Rensselaer Gazette, Volume 3, Number 39, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 January 1860 — "IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT." [ARTICLE]

"IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT."

The above words are heard about as frequently in these latters days as are disunion sentiments from Democratic Congressmen. When Mr. Seward expressed it as his opinion, at Iloch'aster, that there was an “irrepressible conflict” between free and slave labor, and that agitation of slavery would not cease until all the States should become either free or elave, the Democrats held up their hands in holy horror and indignation. In their estimation, a freeman cannot express an opinion as to the evils inevitably following in the footsteps of slavery, without being an incendiary and a traitor to his country; while the slaveholder may howl disunion sentiments with impunity, if he but adhere to the Democratic party and support ' the two-faced Cincinnati platform. We o.re I?'.. to remarks by the accounts we Juiiy rea d o f parties being driven ,ro m their homes in the slaveholding States. Sometimes they escape without further indignity than being forced to leave the location of their adoption under circumstances that impute disgrace to them, and sometimes they receive as a memento of Southern chivalry a coat of tar and feathers. The fact that there is at present in all the slave States an “irrepressible conflict,” is patent to every reading man. The zealous upholders of the “peculiar institution” appear to be gifted with Argus eyes to aid them in discovering incendiaries under everv possible disguise. The selling of Helper’s book is no longer the only offense that a peddler can be guilty of in the South. A Rev. Mr. Worth, formerly a Democratic Senator in this State, has been imprisoned for peddling “Fleetwood’s Life of Christ.” Such a work, or any other work that inculcates peace and brotherly love between man and man, we freely admit, must be an incendiary . work-in a land of slaves. A week or two ago twelve families were driven from their , homes and property in Madison county, Ky., • for no other reason under the sun than that they believed the holding of men in slavery ' to be wrong. Nothern schoolmasters and; sehoolmams arc driven from their homes as as unsafe persons to be harbored in slave ' communities. “Knowledge is power.” The ; Virginia House of Delegates has adopted a • resolution instructing the committee on schools and colleges to inquire into the expediency of prohibiting School Commissioners throughout the Commonwealth from subscribing to any teacher, male or female, who ; hails from the North, unless they shall have ' resided in Virginia for at least ten successive years. Arkansas; and Missouri have en- • • I acted laws reducing' free negroes to slavery, unless they leave the State before a certain ' day. Tennessee and other State Legislatures talk of doing the same thing. But persons need not be guilty of abolitionism themselves in order to be driven from their homes. The have only to. be seen in the company of some incendiary fellow, and straightway they are ordered out the .States The Atlanta (Ga.) Southern Confederacy, of the Bth inst., has the following: “Messrs. J. N. and E. 11.I 1 . Williams re incidentally referrad to in an editorial in his paper on the sth inst. That reference was in connection with a notice of a Mr. Newcomb, a dry goods clerk of this city, who had been retailing abolition sentiments in various places. The aforesaid j Nevycomb, in addition to other bad and treasoiia- ' ble conduct, had drank a toast to ‘Ossawatoinie • Bro\yn,’ &c. We learned that the Messrs. Wil- | liana's were present, and tipped their glasses to the infamous sentiment, but on an investigation of the matter, we are assured by good authority that these young men were not present at the time Newcomb drank the toast. “But it appears that, on Tuesday evening last, the Messrs. Williams, in company with the aforesaid Newcomb, went to a dancing party of Prof. Johnson’s, at Hayden Hail, and there caused a ; disturbance which came well nigh costing some of the party their lives. , “The you ng Messrs. Williamsmay bctnti'tely in- i nocent of the charge of Abolitionism, but, to say the ' least, they have subjected th.emse.vDes to suspicion, by '■ associating with the said Newcomb, who has fled the city." 1 (_ The tame paper contains the following i significant paragraph: “We regard every man in our midst an enemy j to the institutions of tho South, who does not ; boldly declare that he or she believes African slave- i ry to be a social, a moral and a political blessing- i Any person holding other than these sentiment.;, j whether born at the South or North, is unsound, and should be requested to leave the country. Now is the time to talk plainly and act plainly. 'Pho Southern people cannot be too vigilant.” But the above features do not indicate the most dangerous features (to the South) of the ‘irrepressible conflict.” They only show that the Southern people are “riled,” and are acting without reason or sense. There is one feature of tho “conflict” that must strike terror into the heart of every Southern man, when he calmly considers the matter. We allude to the fact that dishonest men, owing honest debts, are taking advantage of the present sensitiveness of the Southern mind. They denounce as abolitionists men to whom they may be in debt, procure their expulsion in disgrace from the country, and thus escape paying their just dutis. This has already been done. The New York Tribune of the 11th inst gives u long account*of the troubles of James Crangle, an Irishman by birth, educated to the law, and who emigrated to this country two years and a half ago. Shortly after his arrival he was employed as clerk by Gray &. Turley, dry goods merchants of Savannah and Augusta. After remaining in their employ for sOrne time they dismissed him, before the contract lijae was completed. He I brought suit before a Justice of the Peace., ’in Savannah for his salary under the e<-n

tract, and obtained judgment. Gray &. Turley appealed to the Supreme Court, and the judgment below was affirmed. “This end, however,” says the Trt&wne, "was not gained without some difficulty. Three lawyers successively’ threw up his case, after delaying it for several months, and he at length carried his suit through and brought it to a successful issue by acting as his own counsel. But even here was not an end to the legal obstacles in the way of justice. With the judgments in his hand he went to one after another of the officers of the law in Savannah,but could find none who would execute the duties of their office against a weji-known, influential and wealthy house, in behalfot a poor an j fricn j| es ’ Irishman. He appealed to the Solicitor-Gen-eral, Julian Hartndge, !ay the conduct of T iese delinouOtit officials before the Grand Out it was only to meet with a refusal ! from that gentleman, on the ground that an j indictment against them would also involve ' one against the attorneys for the defendants.” Hopeless of finding redress in Savannah, | Mr. Crangle went to Agusta, trusting that ; there, where Gray &. Turley are holders of | real estate, he would find officers who would i execute the law against them, but he trus i ted in vain. While there an agent of a Vig- ■ ilance Committee ordered him to leave the • State, he being charged with beinga“d d ; Abolitionist.” Mr. Crangle refused to com- • ply, and was thrown into jail. The next day he was brought to trial charged with endeavoring to incite insurrection among slaves. The only evidence against him was that of a bar-keeper who had heard a brother of Mr. Gray, of the firm of Gray & Turley, say that “Crangle was a d J Abolitionist and rascal, and ought to be put out of the way!” He was acquitted, but required to pay the cost, which he could not do, as the parties who arrested him had robbed him of a pocket-book containing nearly a hundred dollars. He was then thrown into jail and suffered a further imprisonment of thirtythree hours. Finding that there was no hope of release, he sent for his counsel and borrowed sufficient money to pay the cost and carry him to a free State. On releasing him the Justice advised him to be off-imme-diately, as there were “boys enough about to string him up.” As Crangle had every jjeason to believe the Justice, he left immediately for New York. When matters come to such a pass, that debtors denounce creditors as Abolitionists, it is time tho South were putting a sudden end to this insane war on all who do not approve of their institutions, although they are willing to acquiesce in the existing state of affairs. If this is allowed to go oil, soon personal enemies, who are too cowardly and mean to do a good or honorable act, will vent their personal spleen on their betters, by secretly managing to have them denounced aS : incendiaries, This is horrible to contain- ’ plate, and illustrates the “irrepressible con- ; ilct” in the Sou'h in a fearful light.