New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-04-11
though the beat means be rejected, the end must Id
time be attained.
We have commented at considerable length upon

basis Of the late slsye-driving pronuLcamento
euuncisted by Chief Justice fancy, in the name oil
himself and his syveholding brethren, from the
bench Of the Supreme Court of the United State'-
q propupc;amiento in which those who JOIN 10 It,
throwing aside their Judicial robes and all the pro-
prie,ies and dscences Of their high Office renounc-
ing their law and their learning. present themselves
before the public in the simple character of slave
holderr ready to employ any nesded amount Of
falsehood and of force to maintain their usurped
authority We have also commented st some
length spon the feeble and sophstica reasonings By
which, starting from those assumptions OF FACT
the FIVE shareholders reach their foregone con-
clusiop. But there is still another not less
noticeable matter in the opinion delivered BY
Chief Justice fancy, to which We have not
yet alluded and which also, so far as
We have observed, hiss escaped the comments OF
other Journals. We refer to the exceedingly cool
piece Of assurance by which those FIVE .aveholdlng
Judges, Pontus Pste-like, undertake to wash
their hands of the tyrannca', iniqultous, narrow
souled doctrines of caste which they promu'gate-
better suited TO q Hindoo tribunal than to q
Christian court-sDd to sh f: off the whole shame,
blame and responsibility upon the shoulders Of the
flaners of the Constitution. Not content with
desecrstpg the Bench on which they sit BY pro-
claiming as the Law Of the land the de-humanlzatien
of three quarters or oUr-ftbs Of the race of man.
kid as having no rights which citizens of the
United States are bound to respect at the same
time rolling sheir eyes as if in holy horror Of so
atroco Gus Nl1ne, they put it forward, not a.
their own =, Lot as corresponding in the
slightest degree with their own humane and en-
ghtened sci timents, but as doctrine originating
in state of opinion which in the present enlieht-
ened age it is difficult to realize
Read the following extracts from Judge Taney's
opinion:
il difficult at this day to realize the state of
public opinion respecting that unfortunate class with
he civilized and eAs htened portion of the world, at
the time of the Declaration Of Independence and the
adoption of the Constitutions but history shows they
have for more than century, been regarded as beings
of an inferior order and unfit associates TOR the white
ace either socially politically. and had M rights
which white men were bound TO respect; ana tne oach
man might be reduced to Slavery, bought and sold,
ar treated ordinary article of merchandise This
opinion at that time wns fixed and universal with the
civilized portion of the white race. 1t was regarded
ae
outing and every one habitusly acted upon it, without
doubling for a moment the correctness OF the
opinion.
stiikingiy enforced by the Declaration OF lndepend-
e1ce. 1t begins thus:
When in the course Of human events becomes necs'
cary for one people dissolve political bonds which have
with another aud among the
of tie earth the equal station which the aw, of
of God eHtite them decent respect to
the opr mankind requires that they should declare the
which upe them to the sepston and then proceeds
We bold these truths to be sefevideutthst all men are
created equal that they are endowed oy the orestor WIN
certain nsenabe shs that among these are e liberty and
the pursuit Of happiness That to secure these rights Goyera
fem the of the governed, &c"
"Tbe words before quoted would seem to embrace
the whole human family; and If used in similar In
srune emit at this day would be understood. But it
il too clear for dispute that the ensaved African
intended to be included for in tina. case the
distinguished men who framed the Declaration OF 10.
dependence would be hagrdn'y against the principles
which they asser,ed. They who famed the Declars-
ton of lIdeT endence were men OF too much honor,
education and intelligence, TO say what they did not
beeve aud they knew that ia no part of the civilized
y ord were The negro race, by common consent, sd-
nitfed to the rights of freemen. They spoke and
acted according the practices doctrines and usages
of the day. Thst unfortunate race was supposed to
be separate from the whites, and was never thought or
spoken Of except property. These opinions under
went change when the Constitution was adopted
Now, even if this had been true representation
o. facts, sti decent respec! for the reputation of
cur Revolutionary fathers and the founders Of our
national insti!u ions might, one would have sup
posed have q little restrained This Notifying ex
posure of nah edness upon which the very exposers
would take credit to themselves as looking with
shame and horror. Let US take the liberty of
that passage Of B blcal history TO which our Pro-
Slavery dv!res are 80 fond of referring going to
show the prophelical origin of Slavery. Il is
related in the Book If Genesis that the patriarch
Noah, having planted vineyard, drank too freely
of The wine it produced AMI was drunken and un-
covered in bis tent. 1t is further recorded that
Ham, the father of Canaap, saw the nakednesa of
bis father and told his two brethren Without
piece of unne cessary and uDflal dlsrespecs which
cur five Shareholders seem very prompt aud very
Jealous to initiate. The narrative states, how
ever, that these two brethren without, instead of
sympathiz ng with the coarse and beastly senti.
ments al d conduct Of their brother, 81 took gar
" ment, and laid it upon both their shoulders,
q" al went backward and covered the nakedness
" Of their father, and their faces were backward,
" and they saw not their fathers nakedness.'
When Noah awoke from bis wineand knew what had
happened, he uttered .ha. memorable exclamation,
" Cursed be Canaan" &c.-an exclamation which
applies with the more force to the present case,
since in the original narrative Shem and Japhet,
the two brethren without, represent the East and
West, while Canaan, the son of Ham, stands for
the South.
But this is an age of Improvement We have
made great advance, on antiquity. Our Pro-
Slavery Judger, in their zeal to find some excuse
for the orgies and ou.rages of themselves and their