The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1858-07-12
BALTIMORE.
MONDAY, JULY II, 1858.

wonderful to behold and with an agility surprising
for its wears. On Wednesday, our contemporary
styisited the ship-yards on the south side of the
Basin" On Thursday, it favored the public with
an editorial announcement that there ''neither
disorder or excitement in that locality" Any
trouble which might have existed among the ship
caulkers in that vicinity, stated to have been
only "a trade-society difficulty" and that no fur
Their disturbance need be apprehended, was left to
be inferred, from the fact that ''both black and
"white caulkers were at work on the numerous YES
"sels on the ways, and all doing brisk business"
For further particulars, we were referred to IA
correct and impartial version of the whole matter
tsto be found in our local columns" from which we
learned what it would astonish LLOYD GARRISON
and the Northern Abolitionsts generally to hear,
that whatever difficulties had arisen, had been oc-
casioned solely 'by the oppressive action of the
''blacks, who had formerly monopolzed the bust
'ness and efectually excluded the whites from par
''ticipating'' therein That this was truthful ex-
PLANTATION of the whole affair was satisfactorily
proved by "an affidavit made voluntarily to Mayor
SWAMI by Captain ADAM GRAY" in relation to a
disagreement which had occurred between the latter
and some negro caulkers in the year 1850. Thus
far-the american, on Thursday. On Friday our
contemporary 'learns' that Captain GRAY did
not appear voluntarily before the Mayor, but was
summoned to testify by that functionary whose
secret anxiety to make out a case against the
negroes, in order to screen himself from the charge
of official delinquency, and escape the odium which
he has justly incurred by his failure to protect
these poor creatures is thus betrayed, and is, to
say the least, not credtable. Our contemporary
next discovers, what to any vision less oblique
than its own, was plain enough before, that not
withstanding its own previous assertions to the
contrary, outrages had been committed on the
south side of the Basin, which might even be char
acterized as ''high-handed," and that degree of
evidence" had been exercised on the part of the
white caulkers which ''should be at once checked,
and the perpetrators punished Having got thus
far and with the scales thus partially fallen from
its eyes, our contemporary ventures to indulge in
q slight expression of sympathy for 'the poor
Negro who, it is generous enough TO think
''shoud be protected, and not be beaten and in
Inundated from seeking employment in the business
''to which he has been reared" 1t has even the
candor to acknowledge that the negro caulkers
whom it had found in its editorial walks the day
before, busy at work in the shp-yards, were there
only by suerance, and by virtue of "a permit from
'the President of the white caukers' association
(which, adds our contemporary, Certainly exhib-
'its sad state of affairs" We agree with our con-
temporary that this does exhibit sad state of af
fairs" but think that the saddest exhibition of all
Is the spectacle of once respectable and influen-
tial journal deliberately and persistenly shutting
its eyes to the existence of great social evil and
the commission of ''hgh-handed outrages," until
the evidence of the fact had become so patent and
notorious, as to leave no longer any excuse for ig-
norance or ground for denial.
Nor is this all. In its issue of Friday, under
the alarming caption of ''Subjects for the Grand
jury" and with degree of temerity that must
have startled the very types from their propriety,
our contemporary, in whose mouth butter could
scarcely be expected to melt, ventures to rebuke
some of the more fragrant and glaring abuses that
have long disgraced the administration of criminal
justice in city. The practice of "stetting ca
SEES in the Criminal Court was in particular the
subject of severe and deserved animadversion. 1t
was properly described as "a Star Chamber pro-
ceeding," by means of which, criminals are ena-
bled ''to purchase silence, and not only to escape
punishment, but the unpleasantness of even pub
sic exposure of most heinous offences" We were
told that there were already facilities in abundance
for the escape of criminals, "without the practice
'of this modern mode of disposing of criminal LA
"bility by mere scratch of the pen" We were
referred to the existence of mysterious power
standing between Grand Juries and the criminal,
''that etfectually ignores the most important bills
''they find" In short, the whole tone of our con-
temporary on Friday was straightforward and
manly. 1t commented in the right spirit, and
with becoming severity and plainness of speech,
upon abuses which, through long liberation, have
grown to be prescriptive in this community. Right
glad were we to find sentiments so nearly in accor
dance with our own, proceeding from quarter to
which we had been so little accustomed to look for
Judge then of our establishment upon
finding in the american of Saturday, solemn re-
traction of everything that it had said on Friday,
and complete relapse on the part of our contem-
porary into its habitual tone of exculpation and
apology for all sorts of official abuses In an edi-
torial of that date, devoted to the Criminal
Court" our contemporary makes the discovery
that the ''Starchamber proceeding of ''steting''
cases is only "a practice of doubtful proprie
typ that the mysterious power" which it
had denounced as standing between Justice and its
Victims and dcfraudng the former of its dues, was
in reality highly useful and beneficent provision
saving the city vast multiplication of costs;
and that the practice Of "steng cases was in fact
but ingenious continuance of the officers of the
law for diminishing their own official fees.
In the numerous cases referred to by our contem-
porary, in its article of Friday, as having been
stetted, and the prosecution seemingly abandoned,
we are assured that Justice is not dead but Sleep
ing, and that if the parties accused will only pre-
sent themselves for trial at the bar of the Criminal
Court, the States Attorney will be but too happy
to prosecute them. In the particular instance of
''drugging and outrage to which special alluson
had been made the day previous, as having been
allowed to pass, "without arraignment or further
judicial examination" we are now told, by way of
that the criminal is at present out of
town, but that if he should ever return, his case
will be entered in the docket for prosecution.'-
This then is the lame and impotent conclusion of
our contemporaries shortlived zeal in the cause of
public justice. The change was too sudden and
WV 'ioeh', anu the naplts Oh our contemporary are
100 deeply confirmed to admit of any permanent
departure from its accustomed modes of thought
anu speech. We therefore, have lost our expected
any ana the American will continue to be in the
future What 1t has been in the pasta trimmer and
a tme-server-airaid to speak above its BREATH and
"iiaiu " u''er It's honest Notwithstanding two
steps backwards where it takes ono forwards and
always more ready to frame an apology for crime,
than to visit with Its eensure criminal.
'No news, is good newsl'' says the ola o,o,.ou,,
but though the rule may hold good in man,, ooao,
it is not without its grave exceptions. sNo nov
of the Telegraph Squadron" flashed daily oyor
the wires from Trinity Bay, tends to confirm in
the public mind the fears that have been ALREADY,