New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-11-30
THE SLAVE TRADE.

N
,oppded, conquered, by iupudsnce. II any Chris
,;,p no mstter how Indifferent his talents for dis
pu.stiop, should assert, according TO the Thug or
tbodoxy, ASA sinaticn to be cOmely, who OF u'
would take up our steel pens or goose qallls to
trove il TO be Otherwise The very fact that hu-
man being bad conceived Hssraut wrong to be
sacred rsht would silence our most loquac'ou'
In the worlds affairs, some mat
tiers must be settled. It ought t. be well under
,tood that larceny ii-lsrceny That there IS such
thing as personal right. That the Nation has NOT
either from Hesven Earth or Hell, any charter 70
do noDstrous injustice. That the Slave Trade is pre-
ciseIy ,uch an injustice. Aud when any man comes
forward to say that be thinks that stealing Africans
ard bripsing them TO the United States, and re-
duciDg them to condition Of perpetual eryltude'
ia the best business in which our people and this
sRe can be employed, our hair stands upon eud'
our Jaws are locked our pen.hand il paraly1e1 aud
We are generally knocked down. Wedo not kno"
what to cay. Ages Of argument are behind US; ID
ca Gu able regiments Of logic are with US; oil the
hopes of man protest before us-and yet We feel
like ,urrenderiDg. Simply because nobody likes TO
be called upon to prove that two aod two make four
that the squares Of the two legs Of right ansled
triangle are equal to the square OF the hyPothenu'e
-tbata ght line is the shortest distance from
one point TO another-thst black is back, aud that
While is white. 1t is irritating to be required t.
demonstrate either Of these proportions 1t is
equally irritating to be asked to parry arguments in
favor Of the Slave. Trade. One 10 lOst in wonder
that any man. at large and not in the Penitentiary,
should have the beroism to proclaim such opinions
Yet there 10 such brave.
His name is L. W. spratt he was member
of that last ornamental convocation called South
ern Commercial Convention. In the ilustrious
Congress, be urged the beauties and Advantages OF
tho slave trade He 10 member OF the Com
pittee appointed to report upon the subject at the
next reunion Of the Commercial Southerners. BIT
Sp,stt cannot wait. he has burst into premature
reporting. He is writing a series Of articles to
eight of which he has already given birth with
psrturient facility-very long and really quite
clever articles, printed in The Ns,o. Orleans Deits
In these be advocates the propriety, the humanity
the Justice the legality, the beauty, and the bless
edne.s of the African slsve-trade, and urges with
such talent as has beer been vouchsafed to him. its
i'm med date revival.
We do not propose to answer Dir. Spra.t We
should as soon think Of answering South Sea
islander who had written an article in favor Of de-
vourpg or e's grandmoth er-or New York garroter
who had put forward an apology for bis midnight
pa.time-or Mormon elder who had pamphleteered
defense of polygamy. At this late day We are
net Quixctc enough to enter into any combat TO
prove the utter, entire, absolute, naked and unnis-
abable wong Of the Slave-Trade. 1t 10 accursed
of God and man. There has not been during the
last century an able public person who has not de-
nounced it. 1t bias been mathematical BY orators,
by poets, by statesmen, by morallsts-from the
berch, from the pulpit, in the newspapers, IN Par
lisments and Congresses in statutes and in constitu
tons. 1t never bad respectable defender. II
never brought any thing but shame, misery aDd re
morse upon those engaged 10 it. 1t never secured
the commercial prosperity of single port of this
continent The hand of Providence has been
against it. The feelings, tastes, pr'judiees, emo.
tions, sentiments Of mankind have been against it..
Legislation and law the current Of public opinion,
the conviction Of private thought have been sgsinss
it. To gentle minds it has been abhorreht. To
the political economist it has been monster. To
the logicisn it has been 9 stumbling block. To the
Christian it has been an offebse.
We have no doubt that if Mr. Spratt will but suf.
6ciently exercise his lively parts, that he can pro-
duce series of Essays in defense Of burglary,
murder, larceny, adultery and polygsmy. He
would not, however, in tina: way, create any claim
upon the attention Of tie world Virtuous men
are not disposed to waste their time in showing
that sin is ,inful. The mere morality of the Afri.
can Save Trade is settled forever. The debate is
closed. The great Previous Question was long ago
taken, and the answer Of all the world was, thai the
kidnapping Of human beings for the purpose of sale.
was crime, aud very dirty crims. There is
nothing TO dispute about. Mr.. spratt may write
eight or eighty articles in favor of this accursed
traffic. So msy he write in favor Of Perpetual No.
ii ion and tie Squarins Of the Circle. But why
should be be, not answered for that 10 out Of the
question:, but alluded tot
Simply because We believe upon good authority
that there is well. planned scheme 10 batray this
nation into vilainy for the sake Of prs6t. Because
we have good cause to fear that, embroidered By q
coar,e and bMbarous decision Of the Supreme Court
bad men are corspiripg to zee how much further
they can tempt the Judges into the support ofsemi
civilized institutions. Becau,e We are credibly In
formed thst in one Of our Southern ports vessel is a.
ready fitting for the coast Africa and that her xn-
er, intend publicly to land their csrso Of human be-
nss. Because We are not at slI sure that Roger B.
fancy will not decide that Africaus fresh from their
naive spd have no rights which white meo are bound
70 respect Becsute webeleve that the Court would
H. Il. l.