The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1851-11-06

N'Nh III ITO phlbdi
statements, which make a different impression
on us, from that which they were evidently de-
signed to produce. Mr.. Hodge, it is said, OBJ
tanned permission from the Prefet of Marseilles.
for kossuth and his companions ato come
ashore upon making himself personally respon-
slble flor the whole that there should be no
public demonstration or disturbance There
was no disturbance but there was a q demon.
stration." That is, the French People who
love liberty, crowded to see its champions.
driven into exile by dwelling Despot. How
could kossuth help this And was it against
such manifestation of popular regard for lib
erty as this, that the Consul of the American
People gave his personal guaranty! If So he
did very absurd thing he did what he had
no right to do, and that for which Kossuth
owed him no thanks. He had no right to
pledge himself or Kossuth to prevent what he
must have known he had no power over-an out
burst of popular gratitude to great popular
leader
The ex-honorable says that Kossuth sent the
Ministerial Letter, refusing him a passport
to " LIE Peupie," can ultra Red Republican
paper: :" That is to say, a journal which ad.
vocates real repubhcanism against the charla-
tanry of Louis Napoleon. We can see nothing
criminal or indecorous in this, but the ex-hon-
orable informs US that Z" this was among the d.
rect violations of the American Consul's pledge.
which, as stated by L., was that there should
be mo public demonstration nor disturbance
and we are not informed that he was author
lied to make even this, by Kossuth but sup
pose that he were, how could the publication
of the refusal to allow Kossuth to pass through
France, amount to public demonstration Z"
If we mistake not our officials abroad stand
in little too much awe of European Despots
and betray an oyer-anxiety lest the United
States should be compromised in relation to
them. We cannot understand how our Gov
.ssnmsnt should be compounded by the out
burst of enthusiasm towards Kossuth in Mar
settles by the anpearance in the columns of q
French paper of the note refusing him pas
sage through France, Or even by his Letter to
the Democrats of Marselles. If the American
Consul or Captain Long arraigned Kossuth on
these grounds, he had ample cause for dissats-
faction What should We think of the British
Government should it undertake, the moment
the Hungarian should land upon its shores, to
prohibit him from writing letters or making
speeches asserting the great principles of Lib
erty, exposing and defying Oppression An
American Consul attempting to restrain the
pen and tongue of Kossuth! Faugh!
If a letter to the Democrats of Marseilles,
from the Hungarian sheltered under our flag,
compromised the neutrality of this country,
how much more was it compromised when it
received the prescribed patriot on one of its
national vessels, and pledged its protection to
him, in defiance of the claims and impotent
rage of Austria!
Here is another representation of similar
brand, emanating from an anonymous source in
Paris:
Mr.. Rives our Minister at Paris, told me
to-day that he had received accounts from the
American Consul at Marseilles of the circum-
| stance | have above mentioned. | knew it be-
fore; the news had spread among the Ameri-
cans like wild-fre. 1t appears that misun-
derstandlng arose between Kossuth and the Off
GERS of the Mississippi, arising from Kossuth's
proceedings at Marseilles. They were anxious,
naturally enough that he, while on board a
national ship should do nothing which might
compromise the National Government in respect
to its relations with friendly power Kossuth,
it is said, took offence at these very proper rep
reservations, and left the ship and landed at
Gibraltar
1T is very probable Kossuth has been led to
an error of Judgment something like that Of
| the fly on the wheel in the fable, when the hy,
seeing the dust and hearing the noise said to
itself, What a sensation make what dust
] kick up in the world Such errors of judg-
ment are very common among frail mortality.
At all events, the subject is pregnant and the
fact to be lamented"
The fippancy of the last paragraph shows
the shallowness of the writer. Now, it so hap
pens, that Kossuth left the Mississippi at Glib
raltar, because he wished to visit England to
make his Acknowledgements for the efforts of
that Power for his release, and the Mississippi
could not consistently with her orders, convey
him thitber. He left for the purpose of taking
passage on another vessel, the Mississippi mean
while remaining at Gibraltar, ready to bring
him to our shores on his return to that place.
This is the whole of it, and we see no mystery
nor misunderstanding about it. England has
done more for his release than any other ma
ton, and it is his duty to show his gratitude to
her before leaving Europe
In due time we hope that the country will be
informed of what has taken place during the
voyage of Kossuth, 50 that the insidious at
tempts Of anonymous scribblers to depreciate
and injure the Hungarian exile, may be fully
exposed. Kossuth is not perfect; who is? But
his entire public career shows, thus far, that he
is a wise statesman, a sagacious revolutionist,
an exalted patriot. a good man. Without being
carried away by admiration of him, we honor
him as we honor all men who have distinguish
ed themselves by their devotion to the Rights of
Mankind, and we shall not give credence to re-
ports unfavorable to him, unless sustained by
better testimony than that of secret foes and Cos
siping newsmongers.
SLAyERY-An illustration Of the working of
the peculiar institution" may be found in the
following decision of the Supreme Court of Ten
nessee in 1894:
frederick, a slave Of Colonel Patton, Of the
Fourth Carolina line, with his masters consent
enlisted and fought through the war of the
American Revolution. On the 9Th Of August,
1911, as Frederick's name was found on the
muster roll, a warrant was issued to Frederick,
giving him the soldiers bounty ofone thousand
acres of land. The question before the court
was whether the land belonged to Frederick or
his master Judge Catron's decision is in these