The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1855-04-12
4sople's department.
AN APPEAL.
AN APPEAL.
CLEVELAND, ONO. March % IS55

]
AN APPEAL
CLEVELAND, ONO, March %, 1855.
In one of the darkest hours of the Revolu
! ton, America appealed to q foreign Power fol
aid. Louis XVI, Catholic sovereign, became
our ally; and Lafayette, his great heart throb
bling with love for oar cause, devoted his coun
sells and his blood TO its service. Time passes
America achieves independence She grow.
strong and proud. She has her influence a
every civilized court in the world. She counts
her sons by millions, and her acres of mountain
and plain grow too fast to be counted. Never
was nation with so brilliant future never
people with so many promises of glorious
destiny. She has won respect and confidence
where nations of greater age and renown seek
for it in vain. Not an impeachment, but those
OF her own creating, opposes the swift coming
of that day when the American Republic NAV
command the homage Of every nation on earth.
But impediments do stand in the way. The
true patriotism, the deeply-seated philanthropy
Of the country have toiled day and night for
their removal. Clouds and storms have not
| quenched their ardor, and the winter of i'll sue.
cess has gathered its frowns in vain. You
know, sir, how the hearts of good men were
taking courage at the signs of the times. all
betokening a swift victory over the great sin OF
the nation. You know with what ardor the
free States wheeled one after another into line.
ready to defy and to destroy whatever force the
slave States, or rather the Slave Power, might
bring against them. But in night, in an
hour when no other danger threatened, the
voice of our rejoicing was hushed. Another
shout was raised. Another army, masked and
disguised, were in the field. No more quarrel
ling about the institutions of the country, no
more contests between Freedom and Slavery :;
but down with the foreigners up with the ma
tives were the shouts which strained the lungs
of impulsive folly. In an hour which called
for no unusual effort, when no danger threat
ened, when none existed, except what political
knaves had conjured up for political purposes,
when the winds were slumbering and the waters
calm, q great people rushed from their old and
tried crafts, cast off their SCARED and trustv
armor, hid themselves behind masks and dis
guises, denied their identity, hesitated, evaded.
equivocated-and all for what2 To prevent
foreigners from getting all the offices, and ruin
ing the country.
Many of our true and tried friends consented
to let the Anti-Slavery cause work its way alone,
for the Supreme Order Of the Star-Spangled
Banner > called them to the higher and holer
duty of crushing out foreigners. And so, by
pOorly-clothed evasions and childish equivoca-
tons, they plotted in their secret councils to
blot all knowledge of national sins, and to kim
die and keep alive international and religious
jealousies. Oh this clannishness, this patry
pandering to the vilest of popular passions, by
people who boast of their great and good
supereminence, makes the heart sick. And
then, with what arrogance they claim every
victory, and with what submissiveness do we
yield to their claims Anti-Slavery men, Anti
L. I r II
on their armor for a good fight, and con-
quered gloriously, are giving up all their lau
rels, without hardly a struggle, to this "Su-
preme Order of the Star-Spangled Banner"
Our newspapers have forgotten their old devo.
ton, and, with few exceptions, are either silent
as the grave or devoted to abuse of the unfor-
tunate men who consented to be born in the
home of Lafayette, the beautiful fatherland of
Schiller and Goethe, or among the moors of
poor Ireland.
Last week, paper came to us from Raven
ma paper which in time past has done us
good service-with an apotheosis of Bill Poole, !
who was murdered in his own GROCERY, in
quarrel which his own brutal and filthy Ian.
guage provoked, who "died as the fool dieth."
with lie on his lips. "To this complexion |
has it come at last"
And then we have the "Know Something's" |
Whether they know themselves by name |
within name, like the Know Nothings, has |
not transpred. Some Of our best Anti-Slavery |
| have reason to believe, are at
work for this Order. They talk of uniting the
Anti-Papal and Anti-Slavery vote, and electing
a President. Are we to understand that this
secret society is to act, politically, Independent
Of any Anti-Slayery or Republican party, which
does not see fit to prescribe any religious sect?
In a word, are we of the North, who love Free
dom, and are disposed to stand on that issue,
and hattie for it with undivided zeal, till Sla-
very no longer darkens the land-are we to
come in conflict with these headless Orders,
whose weapons are concealed, and whose policy
s hidden behind their midnight machinery?
Should the party of Freedom meet the party
If Slavery with honest and Democratic open
hess, or should they meet with masks, and in
he night? Oh if those great and good men,
Who fought when life was the price Of victory,
,ould look from the serene heavens, and see
he petty partisan strifes to which this great
nation descends, and observe the paltry means
We seize on to accomplish paltry ends, how
must they blush for the country they raised
nd sanctifed with their blood What is a
1ctory, what is a triumph, if no moral pur
,ose, if no humanity, if no virtue, sanctify
hem? But virtue, humanity, morality, ask for
10 masked champions, no secret councils, no
eiled ballot-boxes. D.A G.