New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1848-02-10
The Tide of Libertinism.


] read in your paper Of Friday the account Of an
ou.r.g. or .he person Of an innocen, and fends sr
srspser in our City, which pstske, much Of the Ola
bocal tba. at first somewhat staggered ny Belief hoi
withdrawing its appearance In your columns
IT, however the facts there given, let me ask
where s the blaekhe nend that enacted this ira
se,vy lie. the iors be active silent as they may In
..s. n nfspny Ike THU there tribunal before which
BY the activity Of the press their perpetrators should Be
broushta tribunal that may be found IN every civilized
COMMUNICATIONS voice Is potent and whose decisions
not 70 be trHed with by any individual mean that
treat BODY Of the inhabitants Of every city who neither
take rank with nor in any way uphold the dssouie and
depraveS-who are neither thoughtess as TO feel no
care ner 20 poweress to exert no tfnence Inc SEN
tuen Of his great body, even among us, whether ex
pressed latent, still exists and when once iuy a'ons
sueceu 10 the lscreant who by spch scts OF VI
l.uv ventures 20 DEFY Death better FOR sucn
wretch than the brand which II 10 In it, power 70 inlet
This public sentiment already holds thousands among us
in check VINO its absence would Ike pirates make hs-
voc Of all institutions Of society II 10 fault WHO
Is that its rot oftenef heart And now II Is
more than needed. We are importing fll-oiown
scoundrelisms Of every nome and shape from ABROAD
Fvervbnx that IL calcu aed 70 mslesd the virtuous or
i anne the vile sbounds. takes root and Is fostered Ire
nae a. Of old els Legion II presented ~ our thea
ter. IN the shape Of nude and shameless dancers al other
places Of by NHa> pesuremssers Of another descp
ton AZ the Museum some rarity m cse. % De stel
=, y ces extra" While aked Yeuuses IN painting
,ene called now by one name and BY another
40 be found publicly exhibited In all parts u our City
with such abundance Of these and other namees but
similar agents every side all see hat tie j. GER
tny want OF sufficient prompiiss to lceniousne.s Of
any " DC shade. All tls 100 Is rehoeel we oie JAM
gefous since it becoming fashionable The style Of lev
ity too with which deeds Of inamy are chroniced by
portion Of press Is exceedingly -behtng me topc
81 crime In any Of phases and deeply Injurious ~ s
effects; or II some unusual outrage spoken Of In Off
frent way though exhibit some little surprise ~ The
moment forget II the next day And THIS has been 30
much he years past that we are Peung 70 thnk
more lightly Of al crime than formerly. Bu this will mo-
do: fjf with rapidly increasing population, that eN
poses yearly greater dangers, this iam2ering Win
vany and suffering he perperaor to go free even OF r.
bake from public sentiment, will lead to intoersble re-
suits To say nothing Of the character OF our City IN the
minds Cf Others safety will not permit H. Let ~
not be supposed that any Of unuteresed In this
matter for neither Education Wealth. physical force
ever DID or can successfully the torrent Of vce and
Hcenrousuess it's fH food IL must be met and COPIED
with before that crisis arrives.
From our present shall have enough ere long
arouse public feeling unless the principle OF Humanity
lie utterly extinct within And ought it not Mr. Edi
70 be more enegetcay appealed TO IN this fresh case
Of cod.boode1 and soulless vlanyf Where the per-
petAtsr Let him be brought forth from bis screen sHd
Sssissss ssssfors the public.
which YOU visit both 1ossos with the vigorous tone win
would invoke your farther erors ~ nded immortality. we
sured that they needed -eine as
art literature and science handed together much
10 destroy as 10 enliRhten-vhen there are so msay TO
clear the and varnish crime, well aid
in iis preparation JUsTIcs.
~ We publish the above rs it reached us,
though Wa UNDERSTAND that the San and Herald
between whom was originated the story of hor-
rible outrage committed by the use of Chloroform
haze since declared it fabrication Thst how
ever doe. no, effeo. tho sre~. -t'a;-c 1871 .I.
crimes Of kindred nature though seldom so fragrant
in character are Of frequent occurrence, and that
our laws regard them with entire indifference or
with partial and culpable lenity. 1t is in this
view only that our correspondents suggestions are
OF practical Importance. And il seems 10 as that
one.hslf of his most material inculcatious are re-
futed by the other. IL wW not do, as Society is
constituted to trust to the unorganized, unreguated
power of public sentiment to repress Licen-
tiousness and Villany; and Justice shows this
himself by admitting that Crime and Outrage are
Increasing among as, in defiance Of the public
sentiment he eulogizes so highly. Does not pub
lie sentiment now condemn the horrid trade Of
brothel.keeppg yet what den Of debauchery was
every broken up by itl Never were hsunts Of
pollution more numerous nor more shameless In
City than this day, and the gorgeous equipages
Of the chief panders to debsuchery fsunt in Broad
way in utter defiance Of public sentiment Our
Police is in good part bribed to shut its eyes
against the most fragrant acts of these monsters
in human shape, or only annoy them occasionally in
order TO Tighten them into the payment Of Black
Mail But worst Of all is the utter inetfcsency Of
our lars-the guilty connivance of our lawmakers
with regard to crimes originating in centious
and deprsved passions. There are thousands this
day in our City whose lucrative trade it is to lie in
wait for unprotected female innocence and lowell
ness and betrsy it into the clutches of lSprous lib
ertnism and there rs no lac to punish them. The
wretch who steals cloak from an entry must go
to the State Prison the bag who by lies and delu
sions decoys daughter TO the most horrible ruin is
rarely and very slightly punished ct all Public
sentiment is powerless until the laws shall be
improved. We need, most Of all things laws
which shall declare deliberate Seduction crime
and if effected by means Of perfdious promises
surprise, drugging, or any degree of constrsint
felony, to be expiated by a punishment not less
than that Of Burglary. Adultery should be pun.
shed Perjury which 1t certainly is though it is
more than that. Decoying or procuring innocent
females for the hbertines purpose should be pun
ished as severely as House burniog and keeping
brothel or being concerned in keeping one. should
he punished not merely by confinement in the State
Prison but by couhscation of all furniture and
other effects found in the house aud Of the house
itself unless proved to be toe property OF limo
cent party. who bad taken reasonable precsu.ious
Ssainst such sbuse of IT, Under such laws, the az.
gregate OF violations Of Sexual Purity would soon
be reduced to one tenth their present enormty aad
our streets would no longer be crowded with the
victims and panders Of Libertinism. Ed T'1b.
MASTERS IN CHAscERY-lt viii be seen by re-!
srenee to last nishts Legislative Report that the bill
relative to sales Of land BY foreclosure partition suits,
in this anG the adjoining eountss has been rejected in
Assembly, on the ground that IL effort
Masters In Chancery by side wind contrary 10 the Goa
stutoa and take from sheris elected by people
and distribute among Solicitors DC selected BY our
Judges from smons their legal friends very unpopular
ou. lucrative patronage.
TAYLOR MEETING AT HARRrsBuRG.-A meeting
IF the friends and advocates Of Gen. Taylor for the
Presidency was held at Harrisburg on the 9Th inst
Hon. Judge Bucher presiding Speeches were
made by the Chairman, Gen. z. SKss SxIrH, and
Capt. PARTRIDGE.