Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1833-1861, 1856-10-10
Shall Violence Reign.

A few days aimee, the Reverend j
y. Finley. one Of the Oldest Minister'S
Of the Methodist Church and one IL
the beat known. was Knocked down At
LewIsburg. Preblo CO., for some part
he was supposed 10 have taken 10 y
Fremont meeting. We have seen no
charge that no said or did anything
wrong. lie was simply a victim 10
the spirit Of outrage and vioIeree.
perpetraled In lhIs professed land VI
liberty by the supporters Of the slave
system. LewIsburg Is a small, quiet
place. In rural county. and what
hsppened there may happen az ywhere.
But, II there were any doubt Of what
spirit peryades the pro-slayery party.
We have Il displayed In q hundred
other qua ters. On Monday We pub.
lished an account OF The murder OF
Two men. an assault on unprotected
women and children. by a mob Of
irishmen in village OF Indiana
The oaly case OF this savage conduct
was. that wagon. flied mostly with
women. was passing along. on which
was displayed picture representing
buck on his last legs. There was
nothing personally offensive TO any
one In this. There was nothing more
aggressive than Is done at..every polit-
cal procession In this country. These
sre Two Of the most recent examples
Of violence We have recorded. but
they are only examples. The land Is
full Of them. and far as we have oh.
served. they are almost without ex.
ception on one side. II Is the pro-
slavery side. which. enraged at the
danger Of failure, and excited by the
experience Of its wrongs. resorts to
insult. outrage and violence. We
had 6rst the high precedent Of a bul.
" striking Senator in the Senate
Hall. Then 20 had rape. robbery.
murder and assassination in Kansas.
Then we have booksellers banished
from Alabama. mechanics from Caro-
lima. and citizens from Virginia. And
lastly. in this peaceful Ohio. in a quiet
country town. we have venerable
minister Of the Gospel bludgconed.-
All this has one, and one only cause.
that men have.dared 10 exercise free
dom Of speech towards one Of the
great wrongs Of the land Atheists
have blasphemcd the living God. and
dark iniquities are daily committed.
yet we hear Of no one mobbcd or
murdered on that account. 1t is only
Slavery which claims sacred immu-
nifty from all accountability ! Heaven
may be scoifed and laws derided. but
let no one dare to speak for freedoml
The violence which now reigns 10
this country commenced in Congress.
when Herbert was allowed to shoot
down waiter and go unpunished.
when Brooks could beat Senator
almos' to death and BE- feasted. prais-
ed, and hattered. for his act, and when
such men as these could fiud what
the world calls honorable associates
in Congress. then full play was given
to the possession Of the rude and vi
olent. A half dozen intoxicated.
staggering bulies can be found any
where to club decent man. or knock
down clergyman. When shall this
cease :? We can tell when il will not
cease. II will not Geese ill freedom
Of speech is established everywhere
and anywhere in this land. The
American freeman is not made ofsuch
soft stuff that he will yield to buliies
and swaggerers. Freedom of speech,
however. will never be fully establish
ed while slavery belives it can prevail.
till il is instituted within its own i'm
its, the same spirit Of Intimidation
will be continued.
Our country was never filled with
so much violence as it is now Let
every man look at the cause. Let
him see where it belongs. who does it,
for what purpose, and be will have
before him one Of the most perfect
pictures ever exhibited OF the real
effect of great moral wrong in degra
ding the human character and ex Z
tending its influences through all the
converts of liberty. We have class
of people who say, that il nothing is
said about any of the great wrongs of
the world. nobody will be offended
OF course not. The darkest sin OF.
human heart is not offended when the
conscience is asleep; when the world
observes it not; when no accuser calls
it in question. "Let it alone
The time for that policy is past
The moral controversies Of mankind
will 90 on, till the right prevails 1t
is by the prevalence Of the right only
that we can end the controversy and
produce peace. Let US then press on.
and if the victory comes not to-day, 4
will come better and brighter to-mor.
|rov.-Cia Gas.