The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1857-06-12


The opinion of the slaveholdins majority
Of the Supreme Court, in the bred Scott
case, has been, at length, officially publish,
ed. Ii was reported that the published
opinion would be less offensive to the North,
less grvss in its historical blunders, and lea
atroeiOusly at war with the spirit Of our Con,
stitution, the doctrines Of Christianity, and
the genius Of modern civilization. This re-
port, however, seems not to be correct. The
Albany Journal, the editor Of which has
read the report, says:
Ii turns out that previous reports, instead
Of eIaggerating, rather understated 1t: IL
declares that free colOred men are not citizens
and canr OF I've made citizens. that the rights
and immunities guaranteed by the Constitu-
ton regarded them rs persons having no
rights that white man is bound to respect,
that they are not entitled to sue in United
States Courts, that the only clauses OF the
Constitution that relate to them treat them
us persons whom it is morally lawful to deal
in us articles Of PROPERTY and to hold rs
slaves, that no State can make them citizens
OF the Union, nor by any act entitle them ~
the rights and privileges secured by the Con-
stitution. IL also declares that Cougres~ has
no constitutional power to make rules and
regulations for any territory except thai
owned when the Constitution was adopted
that the Constitution recognizes slaves "a
property, that the shareholders have right
10 take their slaves 10 any and every terrific,
~, and TO hold them there, and that Con-
grcss connot forbid them.
Democratic and Know Nothing journals
have roundly taken us to task for affirming
that thosc actually were the points OF Judge
Taney's decision. The mildest OF the cpl
thets they layished upon US was that oil eli
bellers, while they assured their reidcrs
that they would give the true statement oil
the case NJ soon as the official version wa
printed. The official version was printed
and published. but we do not observe that
these prints either begin the promised DIS
cussion, or even lay the opinion before Their
readers.
The Tribune also SAYS:
So far from softening away any OF the
more Objectionable passages contained IN tn,
abstract of that opinion heretofore published
the present report repeats those passa ~
word for word, OF nearly 50, while IL adds I
good deal more in the same stain. Such Q
dense ignorance or such williul misrepresen
tation-Or such combination Of both, Al
we are rather inclined to think is the fact
rs the historical part Of this opinion e1
hibits, II would be impossible to parallel-
ut least, not since the time that Scroggs ~
upon the Bench. The Chief Justice IN hi
old age, that is the only cause, since the lou
Shareholders went with him-seems to hav
totally forgotten the functions OF Judge
and 10 have relapsed into the character q
an eager. artful, sophistical, jesuitical, lyin
advoote-for the suppression OF the trut
is lying, to all intents and purposes. Ha
il come in the shape Of an argument fror
the counsel Of some slaye-catcher or negro
trader with terribly hard case, this argu
ment, for such it is, might be entitled to Oh
credit. ut least, Of ingenuity. Considere
rs judicial opinion emanating from CouI
the Judges of which might be expected
preserve q certain show at least OF SELF n
spect in spite Of their prejudices, and th
danger In which they undoubtedly stand
a thing which ought to DO duly taken int
account-of being lynched at home shout
they presume to run counter to slave-hold
ing sentiment considered in this point Q
view, to every penon who remembers III
reputation which the Supreme Court Vt Oh
Unlted States once had, this opinion mus
be Us mortifying Us IL 10 derogatory TO th
character and position Of those from whom
IL comes But IL seems that the Suprem
Court OF tho United States Is To forr
no exception to the inevitable destiny Q
everything human. England boasts Of he
Coke. her Hale. her Holt. her Mansfield, W
our Jay, our Marshall and our Story. Blu
rs Brampton was found in England to b
made a Chief Justice Of when ship-mone
and other usurparions were To be sustained
% We too have Chief Justice fancy, fol
lowed and sustained just as Brampton wa
against the protest Of the only two men OF
the bench by majority whose names, hk
those Of their ship.money brethren, may b
saved from notoriety by the personal insig
pifcanee Of the owners, but whose decisio'
will. like that. enjoy ~ids and lasting his
toriel iniamy.