The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-06-10


may redeem their transient fai b by gu 1sring
deeper 10 hired mob # appE canta 70 seats
that tie people have refused II am, ma make
the heart sicken at their serviliis yet, the
winebibbing aristocracy at thet mad 1 st OF
Antoinette, they but darken aeir on sure
doom. 5
/ And here would pause. / have ,erto,
during this session, declined speakin upon
the Slavery question, and woulo not do now
but that the assailants Of Freed I'm aad3 ,e in
stitutions on the one side have zen chic met
on the other by arguments on! upon spe-
cihc questions before us; and thus soc sup
pose us unwilling to meet this & eat quel on In
any form, whether By bill or AZ ;ument, sntle-
men thrust it upon US. The ,gumen, the
gentleman from South CAROLYN Mr.. ;Trr,
this evening, following up the idicta those
synods of chief priests and elder that il ious-
ly charge the iniquities of SD very us the
religion of Him whom their pi Stotypet .ruci-
fled, is but specimen of the Nontinut sgi-
tations of the propagandists. While L iesre
not unnecessarily to enter upo abstn dis
cussion, l am always ready {, take the
| glove, and, without following t . line srgu-
ment of any one gentleman, viii pro, I'd IN
the invited road.
/ have alluded to the ideals, of the ropa'
gandists, And the singleness Of their d, otion:
AS fuiiy as my remaining Tim Will Pr nt,
propose to show WHAT and WIFE cE is Ii idea.
1t is simply the idea of FoRC !. as the rigin,
the base of property; and SUB ECTioN, ,el law
of government.
Society, t.elf An idea, takes is form ID its
character, its influence and it life, fn o the
idea tina. inspires it-from the ideal O. }s for
which it is shaped. The chief end Of ,ciety,
of its me st complicated machin. ry, must be the
| security of property. The inst net OF 3perty
is within Us all I; its necessity absolut and
society cannot exist, which doei not lool TO its
| protection. There can be no pit tsonal 'urity,
no security in life, liberty, and The soc 'rela.
tons, without security to labor nd its ;umu-
lations. The basis, then, of property must
give color to the whole chars tier of socis.
ton.
The modern basis of proper is the sw of
na ture, the law of Justice le subj .ts of
property are the inferior amin ais the earth,
and its products and the pro- ria are ie &C
| cunulations of honest labor ind hoI It ex-
| charge. / know of no other RAJ ical dist ,ction
| between the ancient and modtrn civil alton,
than in the idea of property. Though I t, law
of nature or justice came IT, be a, emily
stu died, though the more elevited Gle y ap-
pretended many of its maxiris, yet, the
Constitution, the foundation Of Sropesty had
no actual force. That was PROPERTY wh the
Law, the State, made property; end it fns any
thing property that, outside the State, O id be
seized and held, whether men or things The
Roman robber went forth tos condue and
whatever he could seize by the strong hand,
became his own. 1t mattered not WIG ger it
was his neighbours OK or his neighbour wife,
his hocks or his children, his farm or b., ,self;
all yielded to the robber right; and thes pills
observation-disclosures but term for pfoe fty. :
AS society advanced, the manner of. ,izure
be ame systematized, and rpened into e an
Gent law of nations and that law was ,ch
system of brutality, such system of bbery
and wrong, that humanity would fain IN it's
sickened head away. will not give stals,
but merely allude to them, as comper iously
referred to by Wheaton:
go Victory in their the Roman ex, essve
netaphorical language, made even tn, acred
things of the enemy profaua; con6se ed all
his property, movable and immovable public
and private; doomed him and his Z ,terity
TO perpetual Slavery" &c. Wheaton La,o'
Of Nations, 25.
The same author introduces his worl oy the
following allusion to the fundamental lea of
Pagan civilization:
" The laws or customs, oy which the autual
: Intercourse of European nations was egula-
ted, previous to the introduction of CT stiani-
: t., were founded on the prejudices ch re-
garded the different races of men as atural
enemies. With the ancient Gre and
Romans, the terms. barbarian, stran: r, and
esemy, we're originally synonymous Moth
: ing but some positive compact exem. I'd the
persons of aliens from being doome5, TO sla-
: very, the moment they passed the boxnds of
one State, and touched the confines anoth-
ser. And though, according to the ,oman
law, in Ms more improved state, an ali q, with
whose country the relations of friends 10 and
Hospitality did not exist, was not tee. ,ically
considered an enemy, hostis, yet BIZ person
night lawfully be ensaved, and his operty
tonhscated, II found on Roman ritory.
During the heroic age of Greece, pi. ~ was
: ! Universally practiced," &c. 4
Pagan authorities did not decide VIII might
BE- held as property, whether the earth md its
products, the inferior animals, or mar They
tn .de not the modern distraction betw, men
and things. That was not alone prop, " over
which the common Father had given Us domin-
iol-they knew not His law. Though Justin
iai in the light of Christianity pro, ,unced
property In man contrary to the law OF ature !;
ia )ugh his annotators could family / ar the
in ward voice that, to all who have ears hear,
cl,arly vindicates each mans rsght to- is own
p,rson, to the society of his own wife, I'D the
CT stcdy of his own children and, hen, !, repu.
d ties the idea that they can be the PR ,erty of
OF GERS yet this idea contravehed no law of
pt 2perty as handed down from their Pagan
~ cestors, and they could but raco Use it.
Isle civil law failing to designate %h, might
~. property, 1t is not strange thst ,atever
cipd be subjected to ones dominion, neither
men or things, came to be regardes as his
property, and that mdnc!pium--m, cap.
b. m-tAe seized-was one Of its l. climate
teyms.
we hence see the rotten ness Of Il whole
Roman system that the splendid civ: code.
Il g highest perfection of Pagan reg, o., and
wfich alone OF Rome is immortal, b, Suse it
81, failed in the foundation of law, b. suae it
| t,Aversed not the law Of force az the asis of
| property, but sanctioned and sanctifet he rob.
b,r-maxims Of the age, was utterly i'm tent to
shve the State. We, hence, cannot wo er that
tie ancient States met only enemies ,ithout,
while nourishing only enemies within. 2e can.
not wonder at the expressions that d re men
n ad, at the corruptions that banishe virtue,
a the monopolies that converted ", lie dis.
t,icta into slave principalities, at the dishonor
o labor. and at the idleness and spo,l,,unting
tkat made of the people bat worthless rabble.
| We cannot wonder that the army bee, ne the
| o1ly staff of the State, and the CONNIE ,der lite
operator; and finally, when the arra failed
tat the State itself ed for shelter to tn; grave
lis foul diseases made ts only fit refuge
( States should be immortal. Their analogy
il to the SOUL not to the body to an IL, q, itself
immortal not organized matter, .tse perish.
Die. Justice, equally administered rejuve
ates secretly, over,hrows abuses, an. clothes
people with immortal youth. Bt power
Welded without justice, corrupts az efemi
| ates the possessor; infsines those no feel
Is weight and, sooner or later, rot them
y successful Resistance to the eAem. sted ty
| mt. Dasnnfin Stataa h,,l AZ