The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-06-17
MIR. CAREY's LETrERs-CoNTINUED.

Letter NO. contains snght resume oil The
argument, with a repetition of the assumptions,
of letters and 3. The remainder of this epistle
is devoted to highly rhetorical sketch of the
prevalent immortality and universal financial
distress from which the country at present sui.
fers. Those should read it who wish to study
that kind of style, or who would store their
minds with interesting facts, which go to
prove to some philosophers-tha no people is
fitted, at present, for self-government. We have
taken the trouble to determine the statistics of
this indictment, and we find lS "counts," each
beginning with that" comprising more than
100 lines-which enumeIate the different phases
of the general suffering, and allege the partial
failure of many, or all, of the branches of Amer
lean industry.
We then fad him passing to an interesting
sketch Of New York deviltry, or the "situation"
of our commercial capital copied from
"jOurnal of the day az (Which occupies
20 lines of the AdUertiser's columns. Then,
passing outward from New York, we find
rapid growth of rowdyism and intemperance,
with corresponding decline in the security Of
person and opsrty-frauds, populations, seduc
lions, murders, crimes of every kind, imcreasing
with such rapidity as fairly to warrant the as
sertion in a recent Southern journal, that the
United States are fast becoming a very stencil
in the nostrils of mankind" Well what then
By what method do you connect the rascality Of
a great city or the failures of the present crisis
with the free trade and-alleged money
policy Of the Government? We are willing to &C.
knowledge, without suffering the penalty-and,
10 be honest, we confess to skipping over some
of the long words-of correcting the type settlers
Of SO reputable an ofiice-that the denizens of
New York are awfuly wicked; that there has
been great commercial and fnau cial crisis;
that the currency has been terribly disordered,
and has contracted with frightful rspidity that
many of our best merchants have been crushed
in the contracting f1lds of the currency, which
were around almost every business man, nearly
to his undoing that the course of exchanges
has been broken up; that all production is
stopped-to acknowledge, with you, that, by
the substitution Of irredeemable paper for
geld and silver" (ofcourse, not the irredeemable
paper which the banks have issued ever since
the last . settling up time," but the Treasury
notes-most Of which are not yet issued-they
have done ali the mischief,) "the influx of for.
eign merchandise end the efflux of the precious
metals has been much promoted" 80 that we are
now deeply in debt and that the way has thus
been smoothed towards total bankruptcy" All
this is undoubtedly true. AS we have before said.
What then?
make some severe comments upon the logic of
this letter, we RETAINED, on finding " the same
continued in Letter No. s. Such course of
homeopathic treatment as Mr.. Carey pursues
in the case of his readers indicates that he
thinks either that they possess but small Ca
pscity for the reception of truth, or that that
faculty is in very delicate, deranged, and
diseased state, which makes great exertion
hurtfnl.
The facts and theories are so scattered
throughout the series of letters 30 often report
ed, that it requires very nice analytical powers
to trace out their true relation to the argument,
and put Them in their proper place. Accord.
ingly, in No. ), abundant extracts of proof are
given, that the Union is rapidly declining in
the estimation of the people of other nalions"-
very sad state Of things. Still, rather more
compactness and brevity would not be an un.
desirable achievement. 1t is the exceeding
diiuseress and perverse repetition which
causes that sense OF hopelessless when reading
these letters. However, as we were SAYING. we
have abundance of proof offered that the lamp
of Liberty is here being put out ard the beacon
light OF Freedom being quenched-that we are
surely stranded on the shoals of anarchy and
free trade-iha. we are aoq curing the reputation
of being tricky, jobbing, halfbarbaric pee
ple," &c.
Our limited space will not allow us to give
any adequate idea of the copiousness end force
of the cDithets applied to our sad case. 1t is
sad. We should stand before the nations the
exemplsr of perfect democracy--the hope of
universal and impartial liberty. But, between
acknowledging our backslidings with sorrow
and confusion OF face, and acknowledging that
protective system and credit-money currency
are the only means by which national honor
can be preserved and national prosperity at
tanned, there is needed one of those remarkable
lumps OF logic, which now appears true to the
want, like every supply to its demand.
Ia this second series of rhetorical charges
and repetitons, there is one advance over that
contained in No. 4. We find 30 counts, COM
prising $50 lines
Ia reference to the many specifications upon
the corruption and expense of our National
Administration, we have this to say-that it is
directly traceable to, and chargeable upon, the
system Of indirec. taxation. What is acquired
By indirect means will be spent BY indirsction.
What the people do not feel in giving, will MT
LIE economically used. In reference 10 the dis
grace attending upon Cur legislation by the
nAkluleQauce of n third n nca rs GopUro< n. cOm.