The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1860-01-19

which our citizens suffer within the Republic OF
Mexico.
How is it, sir, at the present time, do-day, IN
all the States Of this Union that are denomi-
mated slaveholding States in regard TO the safety
of the lives, the liberties, or the property o.
men, citizens of the United States, who differ
from those communities on the subject of AfriS
can Slavery? Is the life, liberty, or property
Of an American citizen within the slavehoIding
States ofthis Confederacy to-day who entertains
opinions obnoxious to those communities on
the subject of Slavery, any more safe than the
life liberty, or property OF our citizens withgs
the Republic of Mexico? Open any newspaper
which comes to us, and it tells us the contrary
The cases are not isolated where American
citizens suffer here equally great wrongs with
those specified by the President as being suf
fered in Mexico. These cases are too familiar
to be specified. / will allude to a very few
A man by the name of Alberton, belonging,
with his family In the State of Connecticut not
a native citizen Of the State, or of the Urited
States, but an Englishman, believe, by birth,
clergyman by profession, man Of peace and
of good character, as ! am informed, WIZ In
one of the Southern States of this ConfedsRecy,
engaged in lawful business,the sale of :,esks,
not disturbing the society in which he nfofed,i
not having expressed, so far as l know, any
he was then temporarily residing, and was ar,
rested on suspicion Of being concerned in some
abolition movement, and thrown into Efi on.
he was confined until information con4d be
sent to his friends at home, and such repre3e tia,
tons were made to the people who held h,I I'M
confinement, as to his character, that h gas
not a man to disturb the public peace or ~ JIG
. law anywhere, under any circumstances. Esd
there being no evidence whatever againssf ar1i
that he had doneto or intended to do soy IN u
ply suspicion, and, as | believe, an un-slg1
groundless suspicion, he was released. sut
the consequences of his Imprisonment and 81 2.
fears he entertained of his life or personal &c
lence, had unsettled his mind, so that when-sis-
charged he was insane. He was put, howe r..
on one of the public conyeyanees, and cam, n;
to the North and between the city of -
Haven and the city of Hartford, being ~ |
have stated, deranged, he jumped from the cass
while in molten, broke one of his limbs iniur,d
himself very severely, and is now in very. f5-
lOrn condition, with his wife and children :,
the valley of the Connecticut. ;
That is one case. Another case which
noticed within a short time was that of natu,
allied citizen also, by the name of Powers, nj !
from my State, but from the State of PennsF
vania, an Irishman by birth, but naturalae
and entitled, therefore, to all the privileges of
Democrat, and voted, as l understand, for o1S-
Of the honorable members Of the other House
In the State of South Carolina, he was en-
ployed at the capital of the State as laboring
man, a mason. In conversation, not In the
hearing of slaves, or even black men of any
description, slave or Free but in conversation
with some of his associates, workmen also. IR
expressed some opinions in regard to the in.
stitution of Slavery that were not deemed ortho,.
dox, and he was put in prison, and kept somez
days, then taken out and stripped, whipped
thirty-nine lashes or thereabouts very severely,s
upon his naked body; a bucket of tar was
poured over him, and feathers applied; pair
of pantaloons was then given him. and be was
allowed to ride in the cars to Charleston from
thence after being kept in jail a short time,s
and allowed the attendance OF a surgeon to ex--
anime and dress his wounds, he was permitted
to 90 North to the city of New York
These are but two out OF, as l believe, very.
many cases, where personal outrages, eaua-
certainly to any spoken of by the President, as
suffered by citizens of the United States in:
Mexico, are suffered by citizens of the United
States, within our own territory here at home .
Very many cases, however, where no direct.
personal violence has been suffered have oc-.
CURED within these same States, where flagrant-
wrong has been perpetrated upon citizens OF.
even no pretence that the individuals who
were subjected to this treatment had any other
than correct opinions on the subject of Slavery.
One instance which / have noticed was the
case OF an individual by the name of Green
wood, who was residing and doing business in
the State of Alabama, merchant. He had
been there many years was, perhaps Origi-
nally a Northern man | am not certain of
that; believe he was; at all events, he had
married a Northern woman, and came North
III the summer. During the past summer,
some of his children attended public school,
and very excellent school it was, as | know.
for it was in my own town, where a few blacl,
children also attended; and on his return to
his home in Alabama, the fact somehow came
out that his children had attended a school, for
time, while absent, where black children at
tended, and he was notified that he must leave
that locality forthwith man, as / have
stated, many years there in business, as / be-
| lieve, and, AS / also believe not even an Anti
! Slavery man but he had committed the of
! fence Of allowing his children to attend a
| school where colored children also ATTENDED.
| Under these circumstances, he was required to-
! abandon his place and business, break up his
relations, and 90 North, at the peril of his life
! or gross personal indignity.
| ] will not add to these cases. They might
=
| that it may be said that this treatment is good
! enough for AbOlitionists-gOod enough for
men who are not orthodox on the subject of
| Slavery | am of quite another opinion, and
| think 1t better that any man who has violated
! the law should be punished according TO law
! In some portions of the slaveholdng States, it
seems to be an established doctrine, that per
sons of either sex, male or female, who come
from the North, but who are residing within
! their limits shall leave because they are from
| the North, or at all events shall be deprived Of
| all means of subsistence while they remain
which amounts, really, to the old Roman mode
of Punishment, depriying persons of the use of
fire and water until they left the city, Such
has been the manner in which even females
have been treated in some of the slaveholding
States, against whom no charge was made that
they had said or done anything exceptionable,
even according to the standard of right and
wrong where they were residing. In the State
! of Virginia, where two young women were the
| applicants for place as instructresses Of a
school, they received this answer:
the board of trustees met yesterday and passed upon
the various applications, among the deeply
greet to say that although your recommendations were
gehcr the most favorable, your proposal Immediately
rejected the fact became that You were
both from the North The feeling strong and the fool
h excitement has high the subject OF Northern
people, that the community here almost blind aud il
they continue in their present policy, they will lay them
selves open TO severe criticism, if not 70 censure."
These are specimens only, Mr. President, of
the manner in which citizens of the United
States are treated here within the limits of the
old thirteen States. Does the present seem to
: be proper time for our Government to take
upon itself the business of reforming the evils
and abuses which may exist elsewhere?
4 1t is not alone because of the lawless pro-
ceedings within the slaveholding States that /