Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1857-03-20
go BE JOYFuI..n

seRger is rejoicing about3 If not We will
inform such of them rs also read the
! Journal
l. Tho Messenger rcjoices because the
Supreme Court has decided that negro
cannot be citizen of the United States
What howl of unutterable anguish that
exponent Of liberal democracy would have
set up, had the same Court decided that an
Irishman could not be a citizen. We arc
not hostile to Irshmen, but we will take six
of tho "Celts" and six 'darkies" at random
as they run our streets, and we will venture
our own citizenship that the darkies come
out ahead on an examination before the
School Board. Is not a negro mani
Docs the Messenger know Thomas Jeffer-
son! In the original draft of tho Declara-
ton Of Independence, as written by Jcfer-
son, occur these words. ale the King of
Great Britain has waged cruel war against
human nature ITSELF violating its most sa-
cred rights of life and liberty, in the per-
sons of distant people who never offended
him, captivating and carrying them into
slavery in another hemisphere, or to incur
miserable death in their transportation
thither. This piratical warfare, the appro-
blum of infdel powers, is the warfare of the
Christian King of Great Britain. Deter
mined to keep open market where men
should be bought tand sold, he has prosttuted
his negative for suppressing every legisla-
tive attempt to prohibit or restrain this exc
cradle commerce" The people who were
thus captured and sold into slavery were
negroes Did Jefferson think negroes pos
scssed "human nature? Did he regard
them as "men"? 1t is true this passage
was struck out of the Declaration before it
was adopted by Congress, but it shows con-
clusively what were the sentiments of Thos
Jefferson. This "warfare on human nature
ITSELF" is now the great business of democra-
cy; and when the Supreme Court of the
United States, or five of its justices who arc
from slave states and constitute majority,
continue this war by deciding that negro
cannot be citizen of the United States,
the Messenger is frantic with joy. Does
any one wish to know on what ground this
decision was placed9 We will tell them.
1t was not because the Constitution declares
that none but white men are citizens, for
their are no words in it that even slavehold-
ing logic can torture into such a meaning.
The Constitution docs not define who shall
be citizen of the United States, but says
"the citizens of each state shall be entitled
to all the privileges and immunities of citi-
zens in the several states. If then Ohio
gives the right of citizenship to the colored
people, they are at least entitled to appeal
to the laws for protection when in any other
state. But this is precisely what the Su-
preme Court denied to Dred Scott because
he is a negro. The Supreme Court, or the
slaveholding justices thereof, in language
that would befit the mouths of pirates, say
that negro cannot be a citizen of the Uni
ted States, not because the Constitution
excludes him in words, but because, at
the time of its adoption "nobody regard
cd the negro as having rights which were
entitled to respect" This they claim was
the universal opinion Of mankind. Was
this the opinion of Jefferson? Was this
, the opinion of the highest Court in England
when it decided three years before, in the
celebrated Somerset case, that slave i;
f free as soon as he touches British soil, anC
Q breathcs English air. For our own part We
| would rs soon see the right of citizenship
: denied to an Irishman or German on &C
, count of his birth, as to a negro on account
f of his color. A late New Orleans pape
: states that negroes-free of course--owl
r four millions Of property in that city. Ii
V the constitution of the state of Louisiana
IS the word white is not found. Until within
l. a short time free negroes could vote in Nortl
c Carolina. We protest against the decision
f. of the Supreme Court, in the name of "hu
c man nature ITSELF" which is common alik
G to white and black, to Irishman, Germa
II and American.
J .. The Messenger rejoiccs because tn
IS Supreme Court has decided that Congres
has no power to exclude slavery from tn
II Territories, that the people of a Territor
81 have no such right, at least until the
&c come to form state constitution. All I'll
&c territories arc therefore thrown open
Il slavery, whereat the Messenger is wild wit
y Joy. Jefferson, Madison, Washington an
D. all the worthless who framed the Constit
'e ton, did not know its meaning. 1t renal
az cd for the Messenger and the Supren
~ Court to discover its true intent. WhC
~ these men passed the Ordinance of g
" which excluded slavery from the great Nor
W. West, they did not know that they were
!" olating the Constitution. Ifthe MesSeng
VI, had been in existence then, they won
''i have been taught their duty. Now Il
'"- Messenger and the Supreme Court have d