New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-05-13


would not give half a guinea to live under one
form of government rather than another. Sir,
90 the danger of the abuse of power is nothing to
private man. What Frenchman is prevented
" from passing his life as he peases 2" And when
to this ursine dictum Sir Adam interposed certain
perfectly natural and rrefutabe objections, he was
for his pains told that he was "a vile Wing 1t is
not to be wondered at and will not certainly excite
anybodys surprise that the great photographer of
Tory morals and of Tory temper, thinking as he
did that "the Crown had not power enough, should
talk in this way, nor that he should have written
couplet which has been much oftener quoted than
many wiser ones:
How small, Of all that humsn hearts endure,
That part which kings OF laws can cause or cure"
We smile with humane forbearance at these
eccentricities of the most eccentric of men; but
when We find them repeated in the year OF grace
1857 by those who profess to be Democrats and to
be wrapped in the mantle Of Jefferson, we accept
with all gratitude the fresh lesson thus furnished of
the self deuson from which the best of us may not
escape. But it seems to be pretty evident that
whether man may call himself Tory or Demo
crat, whether he may be in the receipt of pension
irOm my LoIu Dutt VT MI DuCHohdlI hc WIN no
certain to talk nonsense whenever he may be called
upon to defend a public wrong. Thus We are not
surprised to find certain weekly journal in which,
to borrow POpes e1tenuation of Quarles, the pic
lures atone for the pages, taking the position that
the fancy decision Sin no way affects the rights
interests, welfare or tranquility of the free
colored population. This is Dr. Johnson diluted
This is the Bolt Court philosopher over again with
out the strident sorority of his sesqupedalian
utterances This is the folly without the felicity of
expression. And as Sir Adam might if he had not
been frightened out of his wits, have proved the
Doctor wrong headed behemoth, so We, who are
not at all frightened, shall treat this new oracle
with no more ceremony than ciyility may require
That at the time when the Doctor was utterng
bis big words, great many Frenchmen were pre-
vented from passing their lives as they pleased is
perfectly certain unless it were the summit of en-
JOY meu for the Gau of that period to be locked upin
the Baste-to pay taxes to support the Kings
mistresses-to eat brown bread that the farmers OF
the revenue might roll in wealth, and to reside III
mean hut in order that the Pare Cefs mightn not
be shorn of single ray of its splendor It's, more
Over, CtIlhll tndl WV ''' A''''s
in quite different way, as the barrlcades, the
mountain and the gulOtine sufficiently proved. If
the autocrat Of the club had continued in the flesh
only little while longer, he would have seen that
the advantage Of living under good form OF gov
eminent is worth more than " half guinea"
The Supreme Court has decided that free per
sons Of color are not citizens Of the United States
The writer whose production We are considering,
with the instinct Of Mr.. Sampson Brass, places
great stress upon the fact that this decision only
technically" DISTINGUISHES those against whom 1t
is aimed. We confess to a very limited apPrech-
ton of this nice distinction. A man is cut of from
all the privileges of citizens; he is told by the Su
preme Court that his petition for the redress OF
grievances cannot be entertained by that tribunal
because he is merely a chattel he is instructed
that he has no rights which the white man is bound
to respect: and them by way of consolation, he is
informed that thi. is merely technical 1t is
only in the abstract that he nobody 1t is only bya
pleasant fiction that be is annihiated. The long
decision of Judge Tarey is only an elaborate piece
of legal deality, with no more practical influence
than Swifts MedtatiOns upon BroOmstick, or
Coleridge's discussion Of perfect inkstand. To
be denationaized- be debarred from that natural
pride Of country, which is felt by the least civilized
to be made liable for taxes without share Of
representation, and amenable to laws without
voice in their enactment, is nothing. II is only
technically that the American Of African descent
is thu. treated Very well. A technicality can no
more hurt white than black man. These harmless
diversions of the Judges may be carried little fur
Their. wewill suppose that by way Of frolic, when
the docket was not evercrowded they have proceed
edfor some reason Of more than Kantiaa subtlity TO