Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1834-02-20
now, or the moment of redemption will be
gone, and the hour of destruction will
draw nigh.
fFrom the same, Of 18th.
T-N' CRISIS.

T--| CRISIS.
>Coe of The mos. nIa-ming md frequent
pc IL, which experience tenrhes itce
government Ia fear, is the heha semcut or
peiserslon' oi the moral feeling of the
people. That feeling is the pillar, which
sustains the social eddicn: whenever il
becomes unsound or ia svieIding to decay,
the whole building is not far from ruin.
II you would have men lock with indi'-
ference on slavery, or that which leads
to slavery, and to love their golden
chains, you have only to degrade their
moral feeling, and poison their moral
sentiment, and there is nothing more 10
do. They arc slaves already; chained
to the galley oar OF sordid and isnohlc
spirit; crushed beneath The ignonnions
bondage of unworthy passions. The
manly bearing and the dignity of free
men are gone: 'thcir eye is on the
ground, and their step slow and reIuc-
tnat, like lhat OF hiln who obeys task
master"
Is rot this peril now impending over
us' Has not the moral 81 ntimrn; oivaet
bodies Of the people undergone a grCat
and melancholy charge, since the pre-
sent administration rose to power, and
by reason of its influence? Is our conf.
dence in public virtue as strong, are our
hopes Of the long duration of our Union
as sure, as they were six years ago? Are
not the regrets of the good, and .he APP
prehcnsions of the wise more deeply felt,
and more earnestly expressed than ever,
and felt and expressed, too, more in sor-
row than in anger, that great and per-
picking change is heaving mp from the
horizon, lie the black cloud, that bears
the tornado in its vast and swelling mas
ses? Surely all this is no secret. The
influence, to which we have alluded,
hangs over us like the pestiierous exhn-
la,ion over the Eternal City, threatening,
at no remote period, to convert il into IL
city of the dead
What, for example, can bc more deba-
sing, than to make office and the hope of
Office, depend exclusively on the devo-
tedncss Of party Zeal-to convert SOL
emn trust into recompense ofa political
adherent, and the punishment of politi-
cal foe: To think as he pleases, to
speak as he plenses, to act as he pleascs,
within the limits of the Constitution and
the law, are the peculiar attributes of n
freeman: but what becomes ofthese at
tributes, when men are compelled by the
strong inducements OF hope, or the equal
ly strong constraint Of fear, TO think, and
spea. and act according to the mandates
,oianother! When such state ofthiDgs
occurs, it is attended by two evils; the
debasement of the public sentiment is
one: the augmentation of the power tha,
is enabled thus to dictate is another.
Precisely tic same effects are uniform
ly produced, when slander is employ cd
as the instrument of evil. 1t is but too
true, that the 8! i'ts of 70 party in our
country are wholly free from this poliu-
ton but it assumes an aspect OF more
than ordinary seriousness, when it is not
only tolerated, but employed as an eff
cicnt engine for the acquisition and main.
tenance of power. What must l,e thought
of an administration, OF which tho W osh.
ington Globe is the avowed and cherish
ed organ?-a journal, whose habi'ua
tone and language can excite no oihe
feeling, than those of surprise and regret
Surprise, that the high officers Of Gov
ernment can consent thus To be repre-
scntcd; and regret !hat, # the credit o
these officers is no part OF their concern
they should be Indifferent to the credit o
their country. 1t is but n few days since
that the conductor of this journal under
took to apo!ogiae to his readers for some
of these enormitcs {; and what was HI
apologv? 1t was, that in the heat OF th'
moment he might occasionally err, bu
that he could not accuse himself oi eve
descending to the level OF the 'eadn!
members of the Senate OF the Umte'
States, The effect of this ylrnleoc'
and rancor is too easily perceived. Ne'
of delicate feeling will he tempted t
Withdraw from controversy, where l!tI
j. TIE argument, and ii kennel The con
cus,ou. They wit become sick OF be
ing The mar for these sponis OF r'baldry
They Will retire in disgust and sorrow
and endeavor in silence to bear the evil
/. of false and dangerous public policy
without cherishing the hope OF remedy
ing them. In this way, that ev'' r"i,c
becomes iriumphant, and power accu'r
ula,cs in hands, which all the waters c
Damascus could not cleanse, nor tn
perfumes of Arabia swceten. 1t hrs
destroys the moral sentiment of the con
muni,y, and then rears its loomy ed'iic
upon the ruins.
We have no room to point out in DC
tail the many circumstances OF the sam
description, leading to the same unhaT
py end. They have been revealed, an