New-York daily tribune., 1858-11-19

manners aud morals, at the present time, is the
ferocious spirit Of plubder with which the free
colored population is pursued. The lowest class
Of the white population indulge this spirit In the
kidnapping Of free negroes, whom they presently
sell as Slaves pursuing this business sometimes
within the limits Of the Free States. Governors
and members Of the Legislature, though they do
not care to do peddlng business By stealing, now
q man, now q woman, and now child, selling
them for slaves and putting the proceeds into their
pockets are perfectly ready to undertake the same
business by the wholesale. Hence the prcjscts
PROPOSED in Governors Messages, brought forward
in legislative reports, and eloquenty advocated IN
the Southern assemblies Of reducing the whole
body of free negroes to Slavery, covered over little
by various devices, such ss allowing the free ne
groes to elect to become sla,es-s choice about as
free as that SLOWED to the negroes purchascd on
the coast of Africa and shipped under the ch.rac-
ter of free laboreis to the French sugar c0lOnies
or sometimes the alternative is slavery or espst-
ristion
The Judiciary of the South Seem determined MT
TO be left behind in this race Of robbery and plum
der II used thirty or forty years ago. aud even to
a much more recent period. to be standing boast
on behalf Of the Courts and the lawyers that they
leaned 10 the eide Of freedom and equity and that
a negiO suing IN the Southern Courts was sue OF
equitable treatment. This boast. still 10 be read
in the books of Southern writers and OF Northern
apologsts for Slayey, has, BY the course Of tho
Courts for the last ten years, been changed
into bitter mockery. The example set by
the illustrious Judge Shsrkey of Mississippi has
been eagerly followed in all the Slavehodng States.
The most pitiful and pettifogging legal quibtles,
the bodest and most impudent disregard of every
principle Of law and justice, are resorted to by
Southern Judges to deprive negroes Of their lib.
erty or to plunder them of their property. few
men Of sentiment and honor educated in the
principles of Jefferson, Madison and Clay attempt
to oppose this rushing current Of robbery
under the name Of law; but their efforts
are unayailing They are always in the minority.
Another example Of this judicial aggravation Of
the Slave code-s set of decisions which places the
highest Courts Of the South on the level Of vul.
gar robbers-has just been given By the Supreme
Court of Alabama. 1t appears that gentleman,
whose name, out Of delicacy, we SUPPOSE, the
newspaper reports suppress, formerly residing in
Mobile, and afteward in w-Orleans, not only
acquired in those cities great property, but, in
New -Oeleans, became the father of o family Of
quadroon children. Subsequently, he removed to
France, where he recently died-having first, how
ever, conveyed to his colored children, whom he
took to Europe with him, large amount of real
estate which he owned in Alabama and Louisiana.
Certain persons, pretending to be his heirs at law,
recently fled bill in the Supreme Court Of Ala
bsma, claiming the property in that State, on the
ground that those 10 whom it had been conveyed
wee within three degrees Of Africsn descent.
Upon this bill the Court held-following, We sup
pose, the Dred Scott decAion-that free negroes,
born out of Alabsms, We're aliens, and that there
fore the defendants, having been born in louisiana,
could not take the property BY deed or otherwise.
We shall see what quibble the Louisians Judges
viii resort 70 in order to complete this scheme
Of robbery.