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Show 198 APPENDIX, alliances for t~eir col?red_ offspring. No moral sense feels outraged at this. And a strong JllustratJOn 1s at hand, in the fact that the individual that now occupies the second office in the government, was selected for and chosen to that high station, with a full knowledge, on the part of the whole community, that he had married as a wiftl his own slave, and openly sustained his connubial relation with her. That he had educated his daughters, of mi~ed blood, in the best fashion of the country, and had secured for them white ?•en .as h~sbands ~ To this intlividual a very large numerical vote was g•ven 111. Pluladelplna, to place him where he now is. \Vhere, then, was ~hat moral sense which the Committee allege was justly outraged, by the d1scnssions of the Hall 1 Surely that was a fit occasion for its sensi· bilities to take the alarm. And yet they were all quiescent :-a fact warranting the conclusion, tlutt it was nnt an impulse of a legitimate moral sense, that set the mob in motion against the abolition Hall. On the contrary, every step of that movement is marked by feelings, in which a just moral sense. could h~ve no participation. The actors were excited by vulgar brutality, that Indulges a rooted malice against the black man's elevation in society:-the lookers on were chained into inactivit.lJ by the avarice of trade. COTTON AND SUGAR DEREFT THEM OF J\-IORAL SENSl~, AND SUBSTITUTED COLD AND JH:ARTLESS CALCULATIONS OF SoUTIIt:RN !'tiARKJ.:TS AND SOUTHERN vJSITE~s. In our mercantile cities, the general tone of feeling towards the negro JS much lower than the slaveholder of character tolerates in himself. Its main spring is the "truck and traffic of sordid avarice." The poet's exclamation is of strict application: "T1-adc, wcnlth, nnd fnshion, ell II him nill to bleed, And holy men quote Sc1·iptul·c for the <lccll." In asserting that the moral sense of Philadelphia revolted at the discussions in the Pennsylvania Hall, the CommiHee have widely mistaken the true state of the case.-1 am persuaded that, in making this assertion, they were not free from an admonishing consciousness, that it was of very questionable correctness. In addition to the reprobation expressed by the committee against the owners of the Hall for persevering in the discussion, another cause of com· plaint is. put forth against.them; they were not willing to risk their own persons 111 defence of the1r preperty, and they have declined becoming :accusers before the committee. Here is an instance of the different mediums through which men view the same facts, under different circumstances. Had the owners of the Hall marshalled themselves in b:ittle array for its defence, that fact might well have been complained of as a provoking intermeddling with the operations of the police, adding by the personal presence of the allegetl wrong-doers, additional provocation to that excited by the offence of the discussions. Good sense could not fail to see that such might be a very probable concomitant of active opposition, on the part of those against whom the anger of the mob was directed. It was consequently both. discreet and ]Jrudent for the owners to withdraw t1femselve8 from all co>J!liction with the assailants. If then they were properly absent, there can be no propriety in censuring them for that absence. The other fact, that the owners shrunk from becoming accusers before the. Committee, and declined any eonnexion with the investigation, is very eas1ly accounted for, though it is natural enough that the Committee should not comprehend the moti"e that actuated them. The report shows that the Committee very soon disclosed a purpose, and a prepossession to maintai11 it, adverse to the owners and managers of the Hall; that purpose was to aggravate whatever could be adduced prejudicial to the owners of the Hall, .!!JIERU'li1S SALE OF 'fli.K UUINS, 199 to mitigate, at some risk, the doings of the mob, and to white-wash froJ?l.all blame the Mayor and his assistants. The purpose glares out to my vtswn in the second COlnmunicatiou of the Committee to the owners, and the per· ception of it by them made it the dictate of self-security to keep aloof. The report consummata::s this purpose in the impotent ancl hobbling f'jforts of untenable asswnptions, broad assertions, and inferences all awry.-hs discolorations oj]Jrinciple, and its tortuous inductions of fact.fl, shallow as they are, and feebly as they are p-resented, nevertheless have enough of plausibility to mislead wealc and biased minds. This demonstrates the dis .. cretion of the owners in declining to be a party to the investigation. The preparation and publical'ion of this report can be productive of pui.Jlic benefit to nobody. It proceeds upon c' wrong foundation-half advocates most dnngcrou.fl notions, makes JWOr apologies for manifest neglects, and exhibits to public view, in all its helpless and naked imbecility, the Philadelphia police. As a strong illustration of this imbecilily, one fact may be stalctl. 'l'he oflicers intermixed with the incendiaries in the act of extending the fire, surrounded with light enabling them to recognise every body. They did not recognise the perpetrators, nor did they bethink them of taking any measures for afler identification!! They witnessed the crime-they saw, they mixed with those engaged iu its commencement, progress and completion, and they remained in blincl ignorance of the criminals! There is one valuable end to which this report may lead. It may awaken Philadelphia to the necessity of new regulating her JW!ice, of infusing into its organization more power, and into its action more vigilance aml more vigor. Scenes of frequent occurrence in all our cities speak, trumpet-tongued, the necessity of increased powers, in every department of city police. The voice must soon be heard and heeded; it could not too soon attract serious attention. NO. VII. SALE OF THE RUINS OF THE BALL BY THE SHERIFF. An individual undertook to supply the Pennsylvania Hall Association with certain materials and workmanship, within a given time-the size, the quality, and the time, being all speci6ed in the written contract. T!tis contract he did not fulfil, whereby we lost much more than would have paid the amount claimed by him. \Ve complained of th1s, from time to time i but he as!:lured us he would make such a tliscount from his bill as would satisfy all of us. This aflcrwards he would not do, and although we ofrered to leave it to the decision of three disinterested men (to be mutually agreed upon) he declined doing so, and commenced a suit at law. By a new mode of procedure under a new law, he obtained what is some· times called "a snapt judgment," without our being present, and without our knowledge. We applied to the court to open the judgment, and to allow ua a trial by jury, but the court decided we had 11 no legal defence /"-con. sequently there appeared to be no alternative but to submit to a Sheriff's sale. We trust that neither the managers nor the stockholders of the Hall, nor the friends of the poor slave, will have any cause to regret this vain at· tempt to extort what is not justly due, while the declaration has herein been fulfilled, "He that diggeth a pit shall fall therein." |