Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1855-08-18
THE LOUISVILLE TRAGEDY.

uues require eXertlOn 10 preserve calm
ness and temper in presence of such an
exhibition Of bad passions, and cruel
outrage and murder, in broad day. Has
it then come to this, that political ques-
ton, matter Of opinion--a thing Of de-
batable propriety and expediency-shall
be placed in the balance against human
life, and the latter weigh less, be of
smaller value, than the peculiar views of
certain parties? Alas! it is too true
We can readily understand that human
blood can be shed, in repeling an armed
invader of the soil-in furnishing a for
eign enemy, or in just defence of life or
property. This has hesanction of every
law. But for an opinion, for party views
and purposes, to deprive fellow being
of life, taking him from family and socie-
ty, to force him into g the house of his
eternity" is beyond our comprehension,
and fills our soul with sadness and deep
regret. What immensity.of evil is there
after all, even in the supposition of the
justice of Know Nothing complaints, if
certain foreigners have become legally
citizens of this country have held GER
tain few and paltry Offices, and happen
ed all the while to be members of a
church, venerable at least for its antique
ty, and respectable by its numbers? If
it be an evil, the country has long borne
it patiently, and even prospered in its
presence. If it now require redress,
surely there is way. The community
at large, have the power, and this by the
controlling influence of public opinion
over the halls of legislation.
Butitis notnecessary may, it is wrong,
it is terribly sinful, to seek to effect the
removal of the supposed evil, by re-
moving from life, certain opponents of
the measures, who, with the immense
majority Of the Republic, think different
ly on the subject, and maintain their OPP
position by just and legal measures
Now this has been done, and in popu-
lous city of our Union--in Louisville
and in country in which, generally
speaking, good men have hitherto been
permitted to lice, and pursue happiness
and liberty. We do not wish or intend
to wrong eyenan enemy. Though blood
is ON the hands of the Know Nothings of
Louisville, (and how much sympathy and
concert with them in this matter their as
sociates in the land have, we cannot say, J
blood, which, like that on Lady Mac
beth's hands, shall ever remain "a damned
spot" which will not g out, we shall be
as fair in our structures as the varying and
contrary reports from that city will per-
nit us to form to ourselves an accurate
Judgment on them. The following facts
are, we think, sufficiently established to
furnish us the premises, from which we
deduce that the Know Nothings of Lou
isville, at least, are guilty of murder, and
murder too, from political causes and
for party purposesl
For days previous to the election, the
Know Nothing press, championed by the
miserable PRENTICE, wrought to mad
ness their blind partisans by the most
inhamnatory and unjust publications. =
They pretended that all could not be able
to vote Gas if the city vote had never be-
fore been polled in single day, and
they asserted that if any should stand
back from the polls in consequence of the
throng, il should be the " foreign-born
citizens. Gas if also these were not, by
law and the constitution, equally entitled
to vote , they said that the X. Ms had
right to man the polls from II o'clock
Sunday night--to toss their friends over
the heads of the crowd, in order to vote /;
IN short, mad a right TO do as they pleas
ed. How adroitly the internal project
is planned, which shall result in the
death of many! They actually did all
these things, and more; so that, effectu-
ally, scarcely any but their own party
could vote.
II was natural that the Onion party
should sorely feel the injustice of these.
unwarrantable proceedings. There was
some palliation in this for certain q fist
fights" at the polls, and It may, or may
not be true, that one or two misguided
men, who may have happened to be Ger
man or Irish, committed an outrage, by
firing on carriage in which we're cou-
pie Of gentlemen, and that the same Of
Tenders, or others, but not more nuner-
Gus, may have wounded three others
But mark the result. A mob Of X. Ms
gathered, shot down individual foreign
ers. wherever found, burned buildings,
IN which were consumed harmless wo-
men and children, and coolly shot down
the inmates who fed their burning tenc-
ments, How many Of ti,cre unfortunate,
but innocent people, now lie charrcd and
dead. beneath the smoulderino ruins of