Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1859-11-01
MORNING LEADER.
TUESDAY mORNING, nov. /, 1850,
Treasons---siato Trials.

In view Of the fact that tho strange occurrence
at Harpers Ferry may bring some State Trials
upon Americans, and Of the further fact that II
they should DO so we should have TO thank
slavery for having, in addition to the other cur.
ses it has conferred upon the country, furnish.
ed the FIRST victims to the law of treason in the
United States, the following Historical article
from the Boston Traveller becomes doubiy in
toresting. 1t says;
| II has long been the boast Of Americans that
| their government has never been cemrnted with
blood. Our political fabric alone Of all great
| politics, has not been dshonored by human
sacrifices. Two or three times men have bo,n
tried for treason, and there have been condcm
nations, but in no instance has any lie been
taken. Strong in the sense aud affection of the
| people, government has been able 81 spafe con
yicts, and has been made all the stronger by its
mercful conduct. For more than seventy
years it has been our rare good fortune, rs a
nation, to escape the pollution Of the gallows.
| The constitution has never required the detest-
able aid of the hangman. Yet there has al.
| ways been some clique or faction that has
| longed for the shedding Of blood, who have
borne themselves as if they believed the GOV
rrnment cannot be rogarled as fairly in oper,.
tlon until somebody had been exec tied for act
| ing against it, whether justly or uniustly, le
| gally OF illegally, apparently they have cared
| very little. When President John Adams mar
doned Fries and his associates, there was such
! a howl set up 10y the lovers of blood AMI bemn.
that the people of that time might have been
excused had they believed the end of the world
was at hand, 20 far al society was concerned
Mankind were to 90 back TO their caves, and
skins, aud acorns There happened TO be bu,
three persons in the Cabinet at that time, and
the only difference OF opiuion was whethe,
Fries alone should be executed, or that his as.
sociates should die with him Wolcott, Seerc.
tary Of the Treasury, was for putting them 70
death Like his brother Terrorists, The French
Jacobins, he was for executing men in "ba,ch.
es." The hanging OF all thrGc, he arguad was
demanded, in order "to inspire the well dispo-
sed with confidence in the government and tbe
malevolent with terror. s
This is precisely tie course ofreasonipe. and
very nearly tho language, OF Robespierre and
his fellow sovages The other Cabinet officers
were disposed TO he content with the execution
of Fries, but rather than pardon all three, thew
preferred that all three should hang Colonel
Timothy Pickering had said, "Panlul as ia ibe
idea of taking the life of a man, | feel calm
and solid satisfaction that an opportunity is nov;
presented in executing the just sentence of tho
law, to crush that spirit which, il not over
thrown and desir yed, may proceed in its career
nd overturn the government" AS il the Com
stitution that Washington, and Franklin, and
Hamilton had made, aud the great majority oI
the people had deliberately approved, and were
as deliberately upho'dirg, could not euduro
unless it should be underwrittea by the execu.
tioner, and endorsed by Death! PICKERING and
Wolcotl were good men, and we hold their mem.
oTies in high regard but they fell into Tho toc
common error Of supposug that the shedding
Of civil blood was necessary to the eompIetion
Of our political edihce. Mr. Adams whose heat
was almost always right, and whose head was
not ttten wrong, took a more reason
able, amore humane, and more Christian like
view of what was the duty of an American
Statesman occupying the first place in Ane,Ics,
lie pardoned all the offenders In SO doi,g
ho enraged all the inhumonity, all the idiorv
and all the ianatcism of the party Of which he
was the nominal head; but he did that which
was more useful TO his country than anv otbsr
act Of his life useful as most Of his daeds uere
TO the country, and great in themselves and
in their effects. William the Third bas besn
Justly praised Tor passing that Act Of Grace
which put stop to those political procriplicr /
that had so long made England a slaughter
house What he did for England Mr. Adams
did for America; for if the President had leh
Fries and his companions TO die, there would
have been inauguIated here the system of nos
l'ical buiehery, and parties, instead of usipp
that metapho:lcal guillotine which merely euts
off he salaries of Office holders, would have set
dp the gallows. Men would have been con
demned ON the most frivolous pretepees and
our party qUarrels would have been as bloodv IL
their deeds as now they are bitter in words
II is due to Mr.. Adams's memory 60 saw.
that he has get an example for good which
has had most noble efIrct, and saved
us from disgrace, as well as fom suflar
ing Government has never been called mn.
on to put men TO death for treason, Twice
only in this century has il been apparspt that
there was much serious disaflectitn in certain
quarters, which might have l. ade executions
iortreason neccesafy but on both occasions. II
was sufficient for the energetic men at the head
i OF the government 10 announce that the law
should take lie course, TO prevent the disunion-
lists proceeding TO overt acts President JACK
sons words stihed the deeds Of the puili6ers.
/ and so saved the disagreeable necessity of sti.
1 fling the nulhiers themselves through the sa.
sistance of Mr.. Suspercol. When one of the
Il most eminent OF N0rihsra men waited on Pres.
4 ident Taylor, and ondeavored TO persuade him
To abandon has programme for the settlement
n OF tue slavery question, or otherwise the seces,
II 81 nisls in name would become secessionists in
fact, he was told, in ss polite terms as so uD--
pleasing fact could I've announced by man
I who was as humane as he was brave, that the
hemp which should hang all such seceesioniRts
n hs should rtpen and rot into traitors was ,'sowu
and grown, and hacked, and twisted md bis
words suflictd TO restrain their intense ardor In
the cause Of disuhion
/ H---vs-ee