The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1850-12-08
THE UNION.


Y> ANr# #% nxtssnss meet.
The world is full Of strange contradictions. Among
them, few curious as the meeting and mngng OF
opinions in opposite extremes Hence il has been truly
said that the extremes often than the means"
We frequently this peculiarly illustrated in the
theories and notions Of secis and fanatics
On Thursday last the Southern Press contained arti
Gle which we read with much surprise Several papers
and persons have. appears, been charging the senior
editor with having not long ago been abolitionis
This he Denies and. TO dsprove it, quotes the following
article from the Indianapolis Sentinel, mpung to him
the charge Of aboltonisn) and comments on il in the
strain that follows;
From Southern Press
The following, from the indianapolis Sentinel we give,
In order to do justice the senior editor Of the Sou hern
Press;
"A family bearing the outward appearance OF much re-
pecta bity reac he'd the city Indianapolis from Boston,
Tue family consisted Of widow and her daughters
The daughters well educated. and protested 10 each
drove team shorty the advent OF this Boston fam
y, the orderly and quiet citizens Of Indanarois were
Of the and highly. gs had been
safety They Were followed some three miles
into tho county; and when Inc cnsss became 100 90
the night made his escape. Tie wife was placed upon
horse, and returned to her mother IN shame and dis
grace The searched for the purpose oil pros
ecung the clerk who granted the license or the magistrate
who married the parties but there was 40 law % DC oaa
On the sting oil the legislature next morning OH was
Introduced making tia pencil offence punishable by me
and Imprisonment. Tor white persons and negroes o. na
sttoes having one-eghth negro blood, TO ntemarIy Mc
The passage of this bill was violently opposed ny MI,
Fshernrging. among other reasons ina. public opinion
The however thought Otherwise aaa passs1
others voting against This happening 10 time Of much
excitement gave rise 70 the I'M preston mat he was an
citizens of that political faith occupied the same
position Of opposition 70 this law whatever We're .s
opinions OF Ewood Fisher that tme u IL certain they
nave undergone change. This was since 1852 "
We recollect full well the circumstances The senior
editor Of this paper in lSs9-40 representative o.
Switzerland county, Indiana, where he then resided
twenty miles from Cincinnati The principal objection to
his election was that he was nuiera character that
he mover denied but avowed and defended ne oppoed
the bH 10 prohibit in.ermaiage befUten ps aud blacks
solely on the ground that po,cer Das conferred on ne
pisare 10 yas such for to determnf Who can COW
tact parrtygs 10 to exercise arbitrary poUG than
,cas ever claimed By the Tdor Nor me sentor editor
satisfsd Of the srpsdieney Of such aU epsn iht
poUer for II Boston or New England white Ia
natics male female, insist on marrying negroes we are
not quite sure they should be prevented by law Such
a come xon would, think, be about as eitectual
cure Of their ana,acsm anything that could be done
and as destructive Ct their influence
We desire not to be misunderstood We do not quote
or refer TO this article prove that the senior edtsr OF
the Press is an aboonsi. That is subject which we
know nothing about and care little. Our purpose is
to show that he avows opinions repugnant to common
sense to public decency and to the codes OF law OF most
Of the States OF the Union. and Of the civilized govern
ments of the world. OF all the institutions existing
among men, that Of marriage one OF the most ancient
and universal II began in fact, with our first parents IN
Paradise and has been in all ages either sanched BY
religion or made binding by the civil laws. II has also
been in all ages subject TO the control OF religion or the
law No doubt occasionally sects Of fanatics have sprung
up who either have denied the policy and the validity Of
the marriage institution or denied that any religious lie
gal sanctions could regulate conol They have Away.
been of short DURATION and sunk under the universal
demnaton OF mankind The editor OF the Press wouldseeu
~ be convert to the doctrine that marriage is above
MI contract, above all law and may be contracted when
and where and by such parties choose to enter into il
in defiance Of public opinion He thinks, too that t.
seek to restrain il is worse degree Of tyranny than tha
Of the Tudors Then according TO this notion. the Law
given by God TO the Jews was most arbitrary and un
inst that Of all countries regulating marriage contracts
il eouaIly 30 and all the laws OF similar import In forca
IN the States of this Union belong TO the same arbitrary
class why may not brothers and sisters and other re
latons intermarry' Why may not persons OF unsoune
m;cds posse.sed of wealth. intermauy with the design
| in9 who are free from this infrmity' Why may moi
Jav,, marry their masters, and misresses, and the
children as well as ohersl Surely. it mus, be an srb
tary law, worthy only the age Of the Tudos. that could
prohibit these indugences Of free and unresraned aztec
ton.
Them again. il it be worse than the tyranny oil the
Tudors 10 say who shall marry or not marry is Il moi
equally tyannous for the law TO say that after the con-
tract is made you are bound to keep i'll Or are these
gentlemen TO say that you may divorce your wives when
YOU please and that we have right to keep them
together than you had st 10 keep them aparti II law
has nothing to say 10 this is TO be left to the
taste and discretion OF individuals 10 determine whom
they shall marry-t is equally optional with them 10 say
how long they are to remain together We should have
pretty condition Of morals under such codihcaion
But 10 all these cases. the editor will answer that they
are extreme in their nature, and do not exactly apply 10
the point before US That point that blacks and witss
NAV insrmavy often they please, and no lao can Dc
passed 10 prevent IT, This is the doctrine, ALSO
of that most odious of all sect Of aboonistshe por-
ton who are in favor OF amagamoon. or Of raising the
blacks to complete social equality with the whites and
OF marrying with them without distinction of race or
color There s Of course, dsputing OF tastes when
the laws do not inierpose; and the only objection we
could offer to this social system would be, that the ne
groes were likely 10 be degraded by such white ntermar
riages as these All such intermxures OF blood tend 10
degenerate the race and Nature is compelled 10 assert
her supremacv by degrading the physical and intel