New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-01-09
were Members, and unanimously adopted BY that
body on the a6th of April, 1888, cotemporaneousiy
with the treaty of peace gave the following state
uent on this subject:

body on the 18th of April, 1888, cotemporaneousiy
with the treaty of peace, gave the following state
ment on this subject;
LET il be remembered that il has ever been the
pride and boast of America that the rights Tor when
she conteuded were the rights Of human Nature Dy
the blessing Of the Author Of those rights on the me-
exerted for their defense they prevailed against az
position and form the bdsis OF thirteen lnuePenue"
States"
As the Continental Congress began the struggle
for independence by proclamation OF the equal night
of all men to life liberty and the pursuit OF haPPl
ness. SO it closed the war by fresh recognition oil
the same rights, and declaration that they formed
the basis of thirteen independent States. Nor one
word in either of these documents about Tree
white men" or subject races" There was
not a man in the Continental Congress, from the
beginning TO the end of the struggle, who would
not have kicked out of his company, with loathng
and contempt any man who had dared 10 talk IN
his presence about subject races" The idea OF
individuals in a state of subsection was familiar to
those tines the idea of subject races" is quite
new thing among US, the poisonous, toad-stool
growth of dead and decomposlng party.
Having thus set out with ignoring that funds-
mental idea of the American Revolution, upon the
basis of which Thomas Jefferson built up the Dem
ocratc party it is not to be wondered at that fres
dent Pierce and his Attorney General-a blind man
led BY blind guide-the further they proceed on
their historical travels the ofener they tumble into
the ditch. The following, for instance, is the ac'
count they give of the Federal Constitution, and
of the rights recognized by it and existing undern;
when the confederation of States found 1t oonven-
lent 10 modify the conditions OF their ASSOCIATION, Dy
giving to the General Government direct access, IN
some respects 10 the people OF the states instead VI
confpne il 10 action on the States SUCH they pro-
oeeded TO frame the existing Constitution, adhering
steadily to guiding thought, which was to delegate
ONLY such power NJ necessary and proper to the
execution of specific purposes Or IN other words 10
rrtan as much "a possible consistently with those pur-
poses of the independent powers OF the individual
States For objects of common defense and security
they intmsted to the General Government certain care
fully defined functions, leaving all Others a. the uhde
gated rights OF the separate independent sovereign
ties"
This account of the matter quite OVerlOOks the
important fact that even the Federal Constitution
framed in the interest, as it was, of the Con-
seryatiyc and retroactive party, and little pal1t'
able as it therefore was 10 those who at once or
oanized themselves into the Democratic party in
order to prevent that Constitution from being made
d steppng-stone to aristocracy if not to monarchy
Yet did in fact recognize third power beside the
Confederacy and the States, to wit: the people,
whose rights it guarded with no less vigilance
against the encrOachments of the State Govern
ments than against the entertainments OF the Fed
eral Goyernmt mt, and whose welfare it set forth as
the great leading object which the Federal Consti-
tuition itself had in view.
Having passed as il has from horizon TO horizon,
from being the special advocate the rights OF
human nature, to being the special advocate of the
vested rights of slavehOlding aAi igger-Whpping-
from the doctrine of the equality Of all men to the
doctrine of subject races, and of the special
right of "free white men tomake slaves OF every
body else-frOm Thomas Jefferson and the Declare
ton of Independence to Franklin Pierce and the
Kansas-Nebraska bills it not evident that the
party still presuming to call itself Democratic
must be near its utter and final extinguishment
The rich new wine has been changed into yapd
vinegar. The golden chain of human rights let
down from Gods throne has dwindled to the kind Of
cobweb floating on the breath of politicians, out of
WHICH MI. dSsiotduls uhSb NoNtu
the concluding part of his Message. The trumpet
of Liberty to which all the nations of the earth
listened with rayshing delight, is changed into the
croupy tin horn with which the driver summons
the slave gang to their morning labors. Surely,
the end must be near 1t was a bad omen for the
permanent prosperity of the Democratic party that
it's great apostle and founder should have lived and
died STAKEHOLDER. This rOttenness in the root
could not but affect the growth of the plant; and
no wonder that ito matured fruit should prove
smiling villain rotten at the heart-a doughfice
President.
But though the so-called Democratic party ex-
pres, let ii not be thought that the idea OF human
rights is extinct. The torch thrown down and
tramped under foot bytho eager scramblers for
Southern votes has already been caught up by
faithful hands. Borne alof, its light streams and
CLEANS again through the thick darkness. Already
the men of true hearts everywhere, recognizing
that ancient beacon Of hope and signal of victory,
are Fastening to muster around it Already the
watchwOrd passes from rank to rank-Unicn and
Victory!
We publish in another column a letter on the