The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1857-03-18

case goes far beyond wha,lwas auticipu ted.
Not only docs il reverse the whole our.
rent Of former decisions, and deny the
validity of legislation that, till lately
had been unquostioned sinco the founda.
ton Of the government, but it denies the
rights Of citizenship to all the people of
African decent.
The Missouri compromise, which this
decision overturns, received the assent Of
President Monroe, on tho written opin.
ions Of John Quincy Adams. John G.
Calhoun, William II. Crawford. Samuel
l. Southland, and William Writ. John
Mclean, now of the Supreme Court,
was then Postmaster General, but that
officer was not then member of tho
cabinet. What an array of names is
this Nothing was moro settled in our
form and theory of government than the
right OK Congress to exclude slavery from
the Territories. The expediency and
fairness Of exercising this RICH, have in.
deed been questioned by the Southern
.otple; but not till very recently have
they denied its existence, and It was on
ly BY great difficulty that they were fin.
ally brought up to the full demands that
were SO promptly yielded by the Exeou.
tive aud by Congress, and that have now
been confirmed by the Supreme Court.
We arc accustomed to speak with re-.
spect and with Difference Of tho judy.
menis Of tho courts; but no intelligent
and fair minded man, whatever NAV be
bis opinion on slavery. will doubt that
this decision is the legitimate result of
the policy that has been steadily ncqui.
escod in by the Democratic party, Of CON
shutting the Supreme Court with espec.
ial reference 10 that ono question. 1t
has been made, so far MS slavery is con.
cernsd, sectional and partisan court.
Although the greater population and the
greater shprc Of the business of the court,
are in the free States, q maj ,rity of the
Judges are from the South and what.
ever may have becd his other quail flea.
lions, no man has been allowed to 90 on
the bench unless he was fully up to the
Southern doctrine on all the points that
had teen placed in issue at that time.
Look at Mr. Bradford, who was nomin.
ated by Mr.. Fillmore aud who lived in
a Southern State, and whose emiuent
qualifications woro undisputed, but who
was Withdrawn at the dictation Of the
South ioI fear that his New England
birth and education might mako him
doubtful upon tho slavery question.
The Missouri Compromise being 70
pealcd, and there being no probability of
its re enactment, there remained little
practical Importance to the decision on
this point; but the decision that man
in this country. entitled to ,oto aud eli.
gible to political office in many of the
States, is not citizen, will strike the
public with astcDishment; and until the
opinion Of the cour! is made public, PEG.
pie will vainly ask on what law, constitu-
tional, common or statute, such a docis.
ion. so contrary to all our judicial or leg.
islative precedcnts and so revolving to
the common sense Of the people, is
based. 1t cannot fail to greatly weaken
the public confidence in this tribunal,
which, till the feeling was shaken BY tho
apprehension Of this decision, has been
looked to as removed allowed all partisan
or sectional influence, and regarding as
only the abstract questions of law and
right. 1t is not SO looked upon to-day.
A majority of tho people Of the United
States, whether they favor this decision
or not, thiuk that the Judges who have
made it have done the work that they
were appointed to do, not necessarily
that they are corrupt, or that they do
not entertain Tho opinion that they
have expressed; but if they had not bee
known to entertain that opinion, they
would never have been placed in the sx.
allied position from which they prouounc.
cd il. Aud when the people believe
that the judges are appointed, no, on
account Of their qualifications, their a.
bility, their learning aud their in.
tegrity, but on account of the manner in
which it is known that they will decide
certain questions, there will be an end
to the high respect in which the author.
ity of the court has been held
The opinions of the seven Judges who
united in the main question differ on
some Of the incidental points The Eve
Judges from the slave States 60 the
whole length. =. The two Democratic
Judges from the free States stop little
short Of this, and Judges Mclean and
Curtis dissent altogether Tho next
step will be a decision that slaveholders
may bring their slaves into the free
States for the purpose of transit or of
temporary residence. and not lose their
property in them. This may be extend.
ed, so US to stretch the laws of the u
niied States. There is hardly anything
in the way Of slavery propagandsm tina
can be considered impossible after this
decision.
Not much surprise was felt when the
whole Democratic party, at ths bidding
Of the South, ropudiaied its professions
and its policy on the question Of slavery.
The Democrats have never failed to do
anything that they had received orders
from that quarter to do. When, there.
fore, their leader in the Senate, who
said that the Missouri compromise was
eonsecrsted in the hearts of the people,
and who called upon the wrath of Heav.
en- to wi.hsr his arG if be should ever
raise it to break that compromise down,