The Daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1845-1850, 1850-04-25
MRS. swIssHELM AT WASHINGTON

The talented and eccentric Mrs. Swisshelm is in
Washington, and has become a contributor to the
N. Y. Tribune. In her letter No. ii. of April ii i,
she speaks of woman she saw on boat on the
Ohio river, who had been sold by her master, for
$3.50, and separated from her husband and three
children. She says:
''lt was looking on this poor mother weeping for
her children that Determined me to come to Wash
ingtou. | wanted to see what the descendants of
our Revolutionary fathers looked like when in Con-
gress assembled to devise ways and means for ex-
tending the IF such deeds of chivalry 90 now
into their great marble wonder, and wander through
its magnificent rotundas and halls, its labyrinths Of
stairs and passages, and gaze its wonders of art
ami before me at every turn fits up the shadowy APP
partition of that sorrow-stricken face | see the hum
Bile form OF that servant woman skulking hither and
thlther, though she would escape to her children
At every turn an impeachment prevents! Then there
IS dead, cold wall. There, in the open passage,
stands group of sentnels strange looking sentines
too-chlldren and pitying men, and beautiful, kind
hearted women. There are many of them who
would scarcely kill worm, who would weep that a
poor bird should be taken from her nestlings: but
they will all form themselves into phaanxes, with
brIstng bayonets and naked swords, to prevent the
stricken mother flying to her child! Why is it so?
Why Is the voice of nature and of God suppressed
within US, and hidden to be silent? Ii is that we
may hear what the cOmpromsers say; and how hon
orable gentlemen talk about few more comprom-
ises You, with the rest, Mr. Greeley, indulge a
generous spTE of compromise" 1t is considered
very pralseworhy 10 do so; and no doubt YOU are a
very clever man; but in this matter your generosity
does not cost you much 1t is very easy for YOU or
any other northern gentleman, to make bow to a
southern gentleman, and, in the spirit of the ''most
generous campromise," agree that he may tear a
mother from her babies, and set her up on an auc-
tlon-bock, to get money to buy race-horse or gold
chain, and bsnish her, forever, from all she has
known or loved You are nothing the poorer when
the deed is done. 1t is the mother and her children
who are caledupon TO foot the bill and it not un
frequently costs one Of them the last remnant of a
life which your former generosity had made scene
Of suffering and toll
am little thick in the skull, and never could
understand nice distinctions in etiquette or ethics
When Mr.. Harris of Tenn. rose the other day;-
with all his powers Of oratory-a burning eloquence
that required those glasses of water to prevent its
bursting out into flame, pleaded for the 'srighs of
the south" which sounded to me as il he had been
saying, "Gentlemen, we have a right, natural and
inalienable right, to whip women and sell babies.
Our Revolutionary fathers died on the battlefield to
establish the glorious principle of women WINNING
and baby selling. Our immortal Constitution was
formed to secure to us the exercise of these ines,im
able privileges; and |, Sir,I, Mr.. Harris of Tenn.do
now proclaim myself the vaorous champion of Amer
lean woman-scourging 1t is our privilege, Sir
We of the south, here, on the floor Of
this House, claim the right to sell our chill
dren with our sheep and oxer. We, Sir. i 4
who can and do, and will sell our daughters 10 in
fanny, and traffic in the bodies and souls Of our broth
ren--Yca, of our brethren, Sir-olthose for whom n
common Savior has shed his blood-with those. who
win Us, are JOINT heirs Of immortality. We, sir
we WIN carry them to the shambes, remembering
that nasmuch we do il unto the least of these NE
brethren, we do it unto Him. We will barter Gor
gold the very Son Of God himself We it is. Sir
Svho sell upon the aucon-block the image orC;od
for handsfal of silver coin We are the fearless