New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-04-12
GREAT ANTI-FLOGGING MEETING


The meeting announced ,or last evening 10 Mon
tague Hall Brooklyn, vas attended b. large au-
dience Of both sexes, who displayed the iiyehest
interest in The subject and listened with profound
attention 20 the addresses of several distinguished
speakers. O1rieI5w citizens 10 Brooklyn away :
jealous 10 every humane movement exhibited by
their numerous Attendance last evening. a highly
gratifying interest ia the abolition Of logging in
the Navy. aud must have received fresh impress
sious from the statements there made, Of the mag
ni,ude and Importance Of the cause.
FRFEv,S Hryr, Esq. having been appointed
Chairman. the meeting was addressed by Horace
GREELEY, who said that be had formerly had some
experience in the incidental discussion of this Sub.
isct around the walls OF the Capitol, and the ques-
ton always arose. suppoiias Jogging 70 be abolish
Cd in the Navy, What means Of discipline could be
Substituted in is place shall offer a few re
marks. said Mr. q. in reference 10 this point | am
no Destructive wishing merely to break down an
ins,i,o. on. without proposing Al improvement
do not believe in carrying any reform by wild pTo-
tests. and hence shall not speak so much Of the
horrors. which YOU have often heard described, as
of the remedies suitable to be applied to the evil
There are two conflicting theories IN regard 10
th. uroper treatment OF crime and soclal evils IN
general All are agreed that the PRESENTS an unior-
tunate condition-that society is burdened with An
appsllinr mass Of misery and sIn-but men ditier
as T. the whole system Of remedial influence
One class advocates the method oil repression
Of subiecti0n-of severity. They would keep
crime under bv the strong OF force. OF these
thinkers, Carlyle is conspicuous representatives.
in his view of Mode Prisons IN the second number
of his famous Latter-Day Pamphlets They look
on the depraved and criminal as the proper subjects
| Of ndignation-vengeance-a wouldialn
sweep them from the earth by the consuming ire
o. their anger.
The other class believe in the sovereign efficacy
If different order Of methods In their view, evil
is not 10 be overcome by repetition OF eyl but by
the application Of good. They would contend
against it by humanity, by faith by love- by gen
| tleness, by long suffering by serene ana un OF
| ouerable kindness trusting in the might OF their
weapons TO conquer the sins of the world. They
! would arouse the vicious and degraded to higher
! consciousness reveal to them the nobier elements
| of their nature and elevate them to the condition
of moral strength in which they shall no longer re
quire the discipline OF the scourge or the rack
/ when think Of the violent measures that have
been used 10 enforce good conduct, am always re-
minded ofthe Dutchman and his hen,-he took eY'
erv means 70 make her lay an egg-hed her down
! on the nest-put her under n basket-but with all
his efforts never could meet with the least success
! Il is about as hard work to produce good conduct
or GOOD character. by the use OF violent compulsory
/ appliances.
! Look at the subjects 70 whom the barbarous dis
| cipline of the Navy is applied. Here are one OF
two hundred rough uucouth, savage, II You please
headlopg set OF fellows tumbled on board Gov
! crnment vessel and are to be kept IN order, made
! obedient TO discipline What is to be done with
| them am al advocate Of rigid obedience II n
! seaman saws | won't obey orders It he refuses 10
! do as he is commanded, he must be put down. but
! after he IS queied. If YOU then tie him up rs
/ beast and apply the scourge to his quiyeriug mus
cies this not 10 support authority but TO exercise
vengeance ] would do away with the lash by
Offering rewards for good conduct instead Of IN
sisting the penalties oibad Conduct.
What are the faults for which these punish
mcnts are inflicted The sailor perhaps goes
ashore on leave and overstays his time. He gets
a gngaing when he comes back Now, II instead
Of this, You propose a system OF announcement
promise a definite ward for good behayior-raise
his wages 50 n month, with chance OF promotion,
especially to rank and station, on condition o good
behavior for a certain time you Obtain power
over the sailor which you cannot obtain from colt
or cat
1t principle Of the American Republic that
the chances of honorable distinction are open II all
the ielon, the criminal, the outcast are not shut
out from hope-the most iorlorn and degraded
wretch may rsc-everywhere the principle when
except in the army and navy-where the chances
for advancement are almost ioreclosed.
The sailor finds two distinct classes on board ms
vessel-those sent with commissions To order, 10
govern and to hOg,-and those, who have perhaps
ten times the experience OF the others destined 10
be ordered 20 be governed, to be logged. y boy
of = may give his commands to a man who has
been in the service for dozen yeers-who has
fought in Old lronsides before the officer was out
of his nurses arms-aud because the man looks IN
solent at the midshlpman, he is hauled up and
s.ourred with Instruments, which II shown to the
voters throughout the land, would keep any man
from Office who should defend their use. These
punishments are inflicted with the most cold blood
ed barbarity The officers have 10 more sympathy
with the men than the omnibus drivers with their
horses-they whip the offender. on the slightest
provo alton. with as little computation as you
would drown a litter of blind puppies. do
not complain of these officers as more
hardhearted than other men, The fault
is in the system Let the system be changed
the evils will be abolished. II Congress were 10
pass law to morrow providing that the officers OF
the Navy should be appointed from among The most
merit0riOus seamen-tbose who had won the DIS
tinction by long course OF good conduct-the ne
cessity for logsing would be done away at once
Such an arrangement would give the greatest
stimulus TO the seamen. and unspeakably improve
their moral condition. In the French army, the
sold ers were logged with the rattan, untu
after the Revolution then, the whole order %
things was changed the lowest man was aoie 70
rise to the highest rank ostlers and stsu'e
became Marshals logging was sbohsneu az
the French arms were victorious before the PIouI I
est capitals OF Europe, and carried tue" -
stained banners in triumph 70 honie' D''''"'
Nenne Madrid and Moscow
If it shall be provided that no man shah De an
oi;c.r mill ne has served as seaman there would
Soon be- an end to the custom Of ilogging. The sea
men should be so educated on board Their vessels
os IN l,,alifv them for higher stations. Every snip
H. ~, Navv should be a school. There is no di
Gcul,v in this arrangement, but ,hat arising from
The arristocratic interests which have been estao
hshed 4 long train OF cousins, nephe"s ana ON
- kindrad are 70 be provided Tor. such system