The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-07-19
From tie Boston Transcript.
The Peace and Dignity OF the Commons
WSAlGh.-No. xxxil


sock, and the bands, and opening the Uranium,
and gazing there upon the very thing which
nature abhors-this species Of autopsy is really
unpleasant The close examination Of corrup-
ton requires a little familiar handling wlthal,
which is by no means agreeable.
TO answer 4 foo according TO his folly, or
otherwise, involves the necessity of repeating
some portion of what he has said OF written,
and this very repetition occasions feeling of
responsibility for having given it additional cir
culation.
fthere be one part more outrageous and abb
surd than all others in the performance Of our
teacher Of piety, ii is that in which he speaks of
Mr. Curtis, the United States Commissioner.
Will the reader look at it:
"Let US look at the public conduct of any com
missioner who will send innocent man from
Boston into slavery. | would speak of all men
charitably; for know how easy il is to err yea to
sin. i can look charitably on thieves, providing
about in darkness; on rum sellers, whom poverty
compels to crime; on harots, who do the deed of
shame that holy woman's soul abhors and revolts
at; can pity the pirate, who the doin e
his hendish crimes-he is tempted, made desperate
by gradual training in wickedness. The man
born at the South, owning slaves who goes to AT
| RIGA and sells adulterated in exchange for
men TO sell at Cuba-I cannot understand the con-
sciousness OF such man; yet l can admit, that by
birth and by breeding he has become so lmbruted,
he knows no better. Nay, that he may per-
haps justify his conduct TO himself. say think
his sin s not SO dreadful "a that of commissioner
! in Boston who sends man into slavery. A man
commits murder, infiamed by jealousy, goaded
! by desire Of great gain. excited by fear stung by
malice, or poisoned by revenge; and tits horrid
| thing. But TO send man into slavery is worso
than TO murder him. would rather be slain than
| enslaved. To do this inf1amed by jealousy,
| goaded by no desire of great gain-only ten dol
| lars-excited by no fear, stung by special NAL
| ice, poisoned by no revenge-I cannot compr ehend
/ m ~ m a hpa ata hat
raven for blood do not kill for killings sake, but to
| feed their flesh. Forgive me. ye wolves and
| hyenas that bring you into such company.
| can only understand 1t in devil!
| "When q man bred in Massachusetts,, whose
constitution declares that 'all are born free
| and equal'-within sight of Faneuil Hall, with all
its sacred memories; within two hours of Ply.
mouth Rock within single hour of Concord and
Lexington; in sight OF Bunker Hill-when he will
do such deed, it seems to that there is life
OF crime long enough to prepare man for such a
pitch OF depravity should think he must have
been begotten in sin and conceived in iniquity
and been born with n dogs head his shout
ders;' that the concentration of the villainy of
whole generations of scoundrels would hardly be
enough TO mt q man for deed like this J"
! After listening to this braying it will not be
doubted what sort of 4 head this MIR. Theodore
Parker carries upon his shoulders.
| | doubt if the records Of all our pulpits--in
some of which very silly things have been oc-
| Il
lei for this unchristian insolence. There is not
congregation in New England--that of the
Melodeon excepted-that would patiently lis
ten to these miserable and impotent ratings.
An officer of the United States, sworn to
support the Constitution, is called to perform
an official act. There is one way only by
which he can avoid the performance, and that
is, by violating his oath. The act to be done
is not to send man into slavery, as this teacher
OF piety so ignorantly or wickedly asserts
not at all; ii is to decide the fact If he be or
be not actually there already For all the fine
stuff about the falling of shackles when a slave
touches our soil; all the political twaddle of
Charles Sumner Ell id genus onlne, whereby
the rights of american citizens are claimed for
runaway slaves, is trash, and nothing else.
The shackles do not fall, the runaways are not
american citizens. The constitutional com
pact forblds it. 1t is contrary to the laws of
the land in which we live. All, therefore,
which the Commissioner can do is to issue the
warrant, hear the evidence, and certify the
truth, that the man IS fugitive slave or that
| he Is not
1t is really amusing to find this man, Parker,
relying upon the constitution of .Massachusetis
while he tramples upon the Constitution Of the
United States. No principle of our Govern
ment is more simple, none more irresistible,
than that the constitution and laws of Massa-
chusetts mist fall back before those of the Uni
ted States, whenever they conflict. Without
the unqualified recognition of this principle,
| there can be no government. This is Just as
true as that "order is Hearen's first la,c"
The Constitution of the United States ex-
plcitly requires the return of fugitive slaves to
their masters all State laws to the contrary
Notwithstanding Who but one past the Gu
rative powers of hellebore would suppose that
the dlctum in our State constitutions
men are born free and equdl"-would Justify
commissioner in disregarding the express pro-
vision of the Constitution of the United States,
and the laws based thereupon2 Why then this
tirade-this atrablious diarrhea of words2 1t
is, to be sure, favorable symptom in Parker's
insanity that he apologies to the wolves and
hyenas, unless err, and am TO understand that
in the '.torgire me, o ye ,solpes
and hyenasi that bring you into such conpa-
ny''-Mr. Parker was addressing his flock.
| Mr.. Theodore Parker is an open advocate for
| perjury the evidence of this fact have al
ready presented and, because Mr. Curtis will
not commit perjury, this Parker pours upon his
head torrent of villainous abuse, concluding
thus: g should think he must hare been begoi-
ten in SIN, and concerned in iniquity, and been
born Nth dogs head upon his shoulders that
The concentration Of The uitlainy Of whoIe gene
rGtioas Of scotsndrels aoould hardly be enough to
fit man for deed like this'
Rather remarkable taste the hearers of such
fellow as this must have acqured-for, like
the taste for olives, it must be an acquired
taste--it cannot be natural. Well may this
teacher Of piety apologize to the hyenas
Parker considers the motives of the Commits
sioner were the ten dollars. The Commits
sioner, am told, refused to receive the fee |
am sorry for this, for it would have purchased
at least three caps and bells for the teacher of
piety and the ruling elders at the Melodeon
1t is not surprising that the motives of an hon
orable man and faithful public officer should
be brought down to grovelling standard by
one who is protesting believer in the right
eousness of perjury, and an ordained brawler
This is the man who says, 81 an, calm
man, am cool man." Upon the present oc-
casion he says, 81 ,could rather be slain than
enslaved." Now, have always supposed those
letters which chafe the soul were infinitely
harder to be borne than those which bind the
I