The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-09-16

alton in which they have placed themselves"
Mr.. Macon said: ''SiT, you may try to laugh
at Roman virtue till you get it out of coun-
tenance; butt is that stern virtue on which
every republic depends. All republics that
ever did, or will exist, must depend on that
stern Roman virtue You
may moralize till you demolish law. My sys-
TEN Of democracy is, that law, when made,
shall not be broken.
"We are to get these men back; all our finer
feelings are enlisted. We shall perhaps make
schoolmasters of them to teach our children the
art and necessity of political crusades."
Such were the feelings, and the doctrines,
and the teachings of the prominent men of the
nation in lS09-men whose characters then
commanded universal respect, and whose me-
mories are still revered.
Has ga change come o'er the spirit of our
dream?" Are we, as a people, less honorable,
less just, less highminded, less regardful of
the rights Of others, and of our national char
acter We trust not. Nevertheless, there
are . signs of the times" which we fear will
lead the friends of republican government in
other parts of the world TO come to that conclu-
sion, and to which despots may point with
malicious pleasure. We have among us, it is
very clear, large number Of idle, thrftless,
restless spirits, both native and foreign, who
are " ripe for any mischief" and ready to
embark in any expedition which promises
excitement, idle employment, adventure, and
a chance to ''better their fortunes" even
though in 50 doing they infringe the laws
of the country, set at naught the solemn obi
CATION of treaties, and run the hazard of involv-
ing the country in a war. They are ever ready
for riots, and if they do not themselves set fire
to buildings in our cities, they Ceem to look
upon conflagraton with much complacency.
Look where we will, it is most lamentabe
truth, that violations of the laws everywhere
meet our eyes. In one place it appears in the
form of anti-rent outrages; in another, aboll-
ton riots and resistance to the constituted au-
thorities, even to the shooting down Of
the officers of the law and those who are
assisting them in another, it is the most
heartless, cold blooded attempt to destroy
life by wholesale, and the frequent burn
ing Of buildings out of mere private pique
and spite towards railroad company; in an
other, it is fire riots and killing, or attempting
TO kill those who belong to rival company; In
another, it is the deliberate murder, perhaps in
open day, of some one who has given slight
offence, and it may be even the wife who had
chosen for her protector him who turns out TO be
| her destroyer; in another, it is the organization
and entering into hostile expedition against
nation with whom we are on terms of peace
and amity, upon the most frivolous pretence,
and that turning out to be, as most people must
have known it was, wholly false and falla-
cious. We could place before our readers
bloody catalogue of crimes and diabolical out
RACES, confined to no one section of the Union,
but we forbear; every one can recall disgrace
full scenes enough to convince him that it is time
the laws were endued with renovated majes
ty; that public sentiment became more actively
conservative; that judges, juries, and all those
whose duty it is to administer and enforce the
laws, should feel more sensbly the responsible
ity of their position and the solemn duty that
devolves upon them; and that all those who
preach and practice the doctrines of the "higher
law" system of morality, or the right to be
their own judges in all cases, and to do as
they please, should be made to feel that
there is no "higher law than those which stand
upon the statute book, and that these must and
will be enforced. Let public opinion come up
to this mark, and discard the mawkish sym
pathy which is so ready to step between the
criminal and his punishment, and which is 80
ready to convert the former into saint or
martyr; and, above all, let parents enforce re-
spect and obedience from their children, and
| prevent them from frequenting vicious eompa
ny, and being out at night, and we may hope
in time to witness salutary change, and one
most devoutly to be wished, in our country.