the colored man is elected to
,ffice, this same Democratic party turns the
back of the aristocratic and chivalric hand,
md in rebellious wrath, swears it will
never submit to African rule and NEGRO
,uudllty'
And so, the Republican party has a
louble task to perform, either of which is
very difficult To shape and direct the
political course of newly.enfranchised,
and uneducated race or
lass of people, heretofore held in the
most abject and inhuman slavery; and at
he same time fend off and guard against
he educated, but brutalized encroach-
nents of fanatical and frenzied class of
ancient masters" whose envy for their
liberated slaves is only equaled by their
eal hatred for those who freed them.
But all this does not alter the genius
,or change the safeguards of true and gen.
line liberty, nor shall it deter the Repub-
lean party from observing the one and
nculcatipg and teaching the others. Such
s now the remainder of its mission, and
his it will endeavor to perform, fearlessly
md efectually. If it fails, the lawless and
7icious principles, SO long and so carefully
nstigated and taught by the wild Democ-
.acy, must prevail; yielding a harvest of
anarchy and misery, in the place u 3 true
liberty, with its fruits Of prosperity and
peace.
HONORABLE EXCEPTIONS.