The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-08-25
CURRENT COMMENT.
FREEDOM AND sELB GOVERN.
MENT.

FREEDOM AND SELF GOVERN.
MENT.
CT. w. Hieginson In Hsrper's Weekly.)
For a century since his time the Ameri-
can ration has habitually acted on this
motto and given its sympathy to the un-
der side. Greece, Poland, Hungary, Italy,
Ireland. Mexico. Cuba, the South Ameri-
can republics. have all called forth the
Darionai sympathy, because they were or
seemed to be oppressed. No one has
asked whether their heroes were all Wash
ingtons and their generals all Grants
Probably they were not. No doubt the
prominent insurgent leaders, Bozarris,
Kossuth, Garibaldi. called forth plenty Of
criticism. Bolivar was called more than
once a braggart and a traitor, yet 1t was
practically due to him that South Ameri-
ca is now republican and not monarohical
and 1t Is for this that his statue adorns
American parks. So much for the leader
and as for the people, there were always
plenty who doubted, :while the struggle
lasted, whether the insurgents were
worthy OF. freedom or could ever sustain a
government of their own. Vincennes, the
great French minister, who sent Rocham-
beau and his army to save Jus at York
town, always expected that the new
American States would soon go to pieces.
Sir George Jrevelyan, In the hest history
of the American Revolution yet written,
tells us that. when the war began, George
ILL.,, his ministers and his army agreed
In the opinion that "no population was
ever composed of worse men or poorer
creatures than the rebellious town of Bos-
ton" Probably there never yet WAS an
insurrection, large or small. in which the
party apparently stron ger did not honest.
~ believe the weaker party to be utterly
incapable of self-governmeut.
The flaw in the whole reasoning in such
cases is in leaving out the principle of
liberty. When nation, or even family,
once enters ON the project of managing
the affairs of its neighbors, it is on the
wrong track. 1t is as IL farmer assumed
the right of conflsoating the adjoining
farm because he can raise better crops
than It's owner; or shepkeeper shovld
seize his neighbours stock of goods on the
ground that he can make more money
out OF IL than tine owner can. There is
such thing as personal ownership; free
dom Is freedom; and it is not for nation
born and reared on this theory 60 ignore
IL In judging the affairssof others. What
would become of the neighborhood If Mrs
Jones' who manages her family rather ILL.,
should come home and find that Mrs
Smith, her neighbor, has carried of the
baby, on the ground that she can do bet
ter by 1T, and has therefore natural
fsBho W iS9 NO uoupt 0bnere are extreme
cases where the law must interfere and
do this, but 1t IL too great responsibility
TO intrust TO Mrs. Jones herself. The
whole early history of free States usually
consists in rebellion against the inter.
ference of other States which think them
selves wiser and stronger. But tho men
| who are remembered In history the long
est are sometimes those who raise their
voices against such aggressions, even
when their own government commits
them. Probably the thing by which the
great Lord Chatham will bs longest RS
| membereu, will be his exclamation in
Parliament, on Nov. Is, 1777: "If were
an American, as am an Englishman,
country would never lay down my arms
mover, never, neveri'