Weekly hawk-eye and telegraph. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1855-1857, 1857-04-29
Brownson,s q quarterly Review ON tn.


Brownson's Review, by far the ablest Romish
Journal in this country, in the last number, con-
tains severe rebuke Of Chief Justice fancy
and the Supreme Court for their decision in the
bred Scott case. Even Brownson has been shock
ed by the progress, in the direction Of despotism
aud heathenism, made for political ends, by his
papist brother. He shows pretty conclusively
that the decision is subversive of The Constitu.
tiou, of the teachings of the Bible, and such as
no true SON Of that or any other Church can or
will sanction. We appenda few extracts:
''Mr. Chief Justice fancy rests the opinion Of
the Court on the estimation in which the negro
was held at the time the Union was formed
They were regarded as not fit associates socially
or politically for white men, as having no rights
which white men were bound to respect while
nobody denied that they might be bought and
sold as an ordinary article of merchandise. Sup
pose such was the fact, what has that to do with
the question! il it anywhere incorporated into
the Constitution of the Union, or recognized by
the laws of the United Statess OF course not.
Then it cannot be cited against the rights OF free
negroes under tho Federal Government. ,E
"But we dispute the fact There can be no
reasonable doubt that Mr.. Jefferson and many
Others when they declared all men created equal
intended the principle thus asserted after Pope
Alexander III should apply in its fullest extent.
Mr. Chief Justice fancy is Catholic, and knows
that from 1882 the Popes have condemned, on
pain of accommodation, the reduction OF Atri-
can negroes to slavery, and he knows that Mr..
jefferson, in his draft of the Declaration OF In
Dependence enumerated among the things
which justified the Colonies in seyering the
tie which bound them to Great Britain and in
casting off their allegiance to the British Crown,
the fact that the Crown had refused to assent
to laws prohibiting the importation OF Africans
10 be held as slaves.
"Mr Chief Justice fancy seems to US to pro.
coed on the assumption that negroes are polt,-
cally and legally a degraded race in the Union;
but such is not the fact. > = We regret
that in giving the opinion of the Court the learn
ed Judge did not recolect what he is taught ty
his religion, namely the union of the race, that
all men by the natural law are equal, and that
negroes are men, and therefore as to their rights
must be regarded as standing on the same foot
ing with white men, where there is no positive
| or municipal law that degrades them. Here is
what We dare maintain is the error OF the Court.
| We admit that negroes, but not negroes any
more than white men, may be reduced by pos
| tive law to slavery, but planting ourselves on
| the Constitution aud natural right, as expound-
ed by the Church and the Common Law, we
| maintain, and viii maintain in the lace OF all
Civil Courts, that where no such law reduces
| the negro to slavery, he Is free man, and IN
| the absence OF all municipal regulations to the
| contrary has equal rights with the white man.
| Neither race nor complexion disables man
::nder our Federal system. The opin'
| ion belongs to an epoch prior to the ntroduc
ton of Christianity, and is more IN accordance
with the teaching Of Aristotle than with that Of
the Gospel We do protest against
| AN opinion which places negroes as such not
only out Of the pale of our Republic, but out Of
the pale Of humanity. If opinion once went
that length, II was the business Of the Court to
brand it with its disspprobalion, and not to re-
corni2e il As Inv" .--.. $500. 49,.