New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-06-25

Paul Louis Courier, who was one OF the most
spriebtly ard pervOus of the French writers, some
where exclaims, 6 God preserve from malignity
ard metaphors !" We Americans have occasion
for similar prayer. We ought to say, God pre-
serve US from palienity and general terms. There
is 20 much mischief and falsehOod, for instance,
concealed uIder the phrase, "The equality of the
States" that it i, thing to be deprecated.
"The States of the Union are equal" says the
Douglasite politician, "and have equal rights in
the Territories which is true in words, but not
true as to what he means by it, 1t s true that the
people Of the several States as people, stand on
footing Of perfect equality in respect to the action
of the General Government, or in respect TO the
ownership of the Territories but it is not true, as
this politician MEANS that the people of the sew
eral States are equal to their special or exclu-
five privileges. His general term, "the States,
includes great deal too much. The shareholders
have right to the Territories as part of the COM
muni;y, but not as shareholders. Their being
slave holders is peculiar status determined by the
usages, by tho laws, perhaps, of their peculiar
locality Their being citizens of the Union is de-
termined by the general laws of the Union.
The question is not, then, whether the people
of the Southern States have right to the Terri
torie.-which no one denies-but whether they
possess such right as people or as shareholders.
Our position ia, that they hold it only as people;
that as slave holders, their right when they
remove beyond their special locality; and that
nothing but positive law, or the consent OF the
inhabitants of the Territories, can allow or estab-
lish Slavery where it is not already allowed or
| established Their rights as people have never
been debated anywhere, or by any one; but their
rights as Shareholders must be strictly construed
The rights Of the Southern States have never been
| disputed; but the rights of an uncomfortable
faction of their inhabitants must not be COMPOUNDED
| with the rights Of the States.
The States are enc thing and the slavehoders
| another-the people Of the States are one thing
| and the people who Gwn slaves are another; and
| the up.ndous mistake Of the Doaglasite poll
| ticians is in confusing things 50 different The
States consist of the entire body of citizens who
s6here to and are recognised by their laws; while
the shareholders are q few private individuals
| Guaranteed a certain species Of property. 1t
would b. as msnsirous in principle as it is in
arithmetic to suppose that the latter were in any
sepse the body polite. They are only parts oil the
body polite, enjoying particular monopoly; bat
no more to be considered politically, because OF that
monopoly, than merchant in New-York is to be
considered politically, because he owDs bank stock
or a farmer in New. Jersey, because he owns Cam
den and Amboy .hsres. His owning such pro-
perry is peculiar favor he is INDUCED In BY the
community in which he resides and has in itself no
validity outside of that community
| How few these private individuals called slave
holders are, though they set up to be the Southern
States is fact which deserves to be kept always
| il mind 1t is common to speak OF them a' some
three hundred thousand in numbers but that is an
over statement The real effective owners oil
slaves in the United States-those who sickle for
| il as an institution ,hoee with whom 1t is an &C.
tual and great Interstate just 92,257-nnetJ'
! two thousand two hundred and fifty seven. In tho