The weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1858-1860, 1858-04-06
The Less Implies the Greater.

BENJAMIN of, Louisiana, made the mo ct la
bored, learned and plausible speech Of the
session in defence of slavery. Here is II
specimen Of Wade's reply to his assuInp-
tons:
In the course of the Senator's argument
his astute and gifted mind entered upon II
subject that he could not get along with very
we'll He endeavored to show that there was
n distinction between the right of q slave
holder to his slave and the remedy he might
have; and hence he claimed that when a
slave went into free country, the master
did not lose the right over him, but lost the
remedy. He said that in free country
where there was no law for the protection Of
the rights of the master he did not lose his
right to the slave but lost his remedy-lost
his power to control the slave. lie likened
it to the case Of man who had patent
right, or a poet who had property in the
productions Of his own inspiration. 1 will
read the Senators language to show how the
most gifted man, when he is not on his
guard, may admit away his own case. He
said
There lives now man in England, who
from time to time, sings to the enchanted
ear of the civilized world strains of such
melody that the charmed senses seem to
abandon the grosser regions OF earth, and to
rise to purer and serei err regions above
God has created that man poet HIS IN
spiration is his his songs his by right ID.
vine they are his property SO recognized by
human law vet here in these United States
men steal Tennysons works, and sell his
property for their profit; and this because,
in spite of the violated conscience OF the ma
ton We refuse to give him protection for his
pronertv
Again, following out the same idea he
said
"Does not every man see at once that the
riaht of the inyen or o his discovery, that
the ri.h. ol the poet to his inspiration, de-
penIs upon those principals OF 'eternal jns-
tice which God has implanted in the. he art of
man. and that wherever he cannot exercise
them, It is because man, faithless to the
trus, that he has received from God, denies
them the protection to which they are enti-
tleI2'
That is very sound doctrine. in my judg-
men It is a, appeal to that higher law
wh b has been SO much trs.dueed. TAe poet
has "a livi.e r!,ht to the inspiration OF his
genius and the products of his mind the
inventor of a machine has q Gud-given right
to the use of his discovery. Does not the
b ,norAble Senator see that ifthese rights are
from God, above human law, no constitu tion
aud no law of man can take them away p
An how much m IRE has man right to
his own body and to his own soul, than he
can be said to have to his own productions?
How could the gentleman fail to see that if
the poet and the inventor had this divine
r;gbt. the stakeholder could not claim the
right of ownership over another mar. p
Would not that man have the same God Civ
en- right that be claims for the poet and the
discovery Most assuredly he would. This
admission s,ultiGed his whole case. lie ad.
mits. then that slavery would be impossible.
Il Is not matter Of right No sir; he might
as well admit at the outset thatslavery !. not
4 matter of right. 1t is matter Of positive
law Ii 10 q matter of force. It n matter
If fraud: 1t is not q matter of right, and
the moment the slave gets beyond the power
"a enforce the mandate. he 10 - free - his
ma,ter. Has God Almighty put any msfk
on hin By which you can cay when hs gets
inte q Gesignissisdistioa, which - TIE s'Avs