The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1859-05-18
New Hampshire Correspondence.
CoNcoRp, N. H., May 8, 1859.

amend the Constitution Of Massachusetts,
that in effect years shall be required to
perfect the naturalization Of a foreigner, in.
stead of as the laws of the U. s. now re-
quire. That this is the deep and pervadine
feeling Of that party in New England is be-
yond doubt. In this State, Mass and
Conn.,, the acts Of Republican Legislatures
and recommendations Of Republican Execu.
tives have fully shown it. The others are
practically not whit behind. What love
for the black at distance does this canting
show Our Constitution provides that all,
save paupers and persons excused from pay
ing taxes, shall have right to vote where
they dwell and have their homes" When
the Republicans for partisan ends repealed
the law which forbade students from voting
in places where they were, for purely school
ing purposes, it was done and advocated by
the party leaders upon the express ground
that all such laws, and those requiring a
three or six months residence in the
town, &C., conficted with the provision
above cited and were therefore wholly void:
Since the Dred Scott case a special act has
been passed, giving oil slaves, &C., citizen
ship. Now, applying their doctrine above
stated it would follow that an unlettered
black yesterday from the rice swamps of the
Carolinas coulL to-day vote or be elected to
any official position, while Louis Kossuth,
with all his intelligence, must remain here
years, then get his final papers, then wait
2 years in Mass or one in this State (this
was what our Republican Governor propos.
ed here) and then present his papers to the
Selcctmen 80 days prior to election, before
he can stand on level with the ignorant
black. This too from the party in love with
the rights Of man and worshipping equality
Here the foreign born by this party are re-
garded as "mud-sills' to be used as white
slaves The leaders sec omens of storm,
they fear that the German population at the
West may not relish making blacks free for
the sake Of becoming slaves thcnselves.-
Hence the letter of that adroit and willy
arch-demagogue, Henry Wilson, who has
an ambition to be President or at least Vice
President. Hence the wordy thunder Of
Carl Schurz in old Faneuil Hall, of the
| Wisconsin and Iowa Conventions. But the
Boston Journal the central organ of N. f.
Indignantly replies that the amendment will
pass, that outsiders must mind their own
business, that they are trespassers on State
rights, are ll-mannered-and, most laugh
able of all-"havc infringcd upon the doc
trines of Popular Sovereignty" In other
words, if Mass. makes white men slaves,
that is purely State matter, with which
the foreign-born in Iowa and Wisconsin
have nothing to do; yet that they have
perfect right and it is a holy duty for them
4 to prevent slave owner from holding as
such what descended to him as chattel
under the laws Of Southern States. This
is worse than the 'if and if' argument of
the lawyer in the fable. State and National
"bear-gardens" are soon to assemble to con-
struct principles for people to venerate as
pure political gospel. In all these the Dred
Scott case will be more or less brought under
consideration. Before we abuse the Judges
Of that tribunal of last resort, would it not
be well to ascertain what was decided by
them, and not set up ''straw men" of our
own to pelt, and call them thieves? start
with their propositions:
1st-That where all the members of a
court deliver their opinion seriatam, one
Judge is in no way responsible for the rea-
soning or conclusions of another Judge un.
less he by his language becomes an indorser
of the others.
2d.-ln such case nothing can be deem
ed to be settled as law which does not re.
ceive the assent of a majority Of the Judges
that sit in the cause
3d.-Whcre, seriatam, judges concur in
the disposition of cause, though all reach
the same result, the highways over which
they travel are their own, and no enc is to
be deemed to have travelled over another's
unless his opinion shows it.
The first is too plain for argument. The
second is but the application of the grand
American doctrine that 'majorities not
minorities, govern" The necessity of the
third is Familiarity illustrated by the thous-
and cases scattered over our Reports where
it is manifest that the judgments were
sound, but the reasons unsound. Some
times, where the judgment is unanimous,
one Judge concurs because to him it is clear
that both authority and principle warrant it;
while another concurs on the ground Of
principle, but believes the weight of au-
thority the other way; while still another
concurs because of what he deems the
weight Of authority, but dssents on the
ground of principle. Yet all agree as to
the result. Apply this touch-stone, and
how stands the Dred Scott cases All ad-
NIT that the first question for the Supreme
Court to consider, was, whether the plea in
abatement was before the Court And here
| is worthy Of remark, inview of the abuse
that has been showered upon this tribunal,
to see how free from sectional bids the Court
stood on this question. Side by side stood
the much abused Chief Justice and that
eminent dissenting Judge, CURTIS, both de-
claring that that plea was properly before
them, that it was clear that they should re-
vive the judgment of the court below on
that point. shoulder to shoulder" stood
that subtle and extreme Southern Jurist''