The weekly Anglo-African. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1859-1861, 1860-06-23

those merchants known as "agents" has
pocketed in commissions alone on slayers
fitted out at this port, within four months,
the snug sum of $4,000.
The above are but few of the nn-
merous instances occurring daily in New
York alone. The government and gov
eminent officials, we are told, are made
blind to the whole of these matters by
reason of certain portion of the goodly
proceeds. And why not Are they not
men, and have they not characters and
aristocratic families to maintain with be-
coming dignity, which the beggarly pit
lance accruing from Office fails to doi
Then, again, are these officials to hold Of
fee merely, and not be allowed to pick up
few outside crumbs of this sort, and
the private gentleman, unhampered with
the shackles of office, to pocket all the
cash accruing in this lucrative traficI
Talk of government and laws |! These,
then, would be ridicule, truly. Ashrewd
lawyer once said that he could drive a
coach and four through any law ever yet
made in America. Laws in America are
made to drive coaches and tours through
at any time, or a ship, or feet of ships,
either, when necessary. The voice of the
people interested in any matter, having
coupled with that interest power, is the
law; and if the people are pirates the law
will be the law of pirates nothing else,
no matter what may be any other forms,
shadows, or scarecrows of law that may
hang over the common community.
One suggestion, however, we will ven
ture upon, and that is that the government
abrogote forthwith the law declaring the
slave trade piracy, and let the trade be
free and unrestricted. Then the national
conscience might be at ease, the merchant
free from annoyance, the planters broad
domains well stocked with fresh hands
hands obedient and workable; and the
church might then come forth from her
passive attitude on this question, and lay
its imposing hands upon it and bless it, and
bid the work God speed. Yea, more-it
might then send a missionary out ON eve
ry ship-a genuine Southern preacher
to commence the work of Christianization
on their very native shores of Africa before
they set sail for our shores, and so continue
their labors all the way across the ocean.
What an amount of American piety might
be disseminated in this way, and what a
vast number of benighted heathens would
be blessed by the whole process !!
Let the present administration-let the
government officials in New York and else
where-let the Democratic party, lit may
give them all new lease of powerO take
our suggestion, and persuade the country,
if possible, to act upon it; and this new
branch of commerce will bring millions of
dollars into the American Golfers where it
now brings thousands, and employ hum
dreds of ships where it now employs only
dozens, and men in abundance. The
Johnsons alias Hicks, the Jackaloos, and
the pirates generally, would then have no
need to enlist on board of little oyster crafts
and knock white men on the head for few
dollars, and get swung off on Bedloe's Is
land for their pains. They would, in the
enlargementoft this new service, find enough
for their itching fingers, and have the priv
ilege now and then of knocking halfdead
negro on the head instead of dear white
brother, which would be great relief to
the law, to the government, and to the
piety of the land, while their own appetite
for blood would be satiated, and they can.
onized as respectable and sanity men
All is in name Let the government and
the church make the commerce respectable
and who is he that will make it other
wise