The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1858-05-05

Let us look for moment ut the lcg;s-
latiyo and judicial polite ans of 1854,
harmoniously blending to give us now
Constitution without the process of formal
amendment, CT 50 much IS saying to the
states and the people, :" by your leave"
In tie month Of April, 1874, ihi bred
Scott cne was argued in the Unit, tales
Circuit court for Missouri; and in tina,
same April. l "a, the Kansas.N ehr SKA
bill Was argued in C,ng ess. In May,
1854, the court decided the case for slave
ry; ana IN that same month of May, and
OIL The 3Oth day thereof. Congress passed
the kaasaS-N eArasSa bill. What Was i 81?
Every way It most remarkable act. C.
mir'Nb!c ftrits rnllness of p.umise; more
remarkable Tor its fullncss of failures
most remarkable for tho fate of its proph-
ct. lie is not entirely without honor, save
in his own party. HIS putty has read
him cut but with ,olcrable assurance
that h" will read his party out-out ofthe
favor Of the people, out Of the next Con-
grcss, and out of the next Presidency. A
fitting climax to the unexpected accidents
Of the Nebraska bill. 1t promised quiet,
and has given us agitation; peace and we
have had the sword non-interfcrence, and
we have had interference fairness, and
we have had fraud; law order, and we
have had disorder and defiance to all law;
freedom, and We have slavery the rights
Of the sovereign people, and the people
have been detrauded Of their first, their
dearest, and most sacred rights. Why
should ii not defeat its party? But in
one point. and the chief one, the Kansas
Nebraska bill has not failed. 1t repealed
the Missouri compromise and swept our
wide u main north of So 30' Of the at.
ute against slavery. Thus it prepared the
way for the South to bring in its legions
Of slaves; aud the court has decided that
they can 81 in under the Constitution
of the United States" The design Of the
politicians has been confirmed by the court
and now it stands out in characters far to
bold to b. bIinkcd. Slavery the supreme
law in feler1l territory Slavery thegen-
eral rl!e! Freedom the exception That
is the revolution. Let us see how it wa,
to be achieved
/ will consider the edict Of the court as
Il comes 10 US, officially declared and L.
Illustrated, BY the President of the United
States. Let us consult his official an.
nounccmcnt to the country, in the first
blush of gratitude to a con6ding people,
md The freshest sanctity of his official
oath:
A Inference of opinion has arisen in regarl to
tae time ciea lie Peode Of a Territory shW dedie
his girsiJa t0f '|tctrg) Tor Mems!ees'-Ln ug'
urof Ada,ss; .Nuo1, 1866.
1t is Of the rights Of the sovereign peo-
pie he speaks.
"This is, happily. matter Of but little practic.
I'll impor;ance."-D
: To be sure, it concerns the rights of the
people and the liberties of men ; to be sure
it is mere question Of time-onc year or
ten a petty question, whether they shall
be half buriel, or wholly buried, beneath
the black flood Of slavery, before they can
decide whether they will be buried at all
or not. T. re sure, this Is very small
matter, or the President is very much mis-
taken. Hut he goes on;
And besides i: is jui,dd question, which le
- "
United State, Jejere uhom il is mtc p'nding, and
will is A.d,rstoJd, be speedily and finally set
tied"
" Before whom it is now pending ?" The
President " understood" that. 1t is true,
then that the Neb,aska pct was q mere
tender to the bred Scott decision. and
Congress the very humble servant, to sweep
the path in which the court would tread
And it is t iu'/sci0l question"-not 20.
liticu for the CO.5t. which is hardly re-
sponsihic to anybody ; and not for Con-
gross not for the Representatives of the
States and the people-whosc responsible
i,y is direct and inevitable. 1t is the Ex-
ccutive. too-one Of the three coordinate
bru inches of the Govcrnmcnt-who thus
cxalts the one at the expense of the other!
But, again, said the President:
3 To their decision. in common with nil good
citizens. shaHcheerJaly submit, rhGterer dismoy
be- Same.
Sir, it is not fit tina, should stand here
to harshly Judge the President of the u
nited States-a venerable Old man. whose
very age demands cur homage and respect
now sinking from the topmost place CT
all the dignitics Of earth, by weight Of
years, and tolls and cares: but no light
words will serve, through any skill of mine
to express the sentiments hold of that
irauguGal pledge. There are these who
take that pledge as proof Of eo/i"sio" be-
tween the President and the court, against
the powers Of Congress and the liberties of
the people. take itas stands: total
surrender of the independence of the Pres
ident a surrender OF his constitutional
right of judgment on high official act.
involving as well his own powers as tho
powers OF another coordinate branch Of the
Government; and pledge in advance,
without examination, without judgment,
without IL why OR wherefore, Of uuconli-
,i1nai submission TO the court. High st
in dignity, as the President is; equal in
power with each Of tn. other two great
constitutional branches Of the Government
az the President is; and bound by his
very oath 10 preserve his independel ce
perfect and intact in the very least offic al
net, it stri cs lie that the servilty OF that
declaration WAS complete; that it implied
n total surrender of the dignity of his 20.
..a-Ioo. 90 ,ha L;,.b Az, 20 l.; e