New-York daily tribune., 1858-09-01

II is now the policy of the Democratic politicians
ard journalists to bettle the sgtation at the South
for the revival under tie sanctions of law and pubic
opipop, Of the African Slave Trsde with our ports,
Just as the same politicians would, ten years ago,
have secuted as an Abolition lie any suggestion that
the Missouri Restriction would one day be attacked
ard oyeIthro9n. But in fact the Missouri Rsstric-
ton aid our laws declaring the African Slave Trade
piracy rested on the same basis, aud were upheld
by tie .ame lire of argument, and the fall OF the
former renders that Of the latter exceedingly
probable. A, to the popular sentiment in either
case there csn be no doubt that the North il lsiS,
regarded the Missouri Restriction with quite as
prOfouId and universal q devotion as now but
tres,es the Federal prohibition of the Slave Trade,
while the number AZ the S nth who earnestly desire
tie reopepirg Of the Slave-Trade is immessurably
greater than ever asked for or dreamed Of the re-
peal Of tto Missouri interdict of Slavery Extension
prior to Mr. Douglass move in 1854 The very
reason aGduced even so late as by Col Orr few
days since, for Southern appreciation of and grat-
tude for Mr. Douglass Nebraska measure-namely,
that, if it gave the South no actual territory, it
nevertheless removed On inyidiOus distinction, an
cdious ard degrading mputaton on their peculiar
" institutOn'-is far stronger reason for repeal
rg the anti Slave Trade laws than for repeating the
Missouri Restriction. The latter was 10 its origin
substantially division of the unoccupied area of
the Urion between Free and Slave Labor and as
such was fairly regarded as Compromise; bat
there is % pretepse Of Compromise about the laws
declaring the importation of slaves an act of piracy
for they necessarily imply that Slavery 10 Por sc
wIorg end an outrage which Governments are
bouI Id to forbid, resist AID punish. Tue stupidest
regro in the Ice-.wsnps Of Carolina will compre
bend i1stnc.ively that to hang the captain aud
mates ard imprison the seamen, of the captured
SLAYER just brought into Charleston By Nationa
vessel and hber.te her cargo Of Africans, will be
TO ADMIT that he ought not to be held in Slavery.
Upder the policy Of the fcurders of the Repub-
lie, Il fatal contradiction thus given by our anti
Slave Trade laws to the fundamental assumption
of Slavery was by 10 means so pal2abe. When
Washington, Jeherson, Madison and their cotem.
poIaries treated Slavery as an undoubted evil, and
fsgsLt contradiction ~ the fundamental basis Of
our Republic, but nevertheless an evil which Time
nust be allowed to overcome, they logically for
bade tie extension Of that evil, and confined it to
the soil in which its roots were already firmly i'm
bedded. "Giye time" they fairly urged " for
"the principles Of American Liberty to work out
"their legitimate results, and Slavery will pass
"seay, as ssIfdom died out, as the deer, the To-
"disns, vani,h before the steadily advsnc ng foot
"steps Of civilized man." This view was grateful
to conservatives, and TO men Of tender conscience
but large appetite for Injury and none at all for
labor, who dreaded future dsmnaton but were 10th
to surrender the present profits of slaveholding
Thus half century glided quietly away, and Lou
isisno, Florids, Texas were successyely acquired
with Slavery already established therein, so that
pretexts for scquescence and downy pillows for
delicate consc:ences were stil available.
But when the bold step Of opening eteritoVto to
Slavery was resolved oD the old apologies, the old
opia.es, would no longer serve. Itwas necessary
now to affirm that Slavery was either positive,
upmixed good, or else On affair of climate and in.
dustria adaptation, with no moral character what
ever but to be cherished or rejected in any State as
local reasons should suggest. N,w negro Inferior
gro development under the rule and discipline of
white owners and grayitahon toward the lowest
ba1baIism when left to themselves, bscame neces-
ssry assuu p'ions, without which the Nebraska pol
icy could rot be logically defended. Popular
Soytreignty"-tbe inalienable right of each COM
mupity, each sovereign State, to make such laws as
il should deem best-was Of course affirmed and
built upon.
So far, oil went smoothly; but the fatal necessity
whertwith utssund though plausible premises tend
to damaging corclusioas could not be evsded. At
lnce, the earnest and ardent Pro-Sayery zealots,
to whom the Presidential aspirauts had held out
Popular Sovereignty as 8 bait jumped at il with
hearty zeal, and began to make use Of it not de-
signed BY its authors. "Yes," they said, let US
"have more Slave Territory; but let Us also have
" more slaves to render that territory available.
/" Let us have Popular Sovereignty; but let this
" imply the right to bring lew slaves from Africa
" into Slave State as well as the right to send our
"born slaves into the territories and prepare them
"to become Slave States" What answer do the
champions Of the Nebraska bill and the Dred Scott
decision make to this demand Or rather, what
answer cav they make that viii not admit the