Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1862-01-06

severance and tact, 10 complheu e4Veht
that few other branches OF business require.
Au these Mr.. Clark has possessed and en-
ployed, as our readers can testify, and be
leaves rs with not only the hearty good
wishes, but the sincere respect ofall connect
Cd Eilh the LEADER Office. For ourselves,
We part with him with reluctance, our social |
ana business intercourse having been one Of
uualloysa pleasure. The latcb-string of the
ssne.un win always be out at bis coming, |
and the softsst of our Oak-bOttOmed chairs
placed at bis disposal.
JOha Ball bofore the Rebellion, and Bully
Johu nfrer the Rebellion,
To show the cowardice and Inconsistency
Of England in the matter Of the alledged
aoutrsgs committed on her Gag" by the seiz.
ure Of Mason and Slidell, for which she was
mastering up courage to attack US in our
temporarily weak condition, we viii state
littls fsct Fhich is matter of history.
For a number Of years back, the States Of
South Carolina and Louisiana have had
law on their statute books requiring that the
cOlOred seaman on every vessel, both foreign
and domestic, coming into any port in those
States, shall be taken and imprisOned>until
their vessel sails, when they are to be re-
leased. But before these unfortunate blacks
are given up the captain of the vessel to
which they belong is required to pay their
jail fees. If the jail fees are net paid, then
the poor victims Of this hsllish law are sold
into perpetual slavery, the proceeds of their
sales, after paying the Jail fees, to be paid
into the State Treasury.
Under this law British colored seamen
were atsken from under the protection OF the
British flag" and thrust into foreign dun
Reon, for no other crime than tina. their skin
vas black, or in many cases only shade
darker than that of their white oppressors.
In ls45, or thereabOuts, when Mr.. Bu-
chauan was Secretary Of State under Presi-
dent Polk, the British Government entered
into q correspondence VIII our dUv1rHmoHtr
demanding that the British cOlOred seamen
should not come under the operation of this
law, complaining that it was in violation of
certain treaty then in force. Mr.. Buchan-
al replied, saying that the law in question
was municipal ia its character, Of local
nzturs, and owing to the peculiar formation
Of our Government, it had no control over
the local laws Of the different States; and
that If the statutes Of South Carolina and
L5uieiana were violating the treaty spoken
Of, there was no way OF settling the matter
except BY the United States Government
avsiling itself of q provision in the treaty
giving each party the right to abrogate it
whenever it pleased. ThereupOn the British
Government let the matter drop.
In this case there was clear violation of
the ssnctity Of the British hsg-for British
sssmen were imprisoned in the black holes
Of Charleston and New Orleans, and tor
suRht We know, sold into perpetual slavery
to psy their jail fees. Yet we never heard q
single rosr from the British lion-not even q
slight fqueal. The English people did not
90 on the Hrsmpsge" and demand satisGc-
ton for the insult to their aag-a real bona
Jsds insult, which ninety-nine out of hun
dsed Of the people OF the North will ac-
knowledge to be such. If the taking Of
Mason and slidelI-Who are not British sub
jecb-is an insult to the English which can
only be wiped out BY demanding their resti-
tuition or q resort to war, how insuldng then
must it be to take hundreds of British Sea-
men from British vessels and imprison
theml
The reason why the English pocketed this
afront Is simply because the United States
did not then have on its hands this most
gigantic rebellion the world ever saw-be-
cause she was then united and strong, and
John Bull did not dare to attack her, unless,
as usual, he could get some other power to
help him, which he could not then do. But
now, after the aTcb-traitor Floyd, while Sec.
retary Of War, had succeeded in disarming
the North by transporting to the South near
" aIl the Available arms-aiter he had sold
for old iron those which he could not trans
port South-after our navy was almost dis
msnfed By similar treason, and after some
O.OOO to 500 900 rebels had taken the field
tooTerturn our Government then, and nj
aH-t5ez England commenced making the
most extensive preparations that ever were
made perhaps Ia her history, for the PurpOs'
Of commencing hostility against this coun'
try, merely upon the preteIt that we had
insultsd her flag BY taking four American
rebels out of one of her steamers.
Thus have the English shown themselves
to be entirely devoid Of any Of the attributes
Of chivRlrOus disposition. They have
shown themselves to be a nation of coward
" bulies, willing to pocket afro1ts from {
strong power, and only brave when they car
form alliances with other powers to assis
them, or when they are only opposed by
weak people like the Chinese and sepOys, ol
q nation temporarily weakened By great
rebellion, as Is ours.
Several articles are crowded out Of this
H. H. --,,.,1