New-York daily tribune., 1856-05-24

adherence 70 tie coumon Government. t. uni
foru aid universal p,l~y, before hin, lad been 10
leave al local affair 20 local lesi .lstgres; bu, he
lstor,d To give th.u a National re,ognltloa
siayery Has deen.d the peculiar blessing or re
peculiar r.i.rry Of the S;a- = II 'hch 4 wa m.n
"a nd; tu, Mr Calhoun claimed Ia ion, sanction
ior it. even s,.le be asserted i,s complete exempt
ir, III na,iSnal control.
Out OF the embrace OF NJ. Calhogns stringent
doctrine Of Safe Rght-, aud hi- locations doc
time o: Saver. there sprang hybrid whica he
.Ined the equilibrium OF the e'a.es. By some
singular freak "i logc lie arrived as the conclusion
that the Copstltu Jon was compact between
number Of Sia'e- called Free and anolher nputer
called Slaye; and be came 20 regard i. as :no hi.a-
est duty OF Americnn stat..m1n-aip TO preserve AZ
equality OF equilibrium between these high con-
tracing parties. II il unortunac ;oT tais theory
that il ], not sustained ii her h-t"rical! or
thcore ,icaly, or prac'cally-which circumstances.
however, did not diminish Mr. Ctlnouns st'ach-
nent TO il, or loosen tie ;enaci,y with which ne
clung 10 il 10 the last Historically. the dis,inc-
tOn between tie Free and the Slave States ~as
unknown at ,he me ,he Constitution was formed.
All the States, with single exception we're Slaye
States, ard there was then "no North and no
South" Theoretically this doctrine Of eqailib'i-
uIn is q moustrous fiction. The Constitution knows
nothing OF it: that instrument provides for certain
equality smong the States in their Senatorial rep
reseLtatioD, but 10 any equilibrium between GER
tain classes of States aud others il is silent IS
the Bible ia about Purgatory No kini OF con-
siruction, strict or liberal, can extract any such
absurdity from its seDteBces-nOr is There phrase
in it admitting Of such inference as peryerson.
The doctrine is simple, entire, original invention
of Mr.. Calhoun. For, practically, again, 1t is
extremely preposterous. No human wisdom could
maintain an equality between Free aud Slave
States The Slave States might subjugate the
Free States by force, aud so mantoin despotc
ascendency; but under any free and liberal con-
diii,n Of things the Slave States must fall into the
back. ground. The progress, the development, the
growth of nations, in every respect depends both
for its rapidity and it's extent upon the degree of
their freedom; and therefore to yoke system of
Free States and system of Slave States together,
and to insist that they should keep pace with each
other, is more prodigious folly than that OF the
old man who expected Pegasus and the Drudge-ox
to work in the same harness. And this fact, We
suspect, was the secret Of Mr. Calhouns neology.
He saw that the Free States, in consequence of
their freedom, were shooting UNNECESSARILY ahead
of his fayorite Slave States, and felt that, unless
some means of preserving the equilibrium were
invented the latter would tall into insignihcance
aid decay. His system is, therefore, kind OF pro-
test or provision against the inevitable laws OF
nature.
This vindcation of Slavery on the ground Of its
natural right and justice, new a. il is in our own
annals, il no less novelty to the general opinion
of mankir d. Slavery has existed in all ages, and
has been justif, in all ages; bat it has existed
an anomaly, AID so been justified. 1t was reserved
for Mr.. Calhoun and his school to proclaim it the
normal condition of society, divine in it's origin and
ben. fcent in it's effects. The Greeks and the Ro-
mans, when they reduced TO bondage, did
so. mainly, because he was a captive of war and it
was better alternative than putting him to death.
The feudal barons Of the Middle Ages did so, be-
cause it seemed a necessity in the peculiar orgaui-
zatiOn or rather disorganizatioD, of society. The
reckless Spanish conquerors of America, in enslav-
ing the Indians, knew that they were acting in the
spirit OF robbers and pirates, and did not conceal
the guilt. But our Southern subugators in the
ethics Of their champion, are the especial nstru-
ments of Heaven, and, for the first time in the his
tory ofman have discovered the secret ofthe restor
alton to Paradise. All that the writers on morals
have hitherto taught Us to the eternal obligation of
justice-all that publicsts have expounded as to
the origin, nature and end of civil sOciety-al that
economists have demonstrated Of the causes of so
cal prosperity or decline-all that theOlOgans
have told US of the essential equality of man, is
illusion and an error, and must give way to the
brilliant conception of Mr. Calhoun, to the true
relation of the White and Black races
THE AMERICAN PULPIT. By HrSRY FOWLER. 3vo.,
pP. 5l3 J. n. FsrchId Co.