Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1851-05-19
VARIETY.


Could Washington and those OF his com
panions, the farthers ofthe repuohc' VINO
slept with him-and have slept as ye'' ior
20 short 4 while-rise from their graves
,.. yellknow with what sentiments Mey
would look upon the scenes now enacung
in one portion Of tho couutry--scenes that
indicate such adcgencracy Of character and
decay Of public principle in those who
participate in them as, we are Inclined to
think. have never before occurred so ra-
pidly in the history of another people.
It took six hundred years from the ex-
pulsion of the Kings before the republicans
Of Rome could be brought TO array their
arms against their own freedom and the
constitution and the laws Of their country.
It has scarcely required sixty TO bring ma
nv Americans to the verge OF similar
phrenzv; and il We take the signs OF the
times for our augurics, as the old conquer
ors OF the world watched the fright OF the
vultures, we mus, dismiss the grand and
once confident hopes which forctold a lon
ger duration and prouder dominion Tor the
republic Of the western hemisphere. We
are wiser people in orr generation than
the men of the Seven Hills; but we never
heard that in their palny days, or even IN
their days of distress and defeat, with the
Gauls in the capital, or Hannibal at the
gates, the old Romans did any thing to ex-
pose themselves TO the laughter and scorn
Of other countries.
AT one and the same moment the repre-
sentatives Of one Of the States OF the I'm
ion meet In solemn convcntionto discuss
the question whether that State shall Sc
cede from the Union; that is, dismember,
break TO pieces, destroy the republic; while
n multitdude of citizens, In several differ
eut States, band themselves with foreign
dcspcradocs in a scheme of utter piracy
and brigandagc, to outrage and defy the
laws of the country. In our own view,
the reorganization Of the Cuban conspira-
CIV is greater evil, and more seriously
pregnant with mischief, because more thor
ouehly evincive of the progress OF corrup-
ton, than the Charleston secession conven-
ton, or all the secession conventions that
are likely to be called together. The lat
ter is folly which viii cureitsclE There
is enough, and more than enough, national
spirit left in the South--perhaps even in
South Carolina-to restrain pucf1llty,
should il ever threaten to become an insan-
ity. But the Cuban project shows de-
cline Of personal virtue. and disrespcct
for the laws and authority OF Governmcnt,
which are the worst sort of omens. II is
not only that there are some hundreds, or
some thousands, of vicious bedlanites III
the South who are willing to make pirat-
icnl war on Cuba, and enlist IN the service
ofall kinds of mountebunk revolutionists
and amateur Jack Cadcs and Captain
Kydds-aliens and refugees, like Lopez
and Gonzales -assistingthem to violate the
laws of the United States, and proud of
the glory of such an act in such a service;
it is not that there are so many Americans
who are false TO their country, which con-
stitutcs the danger--thcrc are madmeE
enough and rcncgades enough in all re-
gions The oIninous circumstance is, that
these outlaws receive so much general
countenancc and appreciation iromthe com
munities in which their designs are pre-
pared-from the masses of citizens who
are not united with them in the enterprise,
but who aid and comfort them, who yield
them their sympathy, who wink at or sus-
tain their infraction of the laws, and pre-
fer giving them the help of their indiflcr
encc TO assisting the Government in its eff
forts to prevent the crime and bring the
criminals to justice. 1t was 10 this sort OF
feeling that we must attribute the vain at
tempt madeby the authorities, after the for
mer expedition, to punish the ringleaders.
Public opinion in the South was against
their conviction. Public opinion, there
fore, was against law and order-against
everything that lies at the root of our social
fabric aud republican system.
There can be no Government without
law; there can be, uuder a free Govern
mcnt, no law which is not sustained by the
voluntary loyalty Of the people. Where
that fails, standing army necessarily
takes its place; and then the free Govern
ment exists no longer. 1t is because we
sec, in the favor extended, in the inpunity
permitted, to the Cuban conspirators, SO
much absolute Indifference to the law,
whichis dsloyalty in its most discouraging
aspect, that we regard this discrcdiiablc al
fair of the second attempt at fitting out an
Illegal expedition as one OF a very grute
and unfortunate character.