, 1859-06-02
@rf4a:N3ctiib11tte.
THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 1883.


THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 1883.
or THE SLAVE TRADE.
The acquittal Of the captain Of the SLAYER
Echo, which tool, place recently at Key West
Florida, vas the only event wanting to cstab-
hsh the fact that the laws Of the United States
against the African Slayc-Trade are an antique
nullity-lle most dclunct Of dead-letters.
When the Charleston Grand Jury, or major-
ity Of them who found IN indictment against
tie owners and officers Of the Wandere,, came
out with card declaring that their said in
dictmeot was found upon compulsion Of the
Judge, and not upon their own construction OF
the law or their own notions Of right in the
prernsee, it was palpablc to degree, that
no punishment could he brought home upon
tho importers mud dealers in African slaves
through the instrumcutality Of Southern Courts.
The truth of the homely motto, "Where there
is a will there is way has never been more
torciblv demonstrated than in the shifts, |
lodges and devices al Southern Judges anu
iurics striving to find those men not
guilty OF any crime, whom the law tor
the suppression Of tile Slave Trade de-
clarcs TO he guilty Of piracy. There IS no
species Of evidence so s1rong, no form Of words
50 clear, no act so unequivocal, that it will run
the gauntlet Of a South Carolina or Florida
Court without being pulvcrizcd By the ruling
d the Judge Or brought to naught By the
perycrscncss Of the jury. The Prosecuting
Attorney may Us well parade his facts and e1-
pound his Law before theCongo chiefs whothriT
l,v confiscating and selling cacl other subjects
he stands far worse than the single juryrnan,
who cursed his eleven obstinate colleagues, for
1.c alwuys has twelve predetermined antago~
nists IN the jury box, besides one on the bench
What shall be said Of judge who rules out
the evidence furnished by certified copy OF 4
vessels register, insisting that the only evidence
admissible is the register ITSELF whiei, cannot
be removed from the Custom House? Yet
this was done BY the Key West Court in the
case Of Captain Townsend ofthe Echo Though
1hr rer;ste1 declared Townsend TO be the owner
and master Of the vessel and thougl, both Vessel
md cargo were found in his hands. ret theoreti-
cally Townsend was MT the owncr, he had moth
I'M to 10 with the negroes, the vessel was not
az American vessel. the court had no jnrisd'c-
tion-al} because an official transcript o. tile
books in the New Orleans Custom House was
not good evidence in Florida.
That the impossibilty Of convictlng any one
under the laws for the suppression Of the Slave
Trade is an invitation to the avaricious and
abandoned everywhere to embark in it, it
needs no casustry to show. Democratic jour-
nails and orators are sneerins in al directions
at the alarm created by the threatened re-op-
cnin~ Of the piratical traffic, but tue fact re-
mains that at Ieas, two cargoes Of slaves have
been landed with impunity: and the irresistible
Inference is that two hundred cargoes can be
landed tue same way. Those who steal aud
transport the negroes alike with those who
profit by the theft, are sublin1ely indifferent
what kind Of lnws are enacted 50 long as they
are not enforced They arc practical, straight
forward men, with eyes single IN results
Slavc-trading may be called piracy: sacrilees
or treason, its penalty may bc decrceG
to be roasting alive OIL gridiron, but will
our existing machinery for bringing offenders
to justice, the slaye-tradcr will never take
issue with the law-rnaker. Obviously twt
things aro needed If we intend to suppress tht
Slave Trade: FIRST, the Executive power 0
the United States must 10 vested in hand
which will employ it to some purpose-wlllcl
will destroy it ut once, instead Of toying will
itli1se piece Of contraband csockcEy too valua
Dlo to be smashed. Second, the laws for th
suppression Of tic traffic must be renodcle'
to meet if possible the surprising ingenuity q
Southern judges and iurics in frustrating them
Until thcse things are done NC may e1lec
the African Slave Trade to grow and fouris'
under tho guns Of the Navy and under tn
nose Of the President.