New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-12-17
A BOLD srA1D AGAINST TYRANNY.

President OrtoD, of the Western UnioE
Telegraph Company, has just admins.
tered fitting rebuke to the iAquisitors o.
the. House Of Representatives. He stands
squarely upon . constitutional euarantee,
which the Democratic factionists in their
blind fury seem to have forgotten:
The right Of the people to beseeurs in
their persons, houses, papers and effects
against unreasonable searches and seisureG
| ehsll not be violated, and NO warrants shall
issue but upon probable cause, supported
by oath or Affirmation, and particularly do.
| soribiog the place to be searched and the
persons or things to be seized.
Here is Is complete bar to general
order to search the telegraph offices and
seize any such papers or things as the
searchers may fancy they want e. could
we'll be construed by the use of the Eng
lish language The right to be secure
shall not be violated except upon . war
rant, issued upon oath or affirmation, and
the description Of the place to be searched
or the person or thing to be seized must
be particular and accurate. It should be
remembered that this protection was given
to the citizen for the purpose of checking
the arbitrary customs Of the older tyran-
mics Of Europs, which sent the kings
officers into every household in search of
anything that could be found to support
q charge Of treason, conspiracy OF other
crime. This bulwark Of liberty which the
whole Federal government is without the
power to asasl successfully, has besn on
more than one occasion rudely disrsgarded
by the Democratic House in the insane de-
sire to make q case against the Republican
party through it's distinguished members.
At the last session Hester Clymer,
Proctor Knott and other headlong blum
derers secured an order to search the tele-
graph Offices for private dispatches, and
the managers, with q pusillanimity that
must be forever Remembered to their dis
grace, broke their faith with the custom
ers who had con6ded in them and be-
trayed them to their enemies. The fact
that nothing came of this disgraceful in
vasion of private rights, this criminal
violation of the constitution, does not in
the least relieve the House or the tele-
graph managers from the odium of their
unlawful and unfaithful conduct.
One of the effects of the surrender of
dispatches which had been committed to
the telegraph agents in a fduciary capac-
ity, was an immediate loss of business.
For the people saw that if one mans dis.
patches could be made public upon one
pretsnse, anothers could, even without
any pretense at all. No private matter
was safe from the inquisitors, and careful
men took the natural precautions to avoid |
the risk of exposure-they withheld
their dispatches, and sent the intelligence
by slower, perhaps, but more trusty mes
sengers. Others invented system of |
cyphers, which, of course, led to endless !
and losses.
It is perhaps as much owing to this loss
'f business as to any sudden outburst of
honesty or love Of fairness that has led
dr. Orion to take his present very proper
md decided stand against the invasion of
he sanctity of private correspondence by
POLITICAL spies and informers. We hope.
lowever, he will resolutely hold his posi-
ion, not only against the malignant in
visitors Of the House, but the Senate
nd the President as well. He will be sus-
aimed by the entire business community,
8 well as by the decent and fair-minded
oliticians of all parties. |;
As for the papers alleged to be in ques-
on. Secretary Zach. Chambers private
olitical dispatches, We suppose there .
eed be no trouble about them. The old
ian is proverbially frank, and if he ever
INT dispatch specially interesting to
|essrs. Morrison. Randall, Cox, Norris /
y, Hewitt, Tweed. K ely, and the other
formers, he will only be too happy to
We any of them copy Of it if it is asked
Z in prOper stvla