Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1860-07-03

1 Tt- I
life which almost dul(V occurs within the jurlsdio
tion Of the Commonwealth. Hen tlai,ghief each
0heT i0iiA dlHl0't pergeu. tapaniig, A species Of
common law has grown Mp ir Kentucky, which,
were Il written down. would, IN al civilized
he land Of blood"
ter Governor Of Kentucky, And here Is the Of
hoial confession made the same year by the Slave
master Governor of Alabama
We bear Of homieides IN different parts ofthe
state continually, and yet have few convictions,
and still Fewer executions Why do We hear Of
1abolHgl and shoobgs almost daily In some part or
other Of our Statep
A land Of blood SmbbluEs and shOotings al
most daily Such Is the ofheial Language. i
was natural that contemporary neWHpa pdrs should
repeat what thus found utterance In high places
Here Is confession BY newspaper In Aississ-
The moral atmosphere IN our State appears to
be In doltorOts afd sdR9iilary condition. Almost
every exchange paper which reaches US, contains
some tnhuldH AID rtoliiHg Case Of murder death By
violence -Grdnd GUlf Advertiser, 2Ih June, 1887.
Here e another confession by q newspaper In
New Orleans
'In view Of the crimes which are daily com
mitted, we arr led 70 lnqnire whether II Is owing
70 the lneiiiciency Of our laws, or 10 the manner
In which these laws are administered, Adt this
JTtghph dslhge qf human blood GO1og Through oar
streas dad our places Of public resort rtNes0 Orleans
Bee, 29d Nay, 1888.
And here Is testimony Of n different character:
mo one who has not been an integral part qf
denominations. II Is a whited sepulchre, full Of
dead mems bonos and all uncleanliness.p
These are the words of Southern lady, the
daughter Of the accomplished Judge GFimke Of
A catalogue Of affrays between politicians
commonly known as street fghts"-I use the
phrase as II comes from the land Of Slavery
would show that these authorities were not mis-
taken That famous Dutch picture, known par
ticularly BY successful engraving, and called
the KnVe fgh, presents scene less revolving than
nf nr rraarn "a he
teeth, meet in the streets at court house or a
tavern, shoot at each other with Tevolvers then
cash at each other with knives, Close and roll up
ON the ground, covered with dirt and blood
struggling and stabbing till death, prostitution
or surrender, puts an end to the conflict. Each
instance tells shameful story, and cries out
against the social system which can tolerate such
barbarism. A catalogue of dnels in our country
would testify again TO the reckless disregard Of
life where slavery eXists, and would exhibit Vic
lence haunting in the garb Of fHonor, and prating
Of barbarous code disoWned equally by reason
and religion. But you have already supped too
full of horrors, and hasten on.
Pardon me If stop for one moment 10 exhibit
and denOunce the duel. do Il only because Il
belongs to the brood of slavery. An enlightened
civilization has long ago rejected this relic of
Barbarism, and never has one part OF the argu-
ment against II been put more sententiousy, taan
by Franklin. " A duel decides nothing said
this patriot philosopher, q and the person appeal
Ing 70 itmRkes himself judge In his own cause
condems the offender without jury, and under
II
emphatic words | would add two brief PROPOSE |
tions, which, u practically adopted, make the |
duel impossible: First, that the acknowledge |
ment Of wrong with apology or explanation can
never be otherwise than honorable and second /
ly, that In the absence of all such acknowledge
ment, no wrong can ever be repaired by gladia- /
torial contest where brute force, or skill, or
chance must decide the day. Iron and adamRnt /
are not stronger than these Arguments nor can /.
any one attempt an answer without exposing /
nus iee9leness And yet SlaEe-masteFs disregard 4
ing its irrational character-insensiblet TO It's folly
-heedless of its impiety-and unconscious of lis /
Barbarism, openly adopt the duel as a regulator |
Of manners and conduct Two voices from South /
Carolina have been raised against it. and mem
tion them with gladness as testimony even in that
land OF slavery The first was Charles Cotes
worth Pinckney, who, in the early dnys of the
Republic openly declared his 81 adherence Of
the practice, and invoked the clergy of his State
as particular favor at some convenient and
early day to preach sermon on the sin and folly
of duelling" The other was Mr. Rhett who ON
this floor openly declared as his reason for declin
ing the duel, " that he feared God more than
man." Generous words, for which many errors
can be pardOned But these voices condemn the
social system Of which the duel is natural pro-
duct
Looking now at the bread surface Of society
where slavery eXints, shall find its spirit act
lively manifest in the suppression of all freedom
OF speech OF OF the press, especially with regard
to this wrong. Nobody in the slave States can
speak or print against slavery, except st the peril
of life or liberty. St. Paul could call upon the
BcOFle " <AAtlGlls 70 give uD the WOrsllD OIL
known gods; he could live in his own hired house
at Rome, and preach Christianity in this Heathen
metropolis but no man can be heard against
slavery in Charleston or Mobile. We condemn
the Inquisition, which subjects all within is in
huence TO censorship and secret Judgment but
this tyranny is repeated in American slave-mas-
ters. Truths as simple as the great discovery of
Calico are openly denied, and all who declare
them arc driven TO Tecamt We condemn the In
deX EXpurgatOrlus of the Roman Church but
American slave masters have an Index on which
is inscribed all the generous books of the age
There Is one book, the marvel of recent litera-
ture. Uncle Toms Cabin, which has been thus
treated both By the church and by the slave-mas.
tefs, so that it Is hOnored by the same supDres.
sion at the Vatican and at Charleston
Not TO dwell on these instances there Is one
which has most Instructive ridiculousness. A
beautiful discourse of the late Dr. Claiming on
West India aEmmancipatiOn-the last effort Of his
beautiful eaTeer-was offered for sale BY a book
agent at Charleston. A prosecution by the South
Carolina Association ensued, and the agent was
held TO bail in the sum of one thousand dollars
Shortly afterwards, the same agent received for
sale work by Dickens, freshly published Anne
rican Notes - but, determined not to expose him
self again 10 the tyrannical InQuisitiOn he gave
notice through the newspapers that the book
would be "submltted TO highly intelligent mem
bers CT the South Carolina Association for inspec
ton, and if the sale Is approved by them, it will
be for sale-if not, not
Listen also TO another recent instance, as re-
counted in the Montgomery Mail a newspaper
of Alabama
number of copies of Spurgeon's Sermons and the /
pile was graced at the top with COPY of Graves
Great Iron Wheel , which Baptist friend pre-
sented for the purpose We trust that the works
Of the greasy, cockney vOciferatOr may receive
the same treatment throughout the South And ]
II the Pharasaical author should ever show him
self in these parts we trust that stout cord may
speedily lind its way around his eloquent throat |
He has proved himself dirty, lOW-bred slander- !
er, and ought TO be treated accordingly"
And very recently we have read in the journals |
that the trustees ofa college in Alabama have re-
solved that DR.. Wayland's admirable work on |
Moral Science contained abolition doctrines of
the deepest dye . and they proceed to denOuuce
~the said book and forbid Its further use in the
Institute"
And this ia natural for tyranny IS condemned
70 be consequent with itself Proclaim slavery to
be permanent institution, Instead of tempOrs /
~ barbarism, soon to pass away and then, blythe /
unhesitatng logic of fselfpreservation, All things
must yield TO its support. The safety of slavery
becomes the supreme law. And since slavery Is |
endangered by liberty in any form, therefore all
liberty must be restrained. Such is the phiOsO |
ply of this seeming paradox in Republic. And /
our slave masters show themselves apt in this I
work. Violence and brutality are their ready IN
struments, quickened always by the wakefuiness /
ofsuspiciOn, and perhaps often by the restless |
ness Of uneasy conscience. Everywhere in the /
slave States thel Lions Mouth of Venice, where |
citizens were anonymously denounced, Is open /
nor are the gloomy prisons and the Bridge Of |
Sighs wanting.
This spirit has recently shown itself with such
been properly termed reign of terror. North |
ern men, unless they happen to be delegates to /
Democratic Convention, are exposed in their I
travels whether of business or health TO the Op-
Grafton Of this system They are watched and !
dOgged, as If in land of despotism; they are /
treated with the meanness of disgusting tyran-
ny, and live in peril always of personal indigni
~, and often Of life and limb. Complaint has |
sometimes been made of the wrongs to American |
citizens in Mexico; but during the last year more
outTages on American citizens have been perpe
trated in the slave States than in Mexico. Here,
again, / have no time for details which have
been already presented in other quarters But
the instances are from all conditions of life In
Missouri, Methodist clergyman, suspected of
being an AbOlitOnist, was taken to prison amidst
threats of tar and feathers. In Arkansas, |
schoolmaster was driven from the State. In
Kentucky plain citizen from Indiana, on a vis-
it to his friends, was threatened with death by
the rope In Alabama, simple person from
Connecticut ,peddling books was thrust into pFis
on, amidst cries of sSh0Ot him hang him pa In
Virginia, a Shaker fFOmEew York, peddfing gar
den seeds; was foFeibly expelled from the State
In Georgia, merchants clerk, Irishman by
birth, who simply asked the settlement Of jast |
debt, was cast into prison, robbed Of his pocket
book containing nearly SlO0 and barely escaped