Randolph County journal. [volume] (Winchester, Randolph County, Ind.) 1855-1862, 1858-03-18

tins unfortunate negra had. thrzugh
some ignorance or ebicane. In special
pleading. admitted, what could nos
have been proved, that ke bad desoead
el from some Airican who iH,d once
been held IN bondage. that there.ore
he was net. in view of tho Constitution
citizen If tho United States. -Ad
therefore could not imp!ead ihc repuied
master IN the Federal Courts; ai,i o9
this ground the Supreme Court were
prepared to dismiss the action for waat
oi jurisdiction over the suitor's person.
1his decisloR--segtainly as 1apug-
gant to The Declaration of lnlepeul
egce 4gl t. the spirit of the Con~tilu-
tim IS TO the instincts of husaal.ily-
nevertheless would be ono which wouid
exhaust all the power Of the tribunal.
aud exclude consideration Of all cthe
questions thai ha,, boen raised upor
IT, record. The counsel who hal
app,ay7l for the negro had volunteered
from motives OF charity, and ignorant.
of course, of the disposition which wae
To be made of-tic' cause, hal afguci
that his client hal been ffecl' fro..
Slavery bv operation of the Missouri
prohibition OF 1870. The opposir,.
counsel. paid bv the defending si4gc
holder, had insisted. In reply. that ihat
famous statute was unconstitutional.
The mock debate had been heard ia
the Chamber Of the Cont, in the base
ment Of the Capitol, in the presence OF
the curious visitors II the seat Of Gov
crnmcnt, whom the dullncss OF n iodi-
cal investigation could not disgust.
The Court did not hesitate 10 please
the incoming President, 10y seizing this
eXtrancous and idle foisenic discussion.
AMI converting II into an occasion for
pronouncing an opinion that the Mis-
sGaIi VT9hibition was void, and that.
by force Of tho Constitution, slavery
existed. with all the clements OF pro-
pery in man over man. IN al the Ter
ritories of the United States. para
mount to any Popular Sovereignty
within the Tgrritofies, and even 10 the
authority OF toiigress itself.
In this ill-omcnrd at. the Siilrens
Court forgot It's own dignity. whirh
hail always benn maintained with iusi
Judicial ioaleusys They forgot that
the province Of court Is silatIs '1us
diccrc," anil not at all 'jas dqrc. -
They lorgo; also that one foul sen
tcncc doc, more harm thaa many foul
examples; ior'ihc last DO Lot cofiop.
the stream, while the former corrupt
eth the fountain" And they and the
President alike forget that judicial
uSurpsucg : ,ggre {. c.lioHs and intoler-
able than any other amoag the mani
fold practices of tyranny.
THE r'sEsiDgNr's PROMISES.
The dayof Inauguration camo---fhe
iirst one among all the celebretions ol
that great national pageant that was
to be dcsccratcl by a coalition letwccn
thr Executive anl judicial dcpqrt-
n.ents, TO undermine the National f.ec-
islaturc and the fibertics Of the people.
The President, attended by ih5 us1ai
lengthened procession, arrived and
took his scat ON the portico. The
Supreme Coult attended him there. in
robes which yet cxactel public rcyels
cncc. The people, unaware OF tho
import Of the whiSperings carried oi
between the President AMI the Chief
Justice. anl inlbued with vencratip,
FOR both, filled the aycnacs anil gar
den, far away ss the eve could reach.
The President addressed ,}cm Ia
words rs bland as those which tho
worst of all the Roman Empcrors
PRONOUNCED :. len hc assumed the pur-
pie. Tie announced (vagucly, indecl.
but with seif-saiisfaction. the forth
coming extra.jndieial exposition of the
Constitution. and pledged his sub9iis.
sion to il as authoritative and fina. ~
The chief Justice and his Associates
remained silent. The Senate. too.
were there---t Constitutional witrcsses
of the transfer of the Administrator
They, too, sorc silent, although the
promised usurpation was TO sulNcrf
the authority over more than half Of
the empire which Congress hal a.
sHlned cotemPoraneoIi>ivwitlrt the birth
of the nation. and bal exercised aits.-
OFT interruption for nrsrscvcnty vesrs
1t cost thc7fsesidcnt, rflflcr. the cis-
cumstanccs. little cxcrcise of meSAan
unity now to promise - TIE people of
Kanzas, on whose neck he hai, with
the aid Of the Supreme Court. hung
the millstonc Of Slavery, fair trial
in their attempt 90 cast IL %. AMI hurt
It to the earth, when they should come
to organize State Governmeni----
Alas, that egen this cle4p promise,
uttcrel under such great solemnitics,
was only made 10 be broken,
The pageant cnde1. On the 9th ~
March tlie Judges, without even ca
changing their siiken rcbcs for cour-
tiers gowns, paid their salutations "a
the President IN The Executive Palace.
Don5tIessly the Prcsidcn, received
them as g1aciously as chyrlcs 1. d,s
tlae Judges, who L%r II his Instance.
suhvcrtcd the statues cf English Lib
crty. or the 6th OF March the gu
premc Court dismissed ia. negro sui
tor. Drel Scott. 20 return % III, bon.
daSe; and having thus disposed Of lat
private action for an alleged private
wrong. on the ground Qf want OF iu-
risdiction IN tie case, tlSy proce.iee.
with amusing solemnity. 70 pronounce
the opinion that. if they had had such
jurisdiction, still the unfortunate negro
would have had to icmain IN bondage.
unrchcvel, becanse the Missouri pro-
hibitioa violates rights Of general
property involved in slavery. para.
sr9unt 10 the authority 81 Congress.
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