The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1854-10-12

the greatest ends of every wise Government
In a free Government, il lies at the very basis
of all its institutions STORY.
claws were originally made for the security
of the people. Cicero.
aJusties is the end of government IL Is the
end of civil society.n-Fsderaiist.
"To establish justice is one Of the declared
objects of the Federal Constitution.
aThe primary aim of society government
ia to project individuals in the enjoyment OF
those absolute rights which were vested in
them by the immutable laws of nature. Hence
it follows that the first and primary end of .hu
man laos is to maintain those absolute rights Q,
individuals Blackstone.
It is evident that slavery counteracts all the
ends and objects of law, and consequently can
not ITSELF be legal
Nv. DIGNITY OF LAW.
"Of law, no less can be acknowledged than
that her scat is the bosom of God, her voice
the harmony of the world. All things in
heaven and earth do her homage-the least a.
feeling her care, and the greatest as not OK,
empted from her power."-Hooker.
Reverse this description, and you have m
honest and truthful picture of the slave codes
of the slave States.
Before American slavery can be proved to
be legal, it will be necessary to manufacture
some new description of law-to establish, on
high authorities some new definitions of law
some new rules for discriminating between
valid and invalid laws-to find some new &C.
count of the ends of law and the objects of legal
science-to gain some new and widely differ.
ens conceptions of the moral dignity of lew.
". THE HIGHER LAW.
~The law of nature, being coeval with man.
kind, and dictated by God himself, is, of course
IL, ny6nx sc md
ing, all over the globe, in all countries, apd al
ali times. No human laws have any validity
if contrary to this; and such of them az are
valid, derive all their force, mediately or ilme-
diately, from this original" -Forteseue.
The inferior must give place to the sspe.
rior-magps la1cs to Gods laws. If therefore
any statute be enacted contrary to there, il
ought to be considered of no authority III the
laws of England"
vi. NATURAL RIGHTS INALIENABLE
"Those rights which God and nature have
established, and which are therefore called
natural rights-such as life and LIBERTY
need not the aid Of human laws to be more
effectually vested in every man than they are
neither do they receive any additional strength
when declared by the municipal laws to be In
violable. On the contrary, no human legisla
ton has power to abridge or destroy them, IN
less the owner himself shall commit some aci
that amounts to forfeiture" -Forteseue
VII. SLAVERY DECLARED ILLEGAL.
"The law, therefore, which supports slapers
and opposes liberty, must necessarily be CON-
demned as cruel, for every feeling Of nature
advocates liberty. Slavery is introduced
through human wickeduess; but God advocNtee
liberty by the nature which he has givoD to
man.O-Fortescue.
1t would be easy to multiply quotations, tbut
these are sufficient to prove that slavery an.
not possibly be legalzed. 1t is commonly ad-
mitted that slavery cannot exist by com. aon
law, nor under its authority. But there 81 SIMS
to be an erroneous impression with many, hat
common law is only subatcrn to sta ute
law, supplying its absence, the best way it, an
until it makes its appearance, and then y I'D.
ing up the throne of authority in its favor SC
that slavery may be legalzed By statute, tho Ugh
condemned by the common law. This las has
been shown) is the position commonly Nd lin
tanned by the Southern courts. But it IS moi
so. The reader of these brief abstracts OF the
common law will see that its authority is ira
mount to ell written or statute law. This j its
distinctive nature. This is it's essence T. all
this, and to nothing less, it lays claim. To
deny its existence in this character, anc its
authority to this extent, is the same as DEM ing
its existence, authority, and character, Ito
gether. And no nation, under any forD, Of
government, can have any security for its lib.
critics, without rovering the paramount sau-
thority of natural or common law.
WILLIAM GooDELj-