American Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1855-1860, 1855-08-30
NEW SERIEs--VoL 8 NO. II. -.

freedom; and that theyS and not the con-
stiiutlon and the laws, We're the peculiar
guardians of our public institutions. They
were persuaded that these their dearest
rights were about to be infringed; that
these, their peculiar privileges, were about
TO be taken away and that their liberties
were to be utterly destroyed by the rascal
ly Americans, who deserved to be driven
like yenemous reptiles from every neigh
borhood and whose complete teextermination
would be blessing to the country and a
grateful sacrifice 10 heaven itself When
the most violent and debased passions and
prejudices Of ignorant men had been thus
UNANIMOUSLY appealed to and aroused, they
were falsely assured that sileAmerican par.
ty was in miserable minority, but, at the
same time they were, ,artfully and insdious-
ly, and with ,unblushing falsity told, that
the Americans intended by force to exclude
them from the exercise of their right of
suffrage; and the necessity for preparing
to exercise their privileges with force and
arms was not only indirectly suggested,
but plainly inculcated. s .ay sl.l
1t is not therefore, matter of very
great surprise that these poor, miserable,
ignorant people, thus wrought up almost
TO insanity by the vile falsehoods and in
cendiary appeals of the deniagogues who
had undertaken to mislcsd them, imagined
it duty which they owed alike 10 them
selves, their country, and their God, to
make a murderouS onset on native born,
American citizens, to massacre them in cold
blool, and 70 use their own fearful watch
cry, J with guns and rifles and pistols in
theit hands;to ''sweep the Americans from
the streets" and 10 'drive them into the
river" Nor, when tho bloody and fatal
onsaught had been begun by foreigners
and X oman Catholics upon pcaceable and
unolfending American citizens, when the
innocent blood Of slaughtered victims red.
dened street and threshold, and cried for
vepgeace npon the inhuman and Improve
kel murderers, can il be wondered at thai
native born ci:izrns became maldenel and
iafuriated. and That. in hot blood and with
out reflection, they with the strong hand
totk summary vengeance upon the pcrpe
traitors ofthese crael outrages Upon their
comrades. The law and, the legal authori
ties, unaided by a sufficient military force,
are powcrless. The police, however cfi-
cient up"n ordinary occasions, is unavail-
ing torestrain thousands ofinfufiated men,
when those who seek to alay excitement
, and prevent violence are met with suuh cx-
] clama ions as-.let me alone! | dill moth
ing to the Irish, anl M body is full Of
shot aud balls from their guns" or" go
away! You cannot blame m3 my poor Bro
ther, who hal given no offence, has been
, sho: down in cold blood" or this-"sir,
adyou seen one friend Shot down on the
right and another on the left, as have to-
day, you would not ask me why | am excl
ted; look at my clothes, spotted with The
:. blood Of my frienI; say not word to me;
let me alone !'''
! independent Of any other facts, the sim
pie expressions and exclamations falling
| from the lips of individuals in either of the
parties engaged in these riots. and spoken
without deliberation during the heat and
excitemento the contest, plainly indicate
who Were the aggressors and who were
merel y the avengers of wrongs committed.
| One wrong, however, cannot excuse an
/ other. and all concerned in these deeds OF
/ dreadful carnage aud lawless violence are
guilty, inexcusably guilty. We blame
those, who with the red hand, and blood
shed and houseburning, sought 10 ayenge
their fallen comrades, as well, if not so
much, as The miserable and misguided per-
petratoFs of the murderous outrages which
/ were the commencement Of these tiots;-
! but tho greatest cuipability, the most aw-
full responsibility, must and will attach it.
self TO those real authors Of this intestine
strife, these internecine riots aud murders
and house burnings, who wilfully and ma
! lignantly, with scared and 'callous consei-
1 enccs; and black. envenomed hearts, pros
/ tituted their abilities and degraded theiI
manhood by, arousing and infaming the
inert passions Of our foreign born citizens,
and needlessly melting them to the dread.
4 full deeds Of violence which originated and
4 produced the dtplorable riots and disor-
ders which have forever stained the name
! of Louisville. No Language can express,
no pen can deliniate the utter abhorrenet
and detestation with which such infamous
COHuuCb buUulu CVcI NC uouOuHOOu y "
cry good, honest and honorable citizen.
i We have declared that neither the Amer
icau party nor natiye-born citizens wer'
responsible for the riots Of the 9Th Of Au
gust. We repeat the declaration. W'
will not attempt to deny, that, at some 0
/ the several voting places, there may hay'
been, upon the day of the election, an oc
casional fist-fght,. that men may have guar
relied and knocked each other down, O.
even that, as perhaps was the fact in on
instance at the Sixth ward polls, a MAJ
y may have been even set upon, by two o
three or more, and badly beaten But W,
assert without fear Of successful contradic
ton, because we know It is true, that a
none OF the several polls was there any un
usual disturbance or any obstruction what
ever offered to voters of either party, great
J or than has occurred at almost every elec
ton where party lines were drawn, tha
has taken place in this city within the las
/. Twenty years, nor even so great as had j
many instances existed during warml,
! contested elections between the old Whi|
II nn..on.nRso ,&anfsao