True American. [volume] (Steubenville [Ohio]) 1855-1861, 1857-08-05

perty Of Charles Stewart, Esq, of Vir'
ginia, who had held him as a slave in
Virginia; that while in England he had
run away from his master, but had been
recovered, and he was about to send him
10 Jamaica to be sold for The benefit ol
the Virginia gentlemen. The facts OF
the case were admitted, and consequently
the case turned solely upon the point wheth
er man could hold in England property in
man. This was the case to be argued
and decided. Eminent counsel were re.
Iained, both for the slave and the master
The case was heard before full Court,
of which Lord Mansfield was the ChieI
Justice. After several months delay, the
Judgment Of the Court was delivered,
which will forever stand in the annals of
English jurisprudence as the most remark
able and important ever delivered. With
little expansion il says openly: ITO every
man his natural rights justice to all,
without distinction of person, without
abridgement, without compromise. Let
justice be done, though it drags down
the pillars of the sky" And again: 81
care not for the supposed dicta of Judges,
however eminent, il they be contrary to
all principle" He declared that, "tra-
cling slavery to natural principles, it can
neve. be supported. Slavery cannot
stand on any reason, moral or political
but only by virtue of positive laws" and
he clinched his conclusion by the un.
questionable statement that "in matters
SO odious the evidence and authority of
this law must be taken strictly" and
therefore, said this grave Judge, "let the
negro be discharged" AS Mr.. Sumner
says in his published address upon the
life and character Of Granville Sharpe,
"this triumph, which was hailed at the
time by the friends of human happiness,
exultalion has been commemorated by
poetry and eloquence. 1t prompted Cow
per, in his Task, 10 these touching YER
ses: ..-.......
Slaves cannot breathe in England if their
lungs 0....
Receive our air, that moment they are free.
They touch our country and their shackles
fall. ....
That's noble, and bespeaks nation proud
And Jealous of the blessing. Spread it then,
And let it circulate through every vein
OF all your empire. that where Rritan's
power
Is felt, mankind may feel her mercy too
1t inspired Curran with a burst of elo-
quence which can never be forgotten {;
and it was this triumph which lifted
Brougham. in our own day, to one of
those vivid utterances by which truth is
flashed upon most unwilling souls.
We find that at the time Of our revolu.
tion, courts and the public men of both
England and America were disposed to
treat Slavery, not only as an evil but as a
monslrous wrong, which could not be
created or prolonged by the mere dicta of
court, but could only be tolerated when
supported by virtue of positive law
That was the doctrine of the men of the
revolution, and such have been the decis.
ions Of our courts and of The Supreme
Court of the United States up TO within a
few years. The monstrons doctrine now
maintained by the pro-Slavery Fedora.
lists and enuncated in the Dred Scott
decision, that the constitution protects
Slavery as much as il does Liberty,-that
the institution may be extended to wher:
ever our limits extend, moi only without
positive law but in spite of Territorial
laws to exclude and bar it, is now the
fundamental law of the modern Fedora
list, to be executed by Buchanan and ex-
pounded by Taney State Journal.