Daily American Organ

Baltimore Sun upon the Right to Riot.

Amongst the alien organs most hostile to the American cause is the Baltimore Sun. It does not stand upon the platform of open scurrility with the Union and other assailants, but it chronicles, with inexpressible malignity, everything which it deems disastrous or disgraceful to the American cause. The Solon who does the editorial seems to have been chosen for skill in compounding opinions, until, like most other amalgams, every distinctive feature of the constituent is lost in the innocent insipidity of the whole.

That we may do Solon no injustice, we quote a specimen to show his insidious hostility, through the muddy metaphysics in which it is concealed. Here is his defence of the alien from the imputation of having commenced the Louisville riots:

"The earliest despatch was promptly followed by the declaration that the aggressors in this serious outrage were "foreigners," or, in other words, naturalized citizens; for it is hardly to be supposed that aliens were engaged in the affray.

"The distinction is an important one, of course, because the alien or unnaturalized citizen would be an intruder as a participant in the political affairs of the country, and appears as such at his own risk. On the other hand, the rights of the naturalized citizen are well defined, and, as an American citizen, his activity as a partisan is only restricted by the laws which apply equally to the whole of the American people."

The supposition that non-naturalized aliens were "engaged in the affray," is thus pronounced improbable, because "the alien or unnaturalized citizen would be an intruder," and "appears as such at his own risk."

Whilst the alien is thus excluded from his national amusement of shooting from an ambush men of a different religion, the act of naturalization seems to invest him at once with all the rights of a "partisan," and makes the whole American people responsible for all his violations of law in that capacity. Let us reduce this defence of the alien to the forms of logic, and we have the following syllogism:

1. It is not to be supposed that any alien could have been engaged in the Louisville riots.
2. A naturalized alien is an American citizen consequently.
3. "Foreigners" could not have been the "transgressors," since they could not have participated at all.

Ingenious Solon! Our people have been shot, and their houses burned, not by Dutch men and Irishmen, but by Americans! These bloodthirsty foreigners are entitled to all their native merits, whilst their crimes are thrown upon the land of their adoption.

Solon next favors us with an ethnological explanation of the riots:

"These riots, however, indicate popular divisions and a contest between race, and, in all probability, religion: thus demonstrating the prevalence and force of those 'political and social elements which have for ages disturbed the peace of Europe, and at length threaten the social harmony of our own beloved country."

According to the previous reasoning we cannot exactly see how European quarrels have anything to do with violations of the law, attributable to an abuse of partisan activity in America. But Solon cannot entirely exclude the suspicion that these riots "indicate popular divisions and contest between race, and, in all probability, religion."

Taking an uneducated view of the circumstances, we should say that a fight between Irish Catholics and Germans on the one side, and American citizens on the other, did indicate popular division," and we avail ourselves of this indication to ask: Is it proper that the quarrels of Europe should be referred to American adjudication? Should we not promptly correct this evil, by correcting the abuse of suffrage?

But Solon subsides from the scribe, who expounds the law, to the philosopher who teaches us to respect it. Hear his lecture:

"It is very certain that we have in the broad and liberal constitution under which we live, the letter and spirit of an organic law infinitely superior to all existing causes of dissension and strife. And it is with the lovers of this constitution, in its letter and spirit, to educe the practical remedy for all political and social disorder from this hallowed source. The founders of the republic were familiar with European history. They knew that the sources of disorder were in civil and political disabilities of the people, originating in the intolerance of power, exerted by State and Church. Hence they established a system by which the State existed only as a power created by the whole people, under certain restrictions, irrespective of their origin, class, or order, and utterly distinct and separate from the Church.

"It is only by a strict adherence to this system of government that social peace and order can be maintained; hence it is incumbent upon all who would sustain this system, to observe literally its import and design."

This is the perfection of obscurity. It effectually excludes all intelligent perception of the writer's position or purposes. When Solon, by accident, finds himself rising to the light of intelligibility, he plunges into the uttermost depths of nonsense, and escapes alike comprehension or conviction. Just such sense, grammar, and logic, may be made after the following recipe: Take a page of any English dictionary, chew it patiently for ten minutes, spit it against the wall at random, copy carelessly, and print—it will be a Sun editorial.

What the last paragraph, which we have copied, means, we cannot undertake to guess. Our knowledge of Sunscrit is utterly inadequate. We presume it was not intended for translation.

But we know enough Sunscrit to understand that journal to be hostile to the American movement, and to take the side of foreigners against our own citizens. But—halloo! the Sun admits that aliens may have had something to do in the riots, after all!

Here follows, in the same article, the contradiction of the first, or exculpatory assertions:

"Our latest despatches from Louisville seriously implicate persons of foreign birth in the origin and desperate prosecution of the riot, whether naturalized citizens or aliens does not appear. The demonstration seems to have been most murderous and indiscriminate, and in the absence of any asserted provocation, the conduct of the Irish and Germans is inexplicable. Further details and deliberate investigation will, no doubt, in some measure vary the aspect of the affair; but the terrible violence and fatal consequences of the riot, will remain a fearful reproach to all who have shared in its guilt."

What! Irish and Germans mixed up in the riot! We had thought that all who were fit to riot were "Americans." But we cannot complain of partiality. First, the aliens are acquitted as incapable of rioting. Secondly, it is admitted they may have been guilty. Thirdly, foreigners and natives are included in an equal condemnation.

Impartial and incomprehensible Solon!