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Show 102 Victor Hugo. In a political light, the mnr<l r of Brown wonltl Le an irreparaulc fault. It would penetrate the Ullion with a :-:<'<Tel fi~:m r<', which would in the end t <'ar it a, un<l ' 1'. It is po:-;~il>lc that the execution of Brown might con oli<latc Slan·ry in Virginia but it i · certain that it would convulse th e entire An1criean Democracy. You pre. ervc yonr sham ·, but you sacrifice your glory. ln a moral light, it seems to me, that a portion of the light of humanity would Le eclipsed; that even the id ea of jn:-;ti('c and inju ·tice woulu be ob 'cured on the any which . houlu witnes;; the as asjnation of Emancipation by Lil>crly. A for my elf, though I am but an atom, yet b •ing, as I am, in common with all other men, in~pired with the conscience of humanity, I kneel in tear!':! bei'orc the great starry banner of the New YVorld, nnu with cia pe<l hands, antl with profound and filial respect, I implore th' illustrious Ameriran Rcpul>lic, i' tcr of the French Republic, to look to the saf<·ty of the universal moral law, to ave Brown; to throw down the thr 'atening scaffold of the 1 Gth Dec 'mber, and not to , nfl'cr that, ben ath its cyrs, :m<l, I add, with n. shudder, almo ·t by its fault, the fir: t fratricille be outdone. For-yes, let America know it, nnd ponder it well - thrrc is something more terrible than Cain laying Abel-it is Washington slaying Sparlacns. VICTOR IIuco. To Tlm EmTon. oc- THE L oNDON NEws. The views of this eloquent friend of Freedom, in Europe, on the Great Crime of America, which, we arc uaily told, the Federal Con ·titution protects,- that eown.rdly and . tupen< lous iniquity, which our politicians enphoncously designate "the Dome. tic In titution of our Southern br thr n "-were thus clearly stated in a letter to JUrs. J\Iaria vV eston Chapman, in 1851 t J\IA nA -:\TE : I lettt• t-. I woulcl your holy work. goo(l b ' art:;. Victor Hugo. rAm~, Gth .July, Hl!)l. hav<~ R('n rce ly :my thing to nd<l to yom· eltrL·rf'lllly ~ig n t'\ <' ry line of' it. J>itr:-~ ne You lt:tY' with you all gr •at so ul;-; and all ~Yo u. :tre. pleased to bc·li 'V<', and to as~urc m<', tltat my VOteC, lll tltl:-) nugu~t caus' of' liberty, will be \istenrd to by tlte gre:li American people whom 1 ]o,·c . o profoundly, 111111 who=--e d<•stini<'s, I am fitin to think, ar elo:<·ly linke<l with the mi ;-;~io n or li"' ran ('l..~ . You dC' ~ ir \ m to lif't up my YOice. I will do it at once, and I will do it on all o<·<·nsions. I agree with you in thinking, that, within ad ·finit ' time- that \vithin n. t imc not distant- th ' Unit •d Stat , will repudiate ~ lav e ry with horror! Slav ' I')' in snch a country ! Can tlwr<; be an in <'ongruity more monstrous? Barbarism in:-:tall ·d in the v •ry heart of a country, which is it ~ell' the afnnnation of Ci,·ilization; lib rty wearing- a chain ; blasphemy echoing from th ' altar j the eollar or the negro ehnin •d to the lH'(l<•stal of \Va: hington! It i:1 a tbing unhcar<.l of. I . ay mor '; it i:1 impo~s ibl e. Such n. Rpcctaclc would de, troy iL ·If'. The light of the ninct<'<'nth century nlone is enough to d ~ troy it. 'Vhat! SlaYery sanction ·d, by ]n.w, among that illustrious people, who for SC\'enly y ' :\l'S have m ':1Sttr •cl the progr •ss o(' civilization by tltcir march, <.lemonstnttccl ]) mocra<·y by tlteit· power, and lib rty by their prosperit.y! ~ lavery in the United Stat ·s! IL id the duty of thi :-; H<·rublic to set such a uad 'Xample llO longer. It i. a ltame, and she wa never born to bow h •r h<'a<l. It i. not wh n Slavery i , taking leave of old nations, t haL it hould be rce ·iv ·<1 by the new. 'VhaL! 'Vhc'n Slavery i ~> d partin p; from Turkey, shall it re: t iu Am ri ·a ? \Vltflt! Drive it from til<! lt c:nth of' Omar, atHl adopt it nt th h 'tnth of Franklin! No! No! No! There i ~ an inflexible logic which develops more or 1<'=-'S slowly, which l~ts hi o n ~ , which redresses according to a mys4 |