The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1845-10-30
POLITICAL.
ATTACK FROM ENGLAND. AND DEFENCE
FROM IRELAND.

The "D..bHn Freeman" has our grateful acknowl-
edgments for the manly defence which il has made
of America against new impeachment of her char
acter by her habitual opponents A more complete
reply, perhaps is furnished by the subsequent facts,
of which the Freeman was ignorant when il pub
lished its generous article. The storm ofanrent riots
has blown by The majesty Of the laws has been vim
dicated and without the aid Of single regular SOL
der. The sherff's posse, and the arm Of the mill
tia, have been sufficient to apprehend the offenders
to bring them to the bar of justice where they have
been tried, and legally, calmly condemned, to pay
the forfeit of the laws. Humanity, too, has mingled
with sterner justice, and no more victims will be
punished than are sufficient to proptiate the public
Justice to ntimidae the sympathize and to restore
the vigor Of the laws and the rights Of property.
Could England have done less to effect the same re-
sul' And yet the character Of all America is to be
gbbeted by the vindctive journalist of the "Times, "
cumstances, have broken into riot, and have now
paid the penalty of their transgressons, UNION.
t 49, From the Dublin Freeman
THE UNITED STATES AND THE ENGLISH PRESS
Within few days past, we have had, on more than
one occasion, to comment upon malicious statements
in the Times artfuly brought forward against the
government and people of America. The extrava-
giant assertions relative TO the Inflated frgate Mis-
souri,, seem to form one of series of similar pro-
auctions, to be regularly continued in that journal, and
which promise to be extensively initiated by others
of the London papers. The national antipathy to
which such diversified fabrication and distortion are
designed to minister must, indeed, be deeply seated
in the heart of England; and it cannot but receive
daily augmentation from these incentives to anti
American bitterness and prejudice thus avishy sup
piled by an able and reckless press. The subect-mat-
ter of the exaggeraion and invectve is seldom of
large national character having generally no con-
nexon whatever with International politics. though
the real origin Of all may be found in the late rapid
advance Of the United States towards continental
dominion. Why do not the press and the people of
England place the quarrel on its true grounds Why
not meet their western enemy upon the only true
field of national controversy, the mutual relations
of civilized states! Instead of SO doing, we find a
strong and spreading disposition to harp upon the
sins Of some small section of the great republic.
Tho riots of u mob, the temporary embarrassment
of state, an agrarian outrage on the Hudson, the
irons fshed up by Gibraltar diver, all these are
regarded AZ points of the first importance, upon
which the brazen ordnance OF our so-styled sister"
are at once planted rather safer for them, it
be confessed than the Sabine, the Sacramento, or
the st. Lawrence might at present be found. This
war Of words and innuendoes is peculiarly ungen-
erous, and essentially English. We wish the pub
lie mind not to be msled by its clamor or its STRAIT
egy. We feel the more bound to administer an
occasional corrective to its malicious tendencies,
inaamuch az the Irish citizen population of Amer.
lea "a very numerous and much deserving class
are frequently made the objects Of its most vrulen
Misrepresentation.
In the Times of Monday last, there is long
Leading article, grounded upon recent lawless de-
Ions of gang calling themselves "anti-
rentcco operatinU m Dela v,a RI county New Xnek
II il set forth that these riotous PERSONS in
opposing the execution Of sherf's sale in default
OF rent, caused the death Of that officer, and wound
ed two of his assistants. Upon this fact--strong
and horrible one as it is--the Times attempts To
found the argument, that universal anarchy is the
and not distant doom of the United
States: "a sOar of citizen upon citizenin the Ian
guage of that newspaper. The wish, !" we believe.
''was father 70 the thought" Because England
would fain sec North America reduced to similar
state with the southern continent, having Francias
Rosas, and Santa Anas in the place of Folks,
hilton and prejudices Of their country, do fear
to forsts that II will fall out she wishes it.
But dismanting the bare fact (the sherfFs murder
in Delaware county, of all these fond prophetic
what shape and meaning does it
really present In the first place. sheriff in the
United States ID by no mems the important person
he il in these kingdoms. His Office there is no
uinecure; he il his own bailif, and the emolu
ments of his Office by executing in person the du-
ties belonging to il. The Times endeavors to mislead
IL readers into an exaggerated notion of the mag
nitude Of this unfortunate occurrence by the fire.
quent repetition Of the sounding title "sherif,'
throughout the article we aude to.
But, Be the importance OF the parsonage SO crimi-
nal1y slain great or small deduction from the oc-
currence cam with any regard to truth, be extended
10 the general social condition of the United States
the ordinary relation Of the people ofthat country
49, ~s vk~ 81
ous species Of landlordism confined TO one compar-
,tivey small section Of the State of New York,
wing on the right bank of the Hudson. The case,
in brief, stands thus: When the Dutch originally
colonzed New York, the relations then established
between landlords and tenants involved the payment
Of rent in produce, and the rendering Of certain feu
ial services Of rather vexatious character. Among
other proprietors of the then New Netherlands,
Kylian Van Rensselaer, obtained from the States
General grant Of lands of vast extent on the river
Hudson, in the present county Of Delaware.
This grant James II confirmed to the Van Rens-
selaer OF his time, when the New Netherlands had
become the English colony Of New York; and
he family have ever since retained it in their
In this district known as "The Ma
nor or "Rensselaerwyck, the old feudal customs,
md especially the payment by producea species of
andord tthe--has been continued down to the pres
mt day. The grievance of this system il, that, in
proportion to his care of the land his outlay and
successful harvests the tenant has pay to the
ord of the manor" Such a state Of things at this
day, in the United States Of America, must needs
breed discomfort; and il has done so. For long
while the tenantry of Rensselaerwyck have s'agta-
led" against It. That they should have taken TO
deadly weapons deeply to be deplored and severely
to be censured. The only way In which the affair
could properly be quieted, is by an appeal to
the impartial and effective action of the New York
legislature. That body not being in session, the
''anti-renters" have, unfortunately, had recourse
to hastier remedies, and the governor of New
York has, consequently, proclaimed" Delaware
county, and called out the local militia to prevent
further disturbance.
Yet, what 30 ominous, we may ask, is there in
this squabble from which to predict ruin and inter-
nal convusion to the United Sta;esi Why should
the death Of baili be the signal for civil war, or
the rows of the Van Rensselaer, tenantry the index
Of whole volume Of bloodshed and destruction
We confess we cannot so far into the milestone.
Perhaps the "Morning Herald" whose information
on American affairs is exclusive can enlighten
US. That journal Of Tuesday last, following in the
track Of the "Times,r has an article on the coming
confnrrr,diu0 of ali order and Isup in ,,,er;c, 4,