The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1859-08-04
rH1 PAo1rro
Commercial Advertiser.


Ihe Managers Of the Tract Society achieved a ma.
mosso'e victory en- Wednesday last. They rode
.o.xn-snoo over a" factious minority and souelch-
e. sanmarily all their attempts to saw q word upon
Slavery, or the duties Of the Tract Society supnosed
70 grvW out Of that institution. They voted them
down. ovsr and over again. by a large and decisive
.,.so'r1sy. They tabled their resolutions. stopped
th~lr mouths and turned their attempted arguments
TO Tue oroadest practical jokes.
I'M campaign was brief and brilliant but we
ais'ss tne commanding generals not to attempt its
repetition Another such victory would seal their
ruin- Very few causes are pure enough to bear the
responsibility OF such a style Of warfare. We objected
10 the Proxy bill, while it was pending in the last
Legislature, because il was an evident attempt to
suo~tssafe political intrigue for open and fair discus.
sion IN the affairs Of the Tract Society. We object
To the style OF proceeding on Wednesday because it
s@isPts the worst features Of Tammany Hall rowdy-
Isn TOR the accomplishment of the same object.
When Capt. RYSDERs takes his stand on the plat
form, and, backed by an admiring crowd, shuts the
mouth OF every Democrat who differs from him in
opinion, respectable and dispassionate people gener-
ally say that ne commits an indecent and disgrace
fui Outrage. When the Managers of the Tract So
ciefy, by q similar process, silence those who dissent
fron their views and urge q change of councils, they
render themselves obnt xious to the same censure
frVm the same class Of unparalleled critics. No one
can read our report Of their proceedings without
ss<fng that they had organized themselves ia add
vance Tor victory and that their programme Of OPP
erstions was as skillfully and as remorselessly car
ried out as we're General ScoTT' 5 orders for the cap
ture OF Churubusco. Their own speakers were al
lowed to talk nd iibitum IND man on the other side
Was permitted to wag his tongue. Whatever their
psrtIsans proposed was strictly In order whatever
their opponents suggested was fatty and fagrantly
I'm violation Of -liameu law. Mr.. Jay was per-
United to Oder q resolution DANIEL LORD, ESQ.,,
made q strong, elaborate and carefully prepared ar
gument against it,-and then, backed by the Major
iy, ridiculed the idea that Mr.. JAY or anybody else
should be permitted to say a word in its favor. DIR.
BACON, while making q speech, was interrupted by
Dir HIRAM kETcHUN, who wished to know whether
DR. BACON was speaking to his amendment. Dr. B.
replied that he was, whereupon Mr.. kETcHUN avail
ed himself Of the momenfary interruption which DIR.
Bacon had allowed, to withdraw his amendment,
and thus. so far as possible, to choke him down.
The Presiding Officer either did not know, or else
chose to ignore the fact, that this was as gross a
breach OF Parliamentary law as of common courtesy =;
and 1t was by his own adroitness that DIR. BACON
secured what he need not have hazarded,-the right
Of going on. DR.. BACON urged the point,-which
was PERFECTLY legitimate, and not without weight
that while the Society published tracts against to-
bacco, they ignored the sin of Slavery -whereupon
the venerable and digni6ed DIR. SPRING reused the
laughter Of the audience, to the discontinue of mis-
opponent, BY drawing out his tobacco-box, and offer
ing him . quidt
Our readers are aware that we have never sympa-
thized with the strenuous efforts of the hast three or
four years to force the Tract Society into an active
paf1Napatlc7 in the crusade against Slavery. We
dis its wisdom and doubt its essential Justice.
Butthose efforts must not be met in the spirit and
blythe weapons welded by the dominant party at
the meeting Of Wednesday last. The weapons were
carnal and the temper devilish. The same exhibi-
ton at a political meeting would have been deemed
disgraceful. and just cause of alarm for the liberties
Of the country. When religious men, ostentatiously
assembled under the Christian banner, proclaiming
to the world the righteousness of their endeavors and
the supreme holiness Of their motives and their
means Of action, resort TO the most questionable de-
vices Of the most violent and INSCRIPTIONS political
demagogues for the accomplishment of their ends,
they cannot expect to retain the sympathies or the
confidence Of the great mass Of those who assent to
TO the justice Of their policy, while they do not share
the violence of their prejudces and their passions
Nothing can show more clearly how completely the
majority on this occasion had thrown of the re-
than the fact that the strenuous InterpositiOn of DIR.
SPRIxo alone availed to save them from virtually in
d. rising q traffic which the laws of the land consider
pirocy
This matter Of publishing upon Slavery is an awk-
ward question for the Tract Society to act upon. 1t
is mo means q clear case upon either side and con-
scientious and intelligent men may well hesitate be-
FIRE pronouncing judgment upon il. But one thing
all men Of all sides may take for granted, namely,
that II il not to be decided wisely or safely by yio-
lence, bullying. or political intrigue of any kind 1t
is a matter to be discussed, whenever either side
nay Wish to discuss il and to be decided by calm
and dispassionate judgments after such discussion.
" ioe<er seeks to sfide such discussion, to brow-beat
she expression Of dissent and to Dragon the minori-
y into silent acquiescence, inficts serious and fatal
irjnry upon the cause he processes to serve The
UPWARD victory he may seem to achieve only pre-
ssges the internal ruin which is certain &c follow.