The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1858-11-11
saRrsme Court OF Michigan sas-
tailtng the Dred Scott DecI-
sion! -

81 49, -i Z. -
sion! 81
A, few weeks since, while steamer was
lying tt the whatfin DetroitS a cofured man
stepped Up to the captains Office, and want.
led TO purchase ticket which would entitle
him to passage in the cabin. The clerk
of the boat refused to sell him such ticket
He was offered deck passenger ticket, and
was told that by the regulations of the boat
negroes were rot permitted to take passage
in the cabin. The negro's name is Will
liam H. Day, who brought suit against the
owners Of the boat for damages In not per.
hitting him to enjoy a passage with white
persons. The Circuit Court denied the va,
iidity of Days claim, when he was induced
by the Republicans and Abolitionists to re-
move the case 10 the Supreme Court OF the
State, which court deliberately affirmed the
Judgment. of the court below, with the neo.
essary costs.
The Detroit Free Press, in commenting
upon this case, concludes with the following
pertinent and opportune remarks rdl 81
When the Supreme Corrt Of the United
States, in the famous case of Dred Scott,
pronounced the opinion that negroes were
not citizens of the United States under the
Federal Constitution and laws, we have q
distinct recollection that the whole Black
"Republcan" press, from the eastern boun.
daries Of Maine to the western boundaries OF
Illinois and Ohio, was horror-struck and
overwhelmed with the most virtuous indg.
nation. II declared the decision to be bar.
barous, and the vocabulary must have been
searched for epithets suited TO be hurled at
the tribunal which had laid down such mon.
strous doctrine as law and up to this day
every occasion has been seized by this Black
"Republican" press and by the Black IRE.
publican" orators, in Congress and out, to
assail the decision Of the Supreme Court Of
the United States ard to bring it into popu.
lar disrepute. ..a. ..3
We shall await with some interest and Gu.
riosity the treatment which the Black "Re.
publican' press and the Black "Republi.
CAM orators will deal out 10 this decision Of
the Supreme Court of the State of Michi.
gan ;-because, if the decision in the Dred
Scott case was burbarous, the decision in
the William H. Day case is intensely baraq.
rous; if the doctrine laid down as law in the
one case was monstrous, that laid down as
law in the other case is odious and Bcanda-
lous. The Supreme Court of the United
Statos simply passed upon the political sta
tus of the negro according to the Federal
Constitution and laws +; the Supreme Court
Of the State of Michigan has passed upon
his social status. The one court decided
that the negro, by the law, did not stand up.
on a political equality with the whites the
other court has decided that, if not by the
statute law, by the law of custom, lie does
not stand upon social equality with the
whites. The one court decided that he is
politically on inferior being I; the other that
he is morally On inferior being. The one
excluded him from the Federal courts the
other excludes him from steamboat cabins
and first. class railroad cars. The one dealt
with him with respect TO citizenship only;
he other deals with him with respect to his
manhood. II the one degraded him as part
md parcel of the body polite, the other has
9based him and tainted him and shamed him
is part and parcel of the social fabric.
Let il not be supposed for a moment that
We condemn this decision Of the Supreme
Court OF the State of Michigan. We do
lot. We ehall sustain it, as we have sus.
aimed the decision of the Supreme Court of
he United States. Both in our judgment !
re eminentjy right. Neither Court could
make any other decision; or, ii the Supreme
Court OF this State had made any other dcci.
ion, they would have merted the derision
nd contempt of the whole country. The
act which we wish to bring prominently cut
n this whole connection is, that the Su.
rene Court Of the State of Michigan is now
omposed of four gentlemen of the Black
Republican," party, elected by that party,
nd that they have been compelled, when
his question of niggers came before them,
} determine it upon common sense princi.
les and in contravention of The prolessed
-inciples OF the Black "Repub ltean" party.
hey have been compelled to determine ii
accordance with the principles OF tue DEM
ratio party and of the Dred Scott decision
self They havo been compelled 10 ack.
'wledge, and to write it upon their endur.
G records, that the negro is an inferior be. {
g, though in so doing they have kicked /
way the platform upon which they sought
I'd walked into office. They have been
'mpelled 10 60 farther than the Dred Scott
cision went. They have been compelled
pass upon the negro as social being and
pronounce him degraded. They have
zen compelled to pronounce their own DO. ,
lcal party hypocritIcal, dishonect and also
uI.
We think the DEED Scott decision will :
and in Michigan hereafter, since our own :
ack Republican" Supreme Court have I
dorsedt, and sustained it, aud gone be. :
nd il. !