The republic., 1851-06-07
THE REPUBLIC.
FROM the Bosfon 7sonseviss
The Peace aAd Dignity az the CommsM
Wealth.--NO. XIII.


diciously placed about the court-h house by Mar
shal Tukey during the examination of Sins
The attempts to extract little political capital
from those chains have been as unsuccessful az
the efforts, according to Gifford's version, 10
extract brains from the skull of Mavlus:
'IIe that would seek for brains in Mmvius's skull
May shear his hogs, poor fool and milk his bull. ("
1t is not very wonderful that men who are
for breaking the Ia,cs are ever sensitive on the
subject of chains The la,cs are chains. To
speak Of the laws as chains was very common
thing with Cicero. Thus, in his Grafton for
Cluentius, section 50, there is an admirable
passage, worthy of all commendation at the
present moment Mr.. Charles Sumner is very
fair, classical scholar; will he be SO obliging as
TO translate the passage for the advantage Of
every member of the Massachusetts Legisla-
ture who is not-bearing in mind that, by the
word ler, Cicero never meant "a tancied loy-
aity to Iaac"-"lIoc enim vinculum est hujus
dignitatis, qua fruimur in republica, hoe funda-
mentum liber,atis, hic fons aquitatis. Mems,
ct animus, ct consilium, ct sententia civitatis,
posita est in legibus. Ut corpora nostra sine
mente; sic civiias sine lege, suis partibus, ut
nervis, ac sanguine, ct membris, uti non polest
Legum mnistri, magistratus; legum Interpreters,
judices; legum denlque idcrco omnes servi SUI
mus, ut liberi esse possmus."
In his oraton for Cacina, sec. %, the la,cs
are chains, as before" Nam qui jus civile con-
leinnendum putat, is vincua revellit non modo
judicorum, sed etiam utlitatis ytaque COM
munis."
The venerable chief justice of the supreme
judicial court of Massachusetts, seems not to
have been annoyed by these chains. He readily
comprehended the case. He perceived the
wisdom of guarding from fresh outrage that
very tribunal which had been SO successfully
assailed by band of black and white ruffians.
He passed these chains, as conveniently for
himself, and the officers of the law, as he de-
sired to pass them. The idea Of personal or
official degradation never entered his clear,
strong mind, for a moment.
The miserable twaddle about his creeping
under these chains is quite worthy of those who
utter it. The chains were raised and he walked
under them like other good citizens. He had
humber ideas of himself than our friend Mr..
Dana, who hoped over them with the Palfrey
after him, and then went all the way to Wor-
cester to tell of it.
The grave and the ridiculous are sometimes
so near to each other that the antagonist mus
cles of soemnity and mirth almost tear one
asunder.
When intelligent lawyers make fuss about
these chains grieve to hear it, because fear
they lie most desperately No honest lawyer
will contend that any one Of the precautionary
measures taken, upon the late occasion, was
superfuous. Least of all are those to be lis
tened to who were members of vigilance com
mittees-who have convened and taken sweet
counsel together, to violate law of the United
States-who have passed and published reso-
oh r;aJ
end in treason--who have instructed their vigi-
lance committees of fifty, when the negroes
were in peril from no cause but the operation
ofparamount law, 'sto take all measures they
shall deem erpedient 10 protect the cotored people
Of this city in The enjoyment Of their ircs and
Hberties'- by their committees and others,
acting under their counsel and instigation, act
ually levied war against the United States, and
rescued prisoner from the lawful custody of
the deputy marshal, who were personally pres
ent, encouraging the mob in their treason, and
stood by, and clapped their hands in emulation
to see the majesty Of the laD and the statutes of
the United States trampled under foot. ask,
with deep solemnity, and in the name Of God,
what right have these TRAITORS to complain
that chains are nterp0sed to prevent a repeti-
tion of their enormous outrage, which is no
thing less than the highest crime known to the
law2 There is no more fitting place for chains,
unless upon the bodies Of these bad citizens,
who would trampe on the laws and rebel
against the Constitution of their country
Wolves, with the very same propriety, may
express their Indignation towards those who
protect themselves against their depredations
Nothing is too respectable to be secure from
the abuse of these fanatics. During one of their
late orgies, when, like madmen, they were still
rattling these chains, some one of their spicy
orators, referring to Chief Justice Shaw, who
had incurred their malice by refusing their ap-
picaton for the writ of habeas corpus, ridiculed
him for having "cra,cled under the chains like
a .feton;" upon which some Abolitionist or
Free-soiler in good standing, dare say, ex-
claimed, "He is a. .fcton"
These interesting gentlemen have since
turned their attention to Judge Woodbury., who
said upon the bench that he aro,ld maintain
the laos or perish in the attempt; and for the ut
terance of these words they have endeavored to
render him ridiculous. The only ground for
this attempt must be that'the strength of the
expression was uncaled for by the occasion
Let us see how this was. Let us not forget, at
the outset, that those who say the expression
was mlcalIed for are the very persons who say
the proclamation was uncaLed for, the resolu-
tions of the aldermen and common council
after Bigelow's detection were amcalled for,
the chains were ,mcalled for, the military were
mpcaled for, the prosecution of Wright and the
other incendiaries was wholly 1ncalled for
and that nothing was called for but reasonable
meetings, cigiIace committees, liberty bells, and
abolition iawyers.
These abolition lawyers are certainly gre
garious race, by the way. Woods description
Of New England wolves is rather piquant.
''They are always hungry and fierce; they have
shrill, disagreeable bark; they are herring
gutted, atrabiious, and go in packs"
When Judge Woodbury. said that he would
maintain the laws or perish in the attempt, he
was surrounded by several Of these lawyers;
and he well knew that the game they proposed
to play was everlasting. He well knew the
characters of those before him. Mr. Sewal
instructed Judge Woodbury. that there was no
law for slavery, and the Judge promptly an
swered not a fool according to his folly. The
relation of Messieurs Dana and Sumner TO the