The Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, Ohio) 1853-1861, 1857-12-17
"The Morals of interpretation"

HnG NHOEutS %
Since Daniel Webster, the great Constitu-
tional e1pounder, has gone to his grave, his
mantle, instead of falling on the shoulders Of q
single individual to be borne in judicial majesty,
has been, apparently, sciEsd and torn into shreds
by hundreds of pottifoggers, each OF whom
hourishes his little rag of Constitutional critI-
cism. Never since the days when Satan ex-
pounded the Divine Constitution to our mother
Eve, has a smaller criticism expounded moral
principles on smaller scale, than has OF late
been done in church and State, III this country.
Within few years nothing right has been
found Constitutional. In fifteen States, laws
passed against drunkenness, have been either
whole or in part, pronounced unconstitutional
In more than hundred entertainments OF prl-
vate and public frauds, prosecution for fraud
has been declared unconstitutional. In our
highest court treating men with skin darker
than our own as il they were Of the one Great
ed blood has been declared unconstitutional and
penal In the General Assembly, the attempt TO
discipline for slsveholding has been argued
against as unconstitutional, and so decided in
several Southern church courts Printing tracts on
che evils of slavery, is unconstitutional at N Y.
Withholding d from slaveholding churches is
1tnconstittt onuL in Philadelphia. In a word.
every right thing seems TO have become uneon-
stitutonal.
But the following things are not unconsttu-
10 UlOhe uTullAaiuei "lhO"si iP"uhe
and criminals by the rum traffic is Constitu-
tionsl. To embezzlc hundreds of thousands
OF dollars is not unconstitutional. To buy
and sell, whip and deiraud, defie and de-
grade immortal souls, so the skin Is colored,
Is Constitutional. To sanction such system
by the action of the General Assembly, was
deemed Constitutional For the Home Mis-,
sionary Society to aid churches in which such
;hings might be done, was Constitutional. For
tha npa tv d a =
monY against such things was Constitutional.
Verify, wrong in our time, seems the only Con-
stitutional thing-the palladium OF our Consti-
tutious; and Paul seems right in terrible sense
when he saws, Know that The law is not made
for a righteous man, but for th. lawless and
disobedlent for the ungody and for sinners, fol
the unhOly and proans, Tor murdererS Of tdth-
srs and HIurdercrs of mothtrs torsmdH-stdyers
for trAOrcmoHgers Tor them that delile them
selves with mankind, for maH-stGdLcrS, e. sci
lers of men," Wlclif) for liars, for perjurcd per
sons, anl il thsrs be any other thing that ls
contrary 10 sound doctrine"
And how is this iniquIty sanctioned and
made Constitutional BY eIeg'sls, BY inter
PntaIion, by constituting the Consttutlons--the
Constitution OF Gods government, as aii down
in the Bible; the Constitution Of the United
States the Cun,litusIon of the several States
the Constitution OF the Presby terrain Church
the Constitutions OF the Tract aud Home Mis-
sionary Societies. All these charters oil human
rights had been hitherto construed, as If right
were the Constitutional thing sought 10 be pro
tected ami indeed, 10 ilaln .er, The tone
of oil these documents did read that way bu
new science OF verbal criticism, lately dls
covered, has shown that wrong Is the only Con
stiiutional thing thers 10, and 10 preserve tAu
hoary martyr were oil charters framed and
rsinstate him, in all hls immuallts AMI PRIV
ileges, are all these charters to BE- Intsrpre.ed.-
The Divine Constitution should read, or wal
meant TO read, Thou shat love thy whitt
usighbor az thyself" Ths Declaration of lnde
psndence, and the Constitution that grsW ou
OF it, it has been discovered BY thI microscopic
criticism, " hold these truths to be selfevden
('sacred' in the original drait,) that all Dhttt
men created equal, &c" aud that BLACK
men have NJ right. which white men are bound
to respect" Ohius Constitution, sswas proved
few years since, By learned grammatical com
ments on the conjunction and we thinhwa'
made for al and comfort to drunkard makers
aud not for the sober community.
By this SANE lofty style of Constitutional eI
position, the Tract Society has made its char
ter mean that it is unconstitutional to sal
anything against slavery, but judging from lou
or five circulars, &c, Constitutional TO say cv
srything for it.
A single lcord capable OF baing wrsstsl to tn,
iurong, is more powerful than Constitution
breathing right, in its whole spirit. This IS tn
symptom OF fearful disease. .--CGRtraL Chris
tian Herald,
.