The Russellville Democrat., 1877-03-08
Lay Aside the Little Bell.

of time yesterday in studying out devices by which to bring about the punishment of Dom Piatt for his leader in the last number of the Capital. It was not a very wise thing on the part of those grave officials to trouble them selves in this matter. The tongue of Mir. Stewards little bell has rusted, and the hand that sound ed it has turned to dust, and the people have once more grown ac- customed to regard the freedom of the press as something which it is essential to preserve. There
 fore, although the Washington Capital has delivered itself of some red republican doctrines, along with much fiery indignation, the paternal Government had bet ter let that journal alone. It may be that the Federal statutes against melting rebellion can be brought to bear for the punish ment of the bloodthirsty editor, but there is ssong prejudice in this country against Federal prosecutions of the press, and if the President and his ministers are we'll advised, they will leave this matter in the hands of the local authorities, which have am pie power to deal with it as far as it can need to be dealt with at all. The idea of press prosecu- tions belongs to republics of the French and not of the American type. Han editor wants to preach communism and revolution, he has theoretically the right to do so as long as he can get anybody to buy his paper since, if he can
 persuade majority of his fellow
 citizens to his way of thinking, their will becomes the law of the land. The true safeguard of the country against pernicious doc urine is in the good sense of the people what is political heresy and what theories it is dangerous to have preached to them, then the people must abdicate all pre- tense to self-government. By i'm plication the Capital justifies the assassination of Hayes; by impli
 cation it incites the citizens of South Carolina and Louisiana to rise and fling off the usurping governments that are a burden to them, and, if need be, hang their pseudo governors to the lamp posts; by implication it urges upon the workiagmen of the North and West crusade against the rights of property. This is baleful and, indeed, internal doc urine; but the editor of an Amer ican paper, even if he be voted by common consent to be fool, is also a free American, and as such entitled to the privilege of propa- gating his opinions. It is not unlikely that this particular ed itor may have made his outgiv- ings as startling as possible, with an eye to getting some share of notoriety out of them, for in his capacity of journalist he is well aware of the value of an adver- tisement, and would relish in his character of humorist an opera boufie prosecution for construc- tive treason. Why has the Gov ernment rushed with such frantic haste to take up the gauntlet which he has thrown down. There was paper started in this city some years ago for the express purpose of advocating the oyer throw of the republic and the es- tablishment of an empire. It died natural death and no one bewailed it. It had short res urrection in Chicago last year, and President Grant, whom it wished to make a monarch, paid no attention to it. Yet it urged the murder not of Packard or n Chamberlain, but of free govern ment and the Constitution. Left to rave alone, it's voice soon died away and was forgotten. Such articles as the leader in the Cap