Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1854-01-21
SHAMEFUL INCONSISTENCY.

James Haughton, well known Irish abolition
ist, has published a letter addressed to Thomas l..
Meagher, in which, in reference to Mr.. Meaghers
professions of Democracy, and yet evident sympa-
thy with slavery, he asks
ais liberty less the right Of the black man than
Of the white man? If it be So prove it.
BE consistent, then and while you are in land
Of slave drivers sanction not their denial of civil
and social rights to the cOlorcd people by your
silence, or you wirbecome particp0tor in these
wrongs.
Meagher is associated with John Mitchell in the
publication of the new paper, the CITIZEN, in New
York. lie is now absent, and Mr.. Mitchell replies
for his colleague and himself
The whole nation has been moved with sympathy
for these two men, because it supposed them the
representatives of free principles--the advocates
Of human liberty. But alas, their professions are
only on par with those of American slayeholding
democrats. They are the friends of Lrish freedom
and 1mericaa siacery. In the following paragraph
John Mitchell has written himself down hypo-
crite and an unprincipled knovc, for nobody can
believe him fool and the one or the other he
must be, who claims freedom for Irishmen as John
Mitchell does, and then shamelessy prays in public
for plantation well stocked with healthy ne
groes"! The world will exccrate his name-and
even poor pro-slavery American hypocrites, will
blush for his company and forget to give him their
sympathy But to the reply. Mr.. Mitchell says
in his Citizen:-
" But what right has this gentleman to expect
Thomas Francis Meagher, or the others whom he
has named, to take up his wearisome song which
they always refused to sing at homeg Now, let us
try to satisfy pertinacous friend, if possible
by little plain English. We are not Abolition
lists, no more Abotionists than Moses or Socrates,
or Jesus Christ. We deny that il is crime, or a
wrOng, or ereR PEccADILLo to hold sidres, to buy
sapes 10 sell SidUes 10 keep sdues 10 their cOrk by
fogging or other necdfR coercion.
"By your silence" says Mr. lIaughton "yOu
will become partiepator in their wrongs" But
we will not be silent when occasion calls for
speech; and, as for being particpator in the
wrongs ice, for Our part wish re had a good plant
alton, l0eH stocked with heaitty negroes, IN AiaJama
There now-is Mr. Ilaughton content.
Our own heart throbbed with joy, when we
heard of John MitchclPs escape. We hoped that
genuine regard for freedom, strengthened by exile
and Imprisonment, had taught him to sympathise
with the bound and imprisoned; and that he had
come to America to teach the hearts of Irishmen
to beat in sympathy with freedom here. But he
has como to be the deadly foe Of freedom. To
poison the minds of his countrymen and strengthen
their already bitter prejudice and unreasonable
and suicidal hatred of the slave We say suicidal,
for Irishmen never enjoy freedom here, while
itlae country is controlled by men in sympathy with
JOIN Mitchell, who have the efrontery to boast
that it is not even peccadiLlo to hold-buy-sell
and fog men women and children. For all that
appears in Mr.. MtchelPs reply, either in spirit or
letter. he would as sell and fog an Irishman
as an American. We suppose however he would
insist that he was talking of black slaves But
who would trust man, or government composed
Of men so unprincipled and heartless. Irishmen
in Ireland and in America, must rely on truer and
'nobler men than John Mitchell has proved himself
to be, or their hopes of true freedom will ever
,elude them.
We close with paragraph of the Tribune's
comments on the quotation we have givcn above.
Mr.. Mitchell viii probably increase the popular
ny Of his paper among the Irish-Americans--ala
that 1t should be 30 !-by this frank ayowal We
have not now for the first time to the majority
Of them with Liberty and Democracy their lips,
vote 70 fortify, extend and perpctuate the foulest