By Jim Murray
Many Wisconsinites were both surprised and troubled by the Sunday Wisconsin State Journal’s front-page article “Tighter rules for Capitol protests not unlike many other states’.” This Sunday’s article described the very limited Free Speech that is tolerated in other states’ Capitols and concludes that the current crackdown on freedom of expression in our Capitol puts Wisconsin in “good company.”
Our research staff surveyed the archives of the State Journal’s predecessor paper, “The Wisconsin Territorial Journal” and conclude that as troubling as Sunday’s story may have been, no one should have been surprised by it. Reprinted below is a story from the Territorial Journal from more than 150 years ago:
Wisconsin Citizens Media Cooperative 
Ah, Lincoln! What you did! We’d be far better off without the South.