Washington sentinel. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1856, 1855-08-11
A STEP BACKWARD.

task certain tanalics WHO opJcct 10 euucdLed poH-
ticians, and others who seek to make the Federal
Judiciary elective, because Judge Kane has
decided in the Wheeler case according TO law,
and not according To the wishes of the ia
natics, who, holding that the end justifes the
means, wilfully and knowingly disregard, con-
travene and violate every law and all constitu-
lions which stand in their way. 1t is quite sufii-
cent that, in their view, the end is good one,
for them 10 override every obstacle of order,
law, and humanity. To save drowning fly they
would wade through seas of human blood; to
drive out vermn, they would confagrate the
sacred temple
Yet the very same columns of the Inieliigencer,
of the same date, show that Chief Justice Ellis
Lewis, elected by HE people, fully sustained Judge
kane-refusng to interfere.
The charges made against Judges Kane, Loring,
and Lewis, and others, are not that they have
violated the duty they had sworn to perform,
that they had disregarded the laws and the Con-
stituton, but that they had strictly conformed
to their duty and their oatns that they had re-
9arded the behests of the laws and the Constitu
ton. Should not people suspect that cause,
gard of oaths, of official duties, of law, and Of
the Constitution; who have but one idea of good
that is, that negroes are to be nominally free
and to accomplish this, every law, duty, Coast
tuition, and virtue, may and should be over
ridden;
If for negroes to be free, were n synonym fol
their certain amelioration, for their comfort, and
would insure their advance in virtue and intelli-
gence, some allowance might be made for a
iervid zeal. But, when all experience has shown
that freedom has caused in the negro race de-
generacy, physically, morally, and mentally
people should pause about perpetrating this ques-
tionablc freedom, at the expense of honor, hon
esty, land good faith.
If hand in hand with their efforts to free the
negro, they would devise means insurng freedom
to be blessings and their condition improved,
much might be allowed to incorporate zeal.
But when, on one hand a bold and shameless
disregard of law, and the rights of others, accom-
pany the effort TO free negroes, aud the success,
when accomplished, only leaves the negro to re-
pentance and suffering, rendering him nuisance
TO society, and burden to himself, sound
minded and sound principled men cannot but dis
trust the motives of action, which producing nj
good, yet constantly clash with the good orde
and peace of society.
Congress and the Legislatures passing laws ar,
elected, and yet the laws passed by those elected
representatives of the people do not please them
they want elected judges to disregard these laws
which happen not TO please them. And when al
elected Judge happens 10 act honestly, in the
case of Judge Lewis, they denounce him as VIC
ently as an appointed Judge.
What rs there in the atmosphere Of Phadel
phia which rclaxcs the ties between master an,
slave3 The criminal records Of that city alon
exceed the sum total Of all the slave States pu
together. The number Of murders, rapes, riots
burglaries, assaults, thieving, and vice and crim
Of every description are more than fourfold in thu
free States over that in the slave States Shout,
not this fact make these philanthIopists look a
home TO cure these evils; they not see thu
beam in their own eye as well as the mote in 4
brothers;
The crimes and vices of the free States ar,
spontaneous Slavery at the South is an i'm
posed evil; whilst il, the South, as if holding
wolf by tho ears, may well fear mere from givin!
the slave his liberty than by, holding on, unles
previous arrangements be made TO clear him on
on loosing him.
Individually the people of the South will com
pare with those Of the North lf, then, slavery
has made them worse, than has the Astounding
criBe and vice at the North made all the Nortl
bad, why is il they cannot view the South in tn,
light which the South would like TO view the Nortl
while regretting the mountains of crime heapinG
up the North yet giving credit to their northern
brethren for being cstimable, notwithstanding tn,
presence Of much evil; One thing is inevi
table, and that is this-from the date of emanci
patton al the South will the catalogue Of crime
vice, misery, and poverty at the South begin t.
increase, and continue 10 swell, until such stat,
Of things will arise would convince the advo
cates-the honest advocates-of emancipation
that il was a measure which could be wisely deal
with only by those upon whom it would act.