New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1862-02-21
r,,p pxHCUTIoN OF GORDON.

Today Nathaniel Gordon will be hanged LOT
a crime which has long gone almost unPun'
lshed, Though q crime ever hldeou'. Inc
ordinary sea.sconndre, the common bucca'
neer. in the pamy days of the probes
sion might murder; but be murdered COM
oorstively few; and be did it, too, in an age
not accustomed to nice moral distinctions, and
at a period when perpetual wars crlm'oned
every sea- and governments winked NJ private
hostillties which they did not care to sanction
by public declarations. But the Slaye.Trader
now sins not merely against the law, but
against the light of the age. lie engages IN
profession which the whole civilization OF the
world has declared to be unusually cruel, and
therefore unusually infamous--a profession
winch common felons would shrink irom-a
profession which has been well considered IN
all Congresses and Paraments. and which, by
the solemn treaties of oil Christian Powers, has
been outlawed under the last penalty. lie IL
prompted by no noble passion, as other crlIni-
nails might be, but only by bare love OF lucre;
and wheD he goes upon his neiarious adventure,
he not merely takes bis life in his hand, ho not
merely defies the world, but he filings far from
him au those human charities which make life
tolerable. If be sbrDbs not from this terrible
trade, from what would he shrink We have
sounded the depths Of its horrors; its almost nnu-
merabe crnellies are cataogued in Legislative
records and in the commonest yolumes-ln
school.books which every boy reads, IN poems
which all the world knows by heart in the
protests of all pulpits and in the simplest man
uns of morals. SayetradiDg is the one crime
never defended aud noser extonuated. 1t is
the most deliberate Of ofenses against the law.
To engage in it requires long and careful prep
aratlop, much commercial skill and much pro-
tes,ional ability. There must be the careful and
elaborate outfit, the long voyage, the dreadful
regulations upon the African coast, the strange
" tortuous ladlug of the human cargo, and
be desperate aud watchiul fight to the ac-
cursed market. Custom, doubtless, brings a
familiarity with liz horrors; but by what a
process must that familiarity be- obtained
! Hundreds &C times conscience must have It's
ocrortunlties aud hundreds Of tunes mu-t i
be .avneey repul.ed We suspect that It has
been tie kindly unwi'liugness of those in au'
tbor,ty To believe in the horrors Of this trade
and The depth OF its iu'quiiy. which has gwen
Ii heretofore Il kud OF impunity. Amiablr
Jurors. seeing d hsuduome, wcldressed nauti-
col gentleman in the dock. refused to credit
descriptions, inadequate at the strongest, OF
the dendish crueliics Of the middle passage,
end awe the man-thlei before them the benefit
of their gent doubts. IL setmed hard, III
deed, to hang au enterprisi1g person for hauling
a mere cargo Of negroes rom Africa, when =,
many pious Christian folk were holding myr'
lads upon myriads OF negroes IN SLAYER! al
hume. Tie scphistry may be sweet, but
lt Is still sophIs,ry. because, indeitnriolt
las Slayc.holing is, in the very measure
Of it, crime over and over again nult'
] piled, is slaye-trading indeensble because
II, is a gratuitous complication Of what ID al
ready 20 complicated IA to destroy the peace
of nations; because it 10 a volunteer contribu
ton 10 pestilent troubles which all the work.
ia i1terested in abating; and because it seeks in
definitely to postpone the day Of eniranchisement
by making domestic Slavery too strong Tor The
wv.ds humanity and too tempting to be- re
sisted by the worlds cnpidity. a CONCESSION
10 Slavery ia. in It's nature. limited by som,
. hope. at a day, however distant, Of its abol
ton: but O concession to Slave trading is au
implied ncquie.cencc in the eternity of thu
! form Of human bondage.
CONSIDERATIONS like these may seem too oh
vious or too commonplace to require rehearsal;
but our apology for their presentation must b,
the immunity which this crime Of Slave
traciDg has so long enjoyed. and the famih ar
~ which il has acquired IN the public mind
10 the hardening VI tue pubic conscience.
Heretofore, when at rare intervals, an adycL
trer WAS convicted OF this crime, he pad
little fine and ne suffered q snort imprisonment
and then returned to his unballowed traffic
He passed year ia idleness; at the expense
Of The Government, le ate we'll aud he lodg,C
well; and lao counted hls profits complacentiy
at the end If hs purgatI,n. Matters ar,
changed now; and Capt. Gordon will not b,
the last to suffer should his crime, in spit,
Of bis example, be- repeated and detected.
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PROBLEMS.
| /. How not to do discerning TO resist the