Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1859-07-01
THE U. S. SUPREME COURT AND
SIANERN ONCE MORE

Last week we copied, from the burlington
Free Press, summary statement Of new
decision of the Supreme Court, in the matter
of slavery. We now ask the attention of
the reader to the following article, which
comes. it will be observed, from a newspaper
published in a slave State. There are now
two points decided by the Supreme Court -
both new, both unknown in the early history
of the Government and both contrary to She
general understanding of the people, North
ern and Southern. when the Constitution was
adopted The first point decided in the bred
Scott case, is. that slaves are property not
conditionnlly and localy-as, for instance, in
the States where they are made property, or
treated as property by the laws of the State,
which was the common understanding Of old,
but property absolutely, in all the States and
in all Federal territory. The second point
is. as stated in the last case decided by the
Court, that slaves are persons in the commits
sion Of crimes. and as such personally re-
spousblo.
Now. there are several consequences flow
ing from these decisions which deserve the
consideration of every citizen Of the Free
States The first is that, as property, the
free States are bound to treat slaves as such
and the Federal Government is bound to en-
force this duty upon the States the Terri
tories are bound to rcccivo slages as property,
and thus to pe,mt the institution Of slaUery
among hem whether the People Of the Ter
ritories desire the institution or not, and the
Federal Government is bound to enforce this
duty upon the Territories. To do this, the
Federal Government must use all its powers,
if neccssary--legislative executive, judicial,
the army and the navy Thus the burden Of
supporting slavery, which was originally re-
gardcd as a local institution, is thrown upon
the Federal Government, and upon all the
people in common,--the people of the free
States as well as of the Slave States Free
men Of Vermont, you are to be tdred to sup
port slavery This is what the Southern
Democracy mean by their new doctrine that
the Government is bound to protect slavery
and they base it logically upon the bred Scott
decision They make the demand they put
it into their political platforms they elect
Members of Congress upon it; they will
raise the question in Congress, and the North
will have to meet it.
Another important, and equally logical
conclusion from the doctrine that slaves are
property. is that the traffic in slaves should
be untrammelled. Property is good slave:
are very valuable, The Federal Government
acknowledges it, and binds itself to protect
this sort of property on the land why moi
on the ocean; Down with your laws declar-
ing the save-trade piracy open the trade as
freely as the trade in any other property en-
courage the importation of slaves as you en-
courage the immigration of freemen call of
your dogs of war from the slave-trade, ant
send out your Navy to encourage, supper
and protect it--at the common expense of tn
people Of the Union. Freemen of Vermont
your money is 0anted to support the siaue
trade This, too, is put into the Demo
cratic CAD Platforms of the South South
ern Democrats demand it and defend it il
Congress, and the North has got to NEE
that demand.
Equally interesting, though we think no
equally logical, conclusions may be expecte,
from the new decision of the Supreme Cour
that slaves are, in respect to crime, persons
Indeed, it seems that it was suggested in tn
argument that if slaves are to be imprisone
or executed by the Government for crimes
the master will have claim upon the GOV
eminent for the loss of the service of tn
slave while imprisoned, or for the entire valu
if executed. Judge fancy noticed tho poiu
in his decision, and expressly declared that
is a question for the iegisiatpe department
The Government 10 decide. We confess tht
we do not see much difficulty in deciding thi
question. IL the master will not prevent hi
slaves from committing crimes-or, at tn
least, if he will not use the ordinary mean
Of preventing crime, by giving him quite q
good intellectual and moral training as whit
people have,-most clearly he can have n
claim to compensation for losses that flo
from the bad conduct of his slaves. Thl
reasoning ordinarily will do to defeat claim
and if an extraordinary case should arts,
when, in spite of the best instruction and
all other means, slave becomes Just as ba
as white man, we rather think il is the mi,
fortune of the master. At any rate we sba