Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1857-03-10
WASHINGTON NEWS AND GOSSIP

Inaugural with reference to the slavery Issues
Involved in the state Of things Ia Kansas has
terribly shocked the nerves of the Republican
press. The EUsning Post especially, stakes
on" over the Presidents fran 4 declaration that
he regards tas slavsh lder eoequal, as to lis
rights IN the Territories, with the non.slave-
holder. The truth is, the great labor Of the
Republican party has been to satisfy the
Northern public mind that, under the Consti-
tuition, the Socth has no guaranteed rights of
coequality. Or, in other words, that there il
IN elasticity in the Constitution of the United
States through which any purpose of the ma
jority for the nonce, may be lawfully worked
out The Post, under this view of the power
Of the General Government under the Consti-
tuition, aims at present only to taboo Southern
men hereafter in all the Territories In Wis
consin, the Republican party, under a similar
style Of reasoning, insists that it Ia constitu-
tional and legal to resist the oficers of the
General Government in the execution of the
Fugitive Slave Law. In portion of Penn
sylvania they 60 step further, and ella NJ,
practically, through their acts, that it is legal
and consti' utional to shoot down men engaged
IN reclaining their runaway slave property
a. in the Gorsuch case. In Massachusetts,
and, indeed, throughout all New England,
western New York and the western reserve CT
Ohio, uadsr their new theory of the elasticity
OF law and constitution, it is held by the same
party that it is right, just and proper for the
slave stealthiy to murder his master and his
family. When such things occur-and the
practice has of late been fearfully increasing
under the influence Of such stimulation all
Republican abolition dom works itself into a
fcrore of patriotic excitement, such as was
won't to be exhibited throughout the land
thirty years ago only on the recurrence of the
Oh OF July.
With such ideas Of right and wrong, and
law and constitution, so widely pervadins the
northern popular mind, it is not wonde rful
that the Evening Post, the leading exponent
Of the party entertaining such views, foams
Q. the month on realizing that the Govern
NETT is for four years longer surely to be in
the hands Of Chief Magistrate who, instead
OF bowling to the supremacy of that sort of
public opinion, has firmly planted himself on
the policy Of administering the government so
Tar as slavery questions are concerned, upon
principles disputed by none when the Consti
tuition was formed, and handed down through
every generation Ct American statesmen, to be
oavilled at only by men who seek to obtain
power By playing upon popular prejudices,
and trying the dangerous experiment of con-
Quoting our national public affairs upon the
principle that might makes right
While We hold TO the soundness of the strict
construction doctrine that the Supreme Court
ofthe United States, the ere allure Of the agency
Of the sovereign partners in this confederscy,
has no warrant in the Constitution to decide
political questions between its creator and the
creators Of of its creator,-between the author
Of its own being and the authors of that,-a
doctrine which, If uniYrsally admitted, would
IN quarter Of century wipe out all the dis
fnctive features Of the General Government
Is made By cur fathers as matters are now
tending, We certainly entertain deep respect
for the opinions of the pure, learned and pat
ri"tic func;icnaries composing that tribunal
We realize how difficult would have been the
task to lave stemmed the current of popular
opinion among TIE conservative of the North,
which would have followed that judgment in
the esse recently decided had it been the re.
verfe Of what It'll though then II would have
been directly in the teeth Of the views of the
trainers CT the Constitution, (that is, with ref.
sreace TO the General Governments rights.
duties and PoTers,) as expounded by nearly
every POLITICAL writer who participated in the
work Of its construction.
But as hsppi!y, the weight of the judgment
10 which We refer, annC unced only after more
intense Investigation and rehsction than was
ever before accorded BY that august tribunal
In coming to an opinion, is with the right, II
eannst be otherwise but that the entire coin
cidence between its views and these of Presi-
dent BuehaDal's Inaugural in this conn ection
even to the point that il is the duty of the
General Government to protect the citizen of
the Southern State in the enjoyment Of his
slave property in the Territories of the United
States, (fOr such is the legitin ate corollary Of
the points Of law laid down by the court,) will
have due weight on the minds of those in the
North not disposed towards violent reyolu.
aon, which In Its effects must work tenfold
more disastrously throughout the North tn an
a. tie South. The North to very consider.
able extent lives and prospers by and through
me workings Of the General Government.
while the South receives not one dollar In
I'VE or perhaps in ten, Of the revenues col.
'eeeo' and makes mp perhaps terfold its due
proportion Ct the revenue Of the "n,ot.c,.dn
Interests fo''S''N
i0ns as revolution proceeds silently and
d tartiy lot the benefit of the North, tibet man
mo" tno" little of history indeed, who fan.
eis' that party can b. permanently in u.
ascendant here devoted to the work Of stem.
ming its progress. w.
The moral Eject, ioSsvsr, of thi, opiDion Of