Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1860-04-20
The Strides Of Tyranny.


The Strides Of Tyranny.
In the time of the Spanish Inquisition, one
of the denominations of that terrible engine Of
oppression and instrument Of hell was its
practice of bouncing upon its victims unawares
in the darkness of the night, or in the solitary
walk, when no friendly eye or arm was near
to watch or protect. In the quiet, holy hour
of sleep, when the accused was breathing the
heavy air of night, unconscious and far with.
drawn into the mysterious realm of dreams,
the cold hand of the ghostly inquisitor was
laid upon his throat, and, half awake, he was
borne away in the clutches of human devils
to the underground cell and the rack, there to
face no accuser nor answer any indictment,
but to be questioned as to matters Of his own
life and liberty, upon mere suspicion. TWAS
this species of tyranny, among other horrors
perpetrated by the Inquisition, which curdled
the blood in mems veins, and drew down on
that system of iniquity the curses of the
whole civilized world.
We have lived in our day to see the terrors
Of the Inqusition revived in the practice OF
government which processes to be free-the
republican government of the American
people. The other day, the people of Iowa
were insulted, humanity outraged, and
decency put to the blush, by the mission Of
All abandoned libertine, gambler and rake, of
the lowest description, accredited with q
commission from the Governor Of Virginia,
under the seal of that man stealing, man
breeding, man. trading State, with requisition
for one of our citizens, ISSUED UPON
crime made against him in any court, or
syllable of evidence tending to criminate him.
And, to show the depths of degradation to
which foul and corrupt principles can sink
persons bearing the form of men, there were
not wanting one or two doughfaces, disciples
Of the democratic pro-slavery creed in our
midst, who could harbor this low minion of
despotism, and seek to curry political favor
by combining and conspiring with this
contemplate wretch against the life and
liberty of free born citizen of the free State
of Iowa. Thank Heaven there are but few
such specimens of humanity on the soil of
Iowa, and they were transplanted from a
distant climate; and even they now hang their
heads with shame at the mention Of Camp.
But still, viler and more villainous outrage
than the attempted kidnapping of young
Coppock was perpetrated, the other day,
upon the soil of Massachusetts,, in the
hallowed precincts of old revolutionary
Concord. A certain Mr.. Sanborn is suspected
by the Senate Committee of being in cores
pondence with the John Brown revolutionists.
Upon the strength of this suspicion, the
Senate Committee summoned him as witness.
He, in comgon with many others, denied the
power of the Senate Committee, or any other
legislative committee, to constitute itself
grand Court Of Inquisiton, second Star
Chamber, for the trial Of political offenses,
and stretch its arms into every corner Of the
Ind, dragging American citizens from their
Zones, to be questioned and to answer on
matters of life or death, or, ON refusal to
answer, to be INCARCERATED FOR LIFE, AT THE
ABSOLUTE DISPOSAL OF a HOSTILE POLITICAL
EaDy. Such al enormous stretch Of despotc
prerogatiye has its parallel in this age of the
world only in the semi barbaric despotism of
Morocco.
What does the Senatorial Star Chamber do
next, upon Mr. Sanborns refusal to appear !?
Issue their warrant Of arrest openly, and in
broad daylight send, like court of justice,
their legally authorized officer, boldly and in
sight of all, to arrest him? No! Why not?
There are courts Of justice in Massachusetts,,
and Concord people are enough like the old
stock, whose names they inherit, to see tia
no citizen of theirs is dragged away under
violent constraint, unless there is good,
solid, legal reason why. And the Committee
knew we'll enough that no warrant from the
Senatorial Sergeant, at Arms would stand the
test of any upright court of law. So what do
they doY Why, by stealth, and at night,
armed with decoy letter and concealed
aceapons, under assumed names, a band of
ruffians, headed by the U. S. Marshal, present
themselves at his door, and, when he appears,
seize HIM, handcuff him, and drag him into
the middle of the street, in his stocking feet,
and force him into close carriage, and in
twenty. four hours would have lodged in the
dungeon of a slave State man charged with
no offense known to the laws, and without
any legal process whatever, had not the
freedom loving sons of revolutionary Concord
been reused from their beds in time, and
detained the kidnappers until writ of ha6eas
corpus restored the kidnapped man to his
rights and his freedom as an American citizen.
Thus did the Concord people vindicate
liberty in the person Of their townsman. And
every Freelaan says Amen, SO mote it be
ANEW L1EurENANT-GovERNoR.-Wel learn
e,on the Fairfield Ledger that Mr. Rusch, in
.,,o,t;no the Emigrant Commissionership,