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628 DOUGLASS' MONTHLY. APRIL, 1862 [[line]] [[3 ruled columns]] [[column 1]] in our opinion, to wield the most powerful influence in shaping the future of this Republic—we should most unhesitatingly, from all we know and have heard of the man, point to Theodore Tilton. We venture nothing in pressing all our readers in this city and for miles around, to come to Corinthian Hall on Thursday night the 10th of April, we all need to have the sacred fire upon the altar of our hearts rekindled by the glowing touch of this young orator's eloquence. The country should form a better acquaintance with Mr. Tilton. The man aside from the grand theme upon which he discourse, has the claim upon us that genius, culture, and philanthropy must ever enforce. [line] GEN. T. PERRONET THOMPSON.—Since the grand movement led by Cobden and Bright for the abolition of the corn laws in England, triumphed, and thereby lifted the middle classes in England to a higher consideration in English politics than ever before, we have until recently, heard very little of General Thompson. He was among the earliest and most conspicuous of those who espoused and advocated that cause and his name was a tower of strength through the entire anti-corn law of strength through the entire anti-corn law struggle. Since then he has seemed to have retired from politics. But we have noticed that ever since the present war broke out between the slave States and the free, this distinguished friend of commercial and political freedom at home, has exerted himself nobly to enlighten his fellow countrymen as to the merits of the respective belligerents and to bear their sympathy and moral support to liberty and the loyal cause, as against that of the traitors and rebels. Nearly twenty years of silence have not chilled his ardour in the cause of liberty nor dimmed his vision. He sees plainly where duty places his country in this controvery, and he has hte power to make that duty manifest. He has shown himself to be an enlightened and true friend of freedom and a friend to America. The following letter of his is from the Bradford Advertiser : [[bold]] ON THE POSITION OF PARTIES IN ENGLAND. [[/bold]] [[line]] SIR,--The meeting of parliament has thrown additional light, on what was by no means obscure before. The two parties in the legislature who are in possession of substantial strength, demonstrate an understanding that one shall not trouble the other by a struggle for the name of office, so long as a middle term can be secured which is equally agreeable to both. There is no denying the efficacy of the policy. Remains to estimate the effect on the outside barbarians who are either not represented at all or represented with such artificial and purposed drawbacks as make it as good as no representation at all, and their power of influencing the public counsels in mathematical proportion. As regards the duration of the present deadlock it will be proper to examine the cause. And the immediate acting force, or at all events the great cause of non-resistance, is to be found in the strong delusion gone forth among the commercial and manufacturing body, bold in their victory on the Corn Laws, leading them to believe their interest connected with dishonest wars, or meaner immoralities not worth of the name. It was a vague idea that they were to benefit by some sort of seizure of the land in India, which led them to hold the garments of those who proceeded to assassinate the Native Army. If any of them in their home move- [[/column 1]] [[column 2]] ments opposed it, let them show the when and where; there is no desire to misrepresent them. The same indistinct vision of profits which were to arise, induced them to adopt the civil and military basenesses with which the country was disgraced in China. If any of them resisted let them as before, hold up their hands and tell, us who. On the question of Slavery in America, they faltered in the hope that they should aid in returning the dog to his vomit, and with the lack of foresight which is meted out to the backers of what a good Providence has determined to destroy, there as not one of them capable of comprehending, that to restore to the rebels their lands on condition of working their laborers for wages instead of provender, was the way to fill their own warehouses with the cotton for which alone they had sense or feeling "set cotton in his eye," was the advice of the Belial who attends to the commercial department; and it was enough. In the fraud of standing pledge to Spain for the payment of her pillage from Morocco, they had the same vision of something "good for trade." And when this led, as was the natural result, to appearing as full-blown partner in the alliance of banditti powers against a feeble republic in South America, the same hope of amended ledgers swept them into the train.--Small will they look, if at some time Justice should make a flash upon the earth, and bury the actors and movers in dishonoring a once creditable nation, in the merited conclusions.--They are manifestly going the way which must come to this at some time. It would be a sinful murmuring, which should propose to hinder. During all this time there is a third party, not small in numbers though as powerless as the colored people in America, who bred in habits of honesty and well-doing, and early initiated by worthy elders into a horror of all that bears the stamp of felony whether great or small, view with hatred and disgust the whole concern--There is no disguise about it; they ask boldly like the Israelitish king, whether there is anything imperfect in their hatred, or dubious in what they count their enemy. It may all do for the present, but it must come to more.--There will be a rising-up for the government of honest men; happy if it comes in time to prevent the worst consequences of the other. Like the negroes, all the injured must keep their eyes open, and be still. They must not be exclusive, nor differ among themselves. The mulatto must not quarrel with the ebony black, nor even the lightest shade to be coaxed into dissent from his less fortunately complexioned brethren. The small tradesman who has a vote which is purposely made no vote by the refusal of the Ballot, must not part company from the wretch who has no vote at all; and the working man who is prevented by an ecclesiastical falsehood from making an honest woman of the second mother of his children, must consider himself as in the predicament of him who is forbidden to marry his octoroon. The wrong is against all. The soundest and most trustworthy portions of society are cut off from influence on the national counsels even in self-defence, and all power thrown into the hands of those which are most open to temptation. Meantime a custom unworthy of gorillas, puts into the power of ill ministers to commit any kind of felony against the nation's honor without a hearing til it is past mending. Fact a little boy coming to say, "Mamma, I have trampled on the flower-beds, and broken a hole into the currant jelly closet; but it was six months ago, and all the whipping in the world will not alter it." Such is the glorious British "custom,"--who knows but, "constitution!" Yours sincerely. T. PERRONET THOMPSON, Eliot Vale, Blackheath, 27 Feb. 1862 [[/column 2]] [[column 3]] HON: GERRIT SMITH--Mr. Smith has spokem many powerful and convincing words since the slaveholding rebellion began is calamitous work of blood, but he has said nothing more worthy of himself and the country than his recent lecture in Washington.--During the whole storm of war through which the ship of state is passing he has been vigilant and active in marking out and demonstrating the true course of safety, honor, justice and peace. We need not commend this last utterance of his to the attention of our readers. In peace or in war, it is always well to read and study the opinions and arguments of such a man, and happily for our readers they need no prompting form us to do so, for they know the man and his works. [[line]] [[bold]] MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS. [[/bold]] ----- Last evening he left quietly for Washington to receive instructions from the President and Secretary of war. The total number of black people in the District of Columbia is 14,316; free colored 11,131; slaves, 3,185. Of these Washington City has 10,983; Georgetown, 1,935, and the balance of the District 1,348. The free negroes are nearly four to one in the District, and the proportion is constantly increasing. It is not surprising that journals which during Fremont's period of command in the Western Department teemed with the most furious and mendacious assaults upon his personal character and military qualifications, now affect to regard it almost treasonable to criticise McClelland's vaunted strategy. If it is wrong to insinuate a lack of confidence in McClelland, was it not equally wrong to do it Fremont's case? Let justice be done to both Generals according to the results accomplished by them. Superintendent Kennedy of the New York Police has received a dispatch from Fred. W. Seward Assistant Secretary of State rescinding the order requiring persons leaving the country to procure passes, and further stating that foreign passports will not hereafter require to be countersigned. The great difficulty in the Confiscation question is the negro. If there were no patriarchal institution, all would be smooth and easy. Then the long and elaborate and eloquent conservative speeches would al be in favor of punishing traitors vigorously. Now we cherish such an adoration of Slavery that it quite dulls our horror of rebellion. Mr. Almy the enterprising agent for the State of Connecticute in New York City, reports that his attention was called on Tuesday last to the water cask which were furnished by a certain contractor for the ship City of New York, on board of which the 13th Connecticut regiment are to sail from New York. They were all oil casks, in a filthy condition, which would have rendered the water putrid in a short time--and thus be instrumental in injuring the health of, if not poisoning, the troops. Mr. Almy took immediate steps to have the contractor arrested and confined in Fort Lafayette. The army of Potomac by order of the President, has been divided into five army corps, the first commanded by Major General McDowell, and the others by Brigadiers General Sumner, Heintzleman, Keyes, and Major General Banks. [[/column 3]]
