The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1856-10-03
The Dirty Linen ar Communities and Ma.
tions-How 10 Wash II DecentlY.

9sc.a lQc.
The DIRTY Linen ar Communities and Ma
tions-How 10 Wash II Decently.
That quick sighted philosopher, Napoleon the
Great, on one occasion, when harrassed beyond
forbearance with the noisy squabbles Of his fami-
ly for place and power, observed to them that
every family had its dirty linen, but that pru-
dent and decent people washed their dirty linen
on their own premises, and hung it up to dry in
their OWN garden, instead of Haunting it before
the world in the public highway. Under the veil
Of this homely suggestion there lies world Of
wisdom to families, communities and nations; for
not only every family but every community and
every nation, have more or less Of dirty linen,
which, from self-respect and decency. they do, or
should, wash and dry upon their own premises
and not on the public highway.
AS a nation We have our dirty linen, and
good deal Of ESPECIALLY our dirty niger
linen Of the South. The fathers Of the constitn-
ton and the Union, impressed by the same ideas
of decency and propriety as Napoleon, shaped
their action accordingly; and whatever their
troubles and squabbles about niggers may have
been, they always modestly and studiously avoid
ed the public offence Of brawling them to the
world. In the convention which framed our
organic law of union, there was violent in
door controversy upon niggers, which threatened
to destroy the great work of the Revolution, in
secession, divisions, anarchy and confusion? AT
this crisis the cool and reflective Franklin sug-
gested an adjournment over to Monday, and that
sYt. AZ 10 IN,
end that spirit of Cancellation and compromise
might prevail His advice was followed, and it
resulted in that glorious fruit Of Cancellation and
compromise, the Constitution Of the United
States. But in that sacred instrument Of wis
dom and patriotism, so carefully did the parties
concerned In il endeavor to conceal this dirty
linen Of slavery from the world. that neither the
ERIN free white, nor negro, nor black man, nor
muatto, nor slave, nor servant, occurs in the
constitution, from the beginning to the end.
With no other light before him than the con-
stitution, the reader would most naturally con
clude that there were no niggers in the country:
and his illumination upon the subject Of slavery
would be limited to such expressions as these
free persons ~three-ffths OF all other per.
sons, -no person held to service or labor in one
State" "the migration or importation Of such
persons as any of the States now existing shall
think proper to admit, DC. These clauses how
ever, refer TO slavery, slaves niggers, slave
representation, fugitive slaves and the Afri-
can slave trade; but mark how studiously
the washing and drying Of this dirty linen il
concealed from the public eye. So lofty, sensi-
tive and sublime was the sense Of liberty with
our revolutionary fathers in their construction Of
a constitution for free people, that they would
not permit the word slavery, nor slave or slaves,
70 b. used even in their concessions to slavery.
Now, mark the contrast between the giants
who framed the constitution and our shameless
secession pgmy politicians Of the present day. A
few miserable fanatics of the North first snder-
took the indecent exposure Of this domestic and
dirty linen Of Southern slavery to the world.
The South became indignant: but the South be-
came imprudent. Not satisfied with decently re-
sisting the indecent nterferences Of Northern IA
natcs in their domestic affairs, reckless Southern
demagogues and fire-eaters forthwith began 70
hang out their dirty linen on every public high
way, and to bring up their heavy washings to
Washington. But now they have gone beyond
al bounds of moderation and decency and our
Northern States are filed with Southern mission
aries, In the character Of big he Niger washer
women, shaking and Haunting their dirty linen in
our faces from Maine to California
Nr. Cobb and Mr.. Benjamin tried Il in Maine
on large scale; but the DISCUS, of that people at
such conduct was very strongly expressed
in their late election. And yet, as If
this warning and the indecent exhibitions Of
their dirty Niger linen down South, ny such
fierce washerwomen a. Gov. Wise, Mr. Kiett
and Bully Brooks were not enough-we have
New York and Pennsylvania full Of the same
general class Of disturbers Of the peace and de-
cencies Of the family. In Pennsylvania, Gov
ernor Cobb and Governor johnson. Of Georgia.
are prominent among these Niger linen washer
women; and in New York Governor Floyd and
Senator Hunter are just as busy in threater.ingds-
union unless We help to elect Buchanan and thus
secure. by fair means or by foul new slave States.
new territories for niggers new markets for mig.
gers, and higher prices for niggers. up to an in
crease from one thousand TO FIVE thousand dollars
a head for good healthy field niggers In fact.
this general exhibition Of the dirty niger linen
Of the South by Southern democratic washerwo.
men, big and little. up here in the North, shocks
every sense Of proprjcty and deeency and has
become little better than public nuisance.
Meantime this Pierce administration. guided
by the fcrocous and brutal disunion c0unsels OF
such public disturbers as Atchison and jeff
Davis. bas been washing their dirty niger
linen ii tho blood u frec white men wors7