The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1867-02-15

the HDeraf SIue
A distinguished democratic politician of this
city told me to-day, that when he was a mem
Der OF the Legislature years ago, the late Judge
reDle wrote him letter advising the abroga-
non OF this silly law, and sent a bill to acconl-
prsh IT.. 1t seems, however, that a measure
liberal democrats were ready for twenty years
ago, is too much progress for free-SCa antf-sldp-
cry politicians, who swarm to the party OF eq"at
rights aoithom distinction OF race or color, now
has maiorities at its back and offices and non
ors to give instead ofpersecution. IN
. 1t is claimed that all who demand the repeai
of this arrogant and insulting statute, ignore
natural repuenance which Uhite people have
to Mocks in such an intimate relation as mar
rage But the very reverse is true They in
sist upon it, and rely upon and assert its sufii-
cheney without impertinent legislation. And
the repugnance is much stronger and wider in
its scope than between these two classes. A
refined white woman would ordinarily object
to marrying drunkard, man filthy i'm habit
or speech, silly man, or man SO empty of all
elevated sentiments that he could echo to the
appiauses of ribald crowd, as his owl seri-
Gus opinions, the ynigarity Of Mr.. Nasby.n iiao
j. But in spite Of this general law, which en-
sures the intermarriageo of persons of the same
color, character, taste, position in society, and
Intelligence, instances do occur Of white wo-
men preferring to marry black men, of deli
cate women marrying filthy sensualists, and of
strong-mnded women marrying fiat and driv-
cling noodles. OF such mesdllidnces, j doubt
if it can be made out that the evil consequent
ces to the parties or to society are any greater
in the first than in the other cases Whyinot
leave the first case to be regulated by natural
Instinct and the good sense Of the parties con-
cerned, hankedby the advice of friends, the in
fiuential Mrs. Grandy among them, rs we do
the other cases? Soothed by these considera-
tons, most white fathers, even in regions not
secure under the protection OF similar statutes
to ours ''re-enacting," as Mr.. Webster says,
@the law of God, are able to sleep nights I'M
tortured with wakeful forebodings of black
sons-in-law., H lsAl ~ -'lalui aiIt i3'o .
10 Why then disturb the law it is asked Be
cause where an exceptional affection asserts it.
self as it has, and will again, against conven-
tional prejudice and the standard ofpublic pro-
priety, both very strong influences, it will, and
does easily defy an arbitrary law. Because
when In matter SO purely personal as mar
rage, the parties please themselves, and settle
down into a quiet domesticity, sanctifed by
mutual hithfulness, and The respectful love of
children, it is impertinent it is cruel, nay it is
impious for society to interfere. Because in
country, where the presence of two million per
sons, who can claim kinship with our race as
well as with the African, asserts the natural
compatibility of the two,itis a piece of Pecksait
fan white-washing, and not sound christian
morality, to prohibit marriage where we con-
hive at adultery. Because it is insolent and
presumptuous to assert in State recognising
the equality of men our superior refinement
and nobility as against any other class of our
fellow creatures, since that superiority confess
eddy ceases the moment it is asserted, the true
gentleman being recognised by his courtesy
and absence of pretension, and the men who
ON the stump, in the newspaper or in the Leg
islature are afraid the purity of their stock may
be questioned, unless they keep bd,oliag their
protests that they acoat marry a negro, are the
! very ones in reference to whom judicious list
eners think the question of compatibility
should never be raised, unless from The neyros
side. y. 49,. .s.,i...
There are specific and more practical consd-
erations. More than one member of the legis-
lature knows the instance among his own con-
stituency of black and white persons, who
have lived together in the relation Of husband
and wife perhaps to old age. ioiDoes it make
these homes any better sanctuaries for the pres
ervation of childish innocence to affix upon
them the blot of ill-fame? Many ofrthose poor
people, married only by the laws of God are
religiously inclined, does it make them any bet
| ter Christians to withhold from relation knit
| by the love of children and the mutually borne
| sorrows of lifetime the sanction which the
| law throws around unions not half so faithful
| y kept, TO keep them out of churches, except
| upon conditions that it would be impous in
them to perform, and TO Cypress their conscience
es with a sense of guilt towards God, who had
only violated a conventional stumbling block
of cSate legislation? Some OF these men have
pindustriously accumlated little estates Why
bastartlize their children 80 that they may not
| rightfnlly inherit them? Some of their chill
dren have gone to our great war TO fight, to dis
lodge from the control Of the nation o cruel
hatred of the poor, that was driving us fast to-
field and in the hospital. Who would be mean
enough to accuse the $tdtate-bd$enesS Of their
birth, TO prevent their fathers from receiving
the pittance the government allows as a com
pensation for d child sacrificed for the coun-
tfyH Is a law q man would be ashamed to
quote on such an occasion fit to- stand ON the
Statute Book? lIt 10 3ri.t gI.fI siaI x. ia
l-Iuy Id = TIT 7--77l ~ "a &
The Quarrel of the Expedition tCon,snis
% ~ sl1.'-iiifd-i. ID siOners. iat' ~ st-4i
Some friend in Paris sends us pamphlet,
printed in that city, ia which are set forth the
merits ola very pretty quarrel relating to the
Great Exposition between our Honorary Com
missioner, Mr.. Loubat on the one side, and on
the other the United States Legation and the
Chief Commissioner, Mr.. Beckwith. We have
called it quarrel between these parties,
though to speak accurately the quarreling
seems to be all on the side of Mr.. Loubat7
The pamphlet is published by that gentleman
and contains all the correspondence connected
with the matter and his own statement Of
grievances. The substance of the complaint
which he brings against the Legation and Mr..
Beckwith is that he has not received at their
hands such an amount of Difference and con-
sideration as he felt to be due to him. He
seems to be an uneasy individual, with a very
inordinate sense of his own dignity and conse-
quence. Ga his own showing, his conduct
toward the Legation has been as offensive and
troublesome as it well could be- and the won
der of those who read his pamphlet will be not
that he should have been snubbed by Mr. Big
elow,and rebulSed by Gen. Dix, but that either
of those gentlemen should have been able to
exhibit towards him so much patience and for
bearance as they have. The publication of
this pamphlet does not seem to us likely to
benefit him much either ia the estimation of
Congress to whom it is addressed, or of the
people at large
A SINGULAR DISCOVERY. western ex-
change says that two men We're. recently en-
gagged in securing dritt-woOd on the Ntssis-
sippi, when they noticed, at some distance from
the bank, a large trunk. As it seemed sound
they exerted themselves to bring it in, and
lining their prize they found that one end had
been partly splitopen and appeared to have
been filed up with moss or leaves. The curl
osity of the men was excited, and they went to
work, and by inserting wedges in the crack,
succeeded III splitting the log open, when
they discovered that it was hollow OH the in
side and that the cavity was partially filled
up with what, at first sight, appeared to be the
iuii form OF man, wrapped up in buffalo
robe. 81 lr 30 ~ b ~ --3-1'i tt, .iit .
- naturally, their nerves were little shaken
at So unexpected sight but at length they
sufnciently recovered themselves to prosecute
"a nl.n.s