The register. (Monroe, La.) 185?-1861, 1860-07-05

From Presbyterian IN. 81 Witness.
Crime and Corruption i'm North
4 ern Society. -
Mr.. Sumner, of Massachusetts,, recently mad
speech in the United States Senate, full q
invective against the Southern character, mo,
ale and society, describing slavery - system
2 bsstafism, and the people among whom i
exists as barbarians he has CLEANED from tn
newspapers in the South accounts Of crime an,
notices Of the moral state Of the community ii
different localities, and presented these thing
a. proofs Of social condition that he term
harbarous, and far below the standard existin,
at the North.-But, about the same time b
delivered bis speech, the Independent Of New
York, an adent Republican and abolitio,
Journal, came ont with the following editorial
Obviously having reference to the developments
Of corruption and prevalence Of crime at th.
North. What picture, and what horrii
condition Of society in that portion Of tht
Union! The North haa no ground of compla
csney. In view4ofa comparison between her
ali and the South. 81. ,-
The Independent says: ..-.-5. .. r
1 u was we'll remarked by one of the sneaker,
Ct ne recent anniversary meetings in this city
mat the present tines bid fair to be distin.
guished, in this couflfy at least, not especially
as period of art, Of liberty, Of humanity. Of
general comfort or general culture but pre.em-
inently % period Of CRIME. The progress and
the prevalence Of even the grossest forms of
wickedness, in different places, and among d.
verse classes, are facts frightul to observe. and
more frightfnl to wonder. Every newspaper Il
laden with the records of SUCH Dishonesty
righteousness, violence, murder, they do not
meet US az exceptional instances; they make
tne staple OF the news of the day; they load
and darken the columns of all Journals: I'm
one trembles almost to take I'M the morning
paper, is afraid to have it read in the family.
and lays it down with the sense Of heart-sick..
ness, saddening impression of the Ineffective
ness Of our means Of public, moral and religions
instruction, keen apprehension of what Il to
be expected in the future.
It's not the rich and luxurious, alone. amonr
whom such evidences Of viciousiess abound
~ Is not tnose who are av0wedly worldly and
goddess III their life. Mechanics, merchants
farmers, teachers, physicians, lawyers minis.
tiers Of the Gospel, men in high social rank and
in political influence women as we'll A men .r,.
the young not only but the aged, in well-pigl'
equal measure, the refined and cultivated as
well as the coarse,-all seem to be suit with
the foul contagi0n, and suddenly to break ont
with the vile and hateful leprosy Of sin, Not
crimes of dishonesty alone are common hut
the murder Of wives, Of husbands, of children
OF the most confding and affectionate friends
q horrible usefulness, the most fragrant and
fendish violations of faith.-all seem an COM
mon as the blossoming of trees, and are COM
ing to be spoken of as Familiarity and frequent
ly, and with nearly as little apparent concern.
as are the most ordinary and trivial facts.
GROWING DEGENERACY AT THE NORTH
The Independent represents that the progress
downward has been rapid for the last twenty
years. The more the North has vilifed the
South and glorifed hcrsclf the worse she has
become.
No one, we think, can feel that in this dos.
criptive outline the case is at ali oyerstated
that any slightest exaggeration of the truth il
either intended or allowed. The same impress.
sion must be made upon all whose ewes and
ears are measurably open to what il nublicjv
passing around them, and who contrast this
present state of things, not against some ideal
plan Of the social state, some fancy Of their
own "a to what might be, but what never has
been, or even against the comparative pureness
Of the manners Of our Fathers, but against the
actual state Of society as it was in this country
only twenty or thirty years ago. That vns
not Arcadian, but it looks almost 30 in com
parison Of the present. It certainly is true
that excuses Of crime are vastly more common
now than then, and that what would then have
shocked community so deeply and indeIiblv
as to be remembered and recounted for years
Is now forgotten, beneath the impression Of
that which follows it, in few days or weeks.
"A sense OF unsateness begins to prevail through
out many circles. A sudden death can hardly
anywhere occur without exciting the suspicion
Of foul means. Elopements and domes,ic inf. |
dclltles are 80 common as hardly to dkcite apy
remark, unless perhaps q ribald lest. And M |
sense of arangcness is awakened in the public |
mind by the story of even parricide or q wife
murder.
ALL THIS, TOO, UNDER FREEDOM.
Summers great flourish was made about the
of freedom to slavery, but the Lnde-
pendent examines the subject precisely in this
aspect, and shows the fallacy of ascribiug to
freedom the elevating and purifying influence
which such men as Sumner claim for it.
1t is one of the widespread errors of our ilav
most disastrous and most dangerous
'o"o't su"s OAI AAoututlOub OF freedom. with
m outrunning commerce, copious prosperity,
general Fused intellectual cultivation, the
'ccomn 9t of great outward and material
works. - ade circulation of religious in
these have essentially elevated
mans nature, and made 1t less sensual and
gross than it-was.
1t is the custom Of abolitionists to ascribe
'very crime committed in the SoAth to slavery,
which is mark Of imbecility no less than Of
'rejudice. A few years ago when DR.. Hamil-
on, of Mobile, fell, religious Journal in Hart.
ord, said 1t was owing to the influence of sla-
'ery.-But of late DR.. Pomroy fell in Boston, g
ew years ago Bishop Onderdonk in New York,
7hile less prominent cases of seduction and
dultery at the North are 80 common as scarce
, to excite remark.-The truth is, as gentle
aan remarked to us few days ago, that in
aspect to crimes Of this sort, there is no doubt
hot slavery exerta highly conservative in.
uencc. -
A Barking Dog.
Parson Brownlow saw John sldell, and paws