Year: 1871

j ne De'locrdIc party Formerly SOTTcn
dered the American right of free speech
at the command Of the slave masters ard
now in the city of New York it surren-
ders the right of peaceful assembly at the
summons of u religious mob. A party
bred in abject subservicncc to slavery has
no conception of the principles of liberty
or of the fundamental rights of frccmcn.
While the Democratic newspapers affect
to deny the existence of the Ku-Klux in
the Southern States, the Democratic muni-
cipal authorities in the great city of the
continent carefully foster Ku-klux to
which they command American citizens
TO yield. The tyrant Gesslcr at Altorf
pnt his hat upon pole, and ordered the
Swiss TO bow before it. The Democratic
authorities of New York elevate the
Pope's tiara, and warn American citizens
that they will refuse to honor i. at their
peril. And this is the party that be-
,ecches the people of the United States TO
Civ, il control Of the national govern
mcnt!


The circumstances Of the recent prohi
bi,ion of the parade of the Orange and
Protestant Irishmen in the city of New
York will serve, perhaps, to show to the
country two things: one is the absolute
alliance of the Democratic city govern
ment with political Romanism and the
other Is that, in consequence of chat alli-
ance, the iIdiSpuiable rights of American
citizens are deliberately sacraiccd. The
facts are very few and simple The Or
angenen resolved to celebrate the anni-
versary of the battle Of Boyne by public
parade in the streets of the city. Certain
Roman Catholic associations thereupon
resolved that they would attack them if
they did; and as they did attack them
last year, and killed several Of the Orange
men. there was no doubt that they would
keep their word The Roman Catholic
party having thus distinctly announced
that they would make a riot if the pro-
cession took place, the city authorities
surrendered, and forbade the procession.
The surrender was under the ..Js,lrtl pre-
text that professions in the streets are
not matters of right, but of federation, and
that they may be forbidden when the
peace is likely to be broken!


That is to say, that every public parade
of peaceable cilizens through the streets
may rightiulIy be forbidden if band of
desperadoes and assassins announce that
| they do not choose to favor the process
sion, and will attack it if Ii appears
Upon this principle, if some French circle
had declared that it would assault the
Germans if they paraded on Eastcr-Mon-
day the authorities might rightfulsy have
prohibited the celebration. OF course, in
the present instance, every body knows
| that If the circumstances had been revers-
ed, and the Orangemen had declared that
they would attack Roman Catholic pro-
ccssion, they would have been sternIy
warned that their blood would be upon
their oNn heads, and the Roman Catho


lie parade would not have been prohibit
ed. Nor is the talk about the celebration
of foreign events and the feuds and ami
mosities O other lands less absurd If
there wers Italians in New York who
chose to perpetuate the strife of Guclfs
and Ghibellines, and tn parade in honor
of their respective heroes and events,
their right to do so would be indisputable
and equally indisputable would be the
duty Of the authorities to protect those
Italians peaceably parading.


The principle laid down in this ridicu-
ious proceeding is that the right of Amer
lean citizens peaceably to assemble may
be arbitrarily annulled by a police super
inteudent upon the threat of unlawful
disturbance of the meeting. Tie truth is
that the police and the whole military
force of the State exist for the protection
Of that right and similar rights In the