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Show ISO APPENDIX, }Hivate rights and private property. But, however _deeply the Co_mmitte_e may deprecate and censure the existence o_f th_at feehng; ho_wevcr Imposs~ble it may be for them in any manner to JUSll_fy or excuse It ; they owe It to the cause of truth, to declare that this exctlem~nt,. (heretofore unparalleled in our city,) was occasioned• by the det~rminatwn of the ow_ners of that building and of their friends, to persevere m openly promulgaLJn~ a_nd advocating in it doctrine~ repulsive to the moral se_nset of a l~rge ma)or1ty of our community; and to persist in this course agam~t the advice of fru:-:n~s, heedless of the dangers which they were e~countermg, o:r re~kless of tis consequences to the ]Jeace and order of our ctty.t ~f the1r stn ct leg_al ~nd constitutional right to do so, there can be no question. o.u~ COJ~stllu tl on declares that" the free communication of thoughts and opm10ns ts. one of the invaluable rights of man, and every citizen may freely speak, wnte, and print on any ~u.bject, being r~spon~ible for the abuse of that liberty;" and again, "the cJIJzens have a nght, 111 a peaceable man.ner, to ass.emble together for their common good," and "to apply to those mvested wtth the powers of government for redress of grievances, or other proper purposes, by petition, address, or remonstrance." Neither c~n there be any .doubt of the duty of the city authorities, so far as it is in tl~c1r power. to do 11, to extend protection to all, and to secure, as far as possible, the nghts and th~ property of all citizens against invasion fr~m any quarter: But how far 1t was prudent or judicious, or even morally nght-how far •.t became peaceful and good citizens to per~e:vere in measures generally adm1tted ~o. have a tendency to endanger the public peace-how far they c~uld antiCipate .any resl~lt different from that which has occurred-are questions upon which public opinion is to a certain extent divided. However much .it may be a subject of regret to this Committee, it can be no maHer or ~urpnsc t? ~!Lern, tl.la.t tho mass of the community, without d istinction of polillcal or religious opiniOns, could ill brook the eret:tion of an edifice in this city, for the encouragement of practices believed by many to be subversive of the established orders of society, and even viewed by some as repugnant to that separat1o~ and d1s· tinction which it has pleased the g reat Author of nature to establish among +The cclitor of the Pennsyl ,·anin Freeman, in rcmm·king on tltis part of the" Het>Ort," says: rqVc cannollig:lttly pass m·er the stmlied, systematic attempt to thmw the enti•·c blame of the ah'Ocious out1~ge, at least so far as its exciting c.'luse is eonce1·ned, UJ>On the alleged imprudence of the abolitionists. It is n mcnn nnd base and most wicked cndca,•or to screen fc·om censure men who h:n·c culpably neglected theil· swom duty. ln tbei1· cnde:wor to defend the conduct of the 'May01·, the Comminee found themseh·cs under tbe necessity of palliating and excusin~ tbe Rt1·~ cities of the mob, and they ha,·e done so openly, aml with the cool audacity of a Cntherme l\:ledJcis, cha•·ging the eriminalty of the mnssaC!'C of St. llnrtholomcw's upon the hunted ami outraged J-lugenot." . . . t "• Repulsive to the monl.l sense' of the community! And did tha~ rep~ls•on mamfcst dself in mob. law, robbery, ami arson? ·Did the' moc·ul sense' of the commumty {hctate the modus opera11di of the removal of the ' repulsive' ohject? Did it ner,·e the arms which dashed open the doo1·s, and hurle{\ the brickbats? Did it kindle the torch of the incendiary? 'Vere the obscenity and biP.sphcmy-thc hoarse threats of murdl.'r, and the gross insults offc•·ed to unprotected fe· males -the m:mifold atrocities which disturbed and disg•·aced our city-nothing more, after all, thun demonstrations of the' mo1-al sense of the community,' struggling to put down the 'repulsive doctrines' of the abolitionists?'' t Here is a grn"e charge, a libel upon the owners of the building, and on their friends. '~e unequh·ocally and indignantly cl~ny the clunogc. " 'auld it not haYe been proper for that ~omnH~· tee to "deji11e and B]'eCif!J" what th011e doctl'ines were, to which they allude?. A~ul. hn~·~g th.•s Committee ns" responsible promulgators'' of the scam.lal, we trust the pubho w11l JUst•ty us m holding them "responsible" fo1· this assertion, which is as untrue in point of l~ct, as it was illi· beral and unjust in "Commitlee of Councils to unde1·take to act as sclf·appointed accusers and Jm1ge.. R\i:PORT OF THE POLICE COMJUJTTEE. lSI the various races of man. Had the founders of the buihling, however, been satisfied with a less public dedication of their Hall, it is probable that the general good sense of our community, and the all-pervading influence of the law, would have availed to secure the building against the attack of its lawless aggressors. Extending, as they did, private invitations, as well as a call in the public papers, most widely; not conlining themselves to the city, or even to this commonwealth, but inviting from distant states men whose names have been but too conspicuous before the community as active agi ta· tors; and embracing in their invitations all persons, without distinction of color,• they unfortunately produced in the public mind a high state of excitement, t as prejudicial to the peace of Lite city, as it may have been unexpected by them. Perhaps, even, if the active participators in this celebration had been confined to residents of our own city, well known, and endeared to many by private worth and respectable character, the feelings of those opposed to them in opinion, might have been rrpressed by the general regard of the community; but when it was found that our city had been selected as the rallying point of men known among us only as restless agitators and disturbers of I he peace elsewhere; and when on the a rrival of these strangers in Philadelphia, and during their sojourn here, our streets presented, for the first time since the days of \ Villiam llenn, the unus ual union of black and white walking arm in arm in social intercourse, it is a matter of no great surprise, however it should be of deep reprobation, that any individuals should have !SO far forgotten what was due to the character of the city, and to the supremacy of the law, as publicly to give vent to that indignation which ought never to have been felt; or if felt, should have been suppresse<.l within their bosoms.+ +To lH'OVC the aeeu•·acy of the investigatior.s of this \'eritable Committee, we insert the following copy of OUI' circular i1H'itatiou 10 indi\·iduals: "A. H. is irwited to attend the opening nfthc Pennsylvania Ha11,on the 14th, 15th, nml 16th of the Filth month (May) next, to commence on the morning of the I 4th, at- o'clock, Hy request of the Uo:u·d of ~hmagcrs. Jos•:Pn AI. T1tUJifAN1} ~~:~~:~: ;'ick\~~:·r, Committee." SAMUEL \V£1lll, Philacklpliia, Fourth month 14th, !838 . \Vc also inse1·t a copy of an in,•itntion vublished in the United Stales Gazette, May 10, 1838: "T1u: P t:NN!IY'L\' ANI A H ,u.r. \Viii be opened for vublic nse on the 14th, 15th, and 16th of the pl'esent month. The public ge· ncrully, without distinction as to sect or party, are I'CS[M.ctfully im·ited to attend. Several able :~.dd1·esscs may be expected. Signed by <!irection of the Board of MAnagers. • Jos•:l'u M . T11uMAN, ~ \~~~~·.:~ 'iic~c.~;,r· Committee, S.nw£L \V.Eu11, to ~~~o~r.cw~~va~~ i~~~v~ ~~[;;~b'~:% .~£/~~~hht::c:~~~~~~~~;~{ t~ftl~~~-~~~~:s;h::·~ J~n~0~~: suitubly :lCCO!Ilmodated by making early applic.'ltion to the Committee." t The u pt'ejmlicial excitement" hc•·e ullu1]ed to, was p•·ob:tbly pl'Odueed ft'Om the Jllncnrd, and the well known fact that the ~f:l.y01· would not Wke any efficient means to dispcl'Se the mob, and that the building, to use the langu:~ge of the Police Committee, wns" doomed to destructioFJ.'- * That those who we{·e not p•·escnt nmy know wh:~t \'alue to place upon the exagget11tcd l'Cporll of the enemies of Emancipation, we will mention one or two facts. A young colored man, wealthy, and educated, the owner of a fm·m in one of lhc adjoining counties, came to the J fall with his wife, (who is dnrkc1· than himself,) in his cm·riage, as his wife was lame. The rumo•· was in conscqtwnce industrtously cit·culated, that a -white man had h•·ought a colol·ed girl with him in his calTiage to the Hall. The wife and sistCI··in.\aw of a highly •·espectable colot·ed citizen, well known in Chestnut street, and the son of a Gove!'llor of one of the Southern states, were seen walking with their own cousin, who happened to he darker lb:to thenuelves, aud the mob raised |