Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1859-06-08
WHAT MAY BE DONE.


If Congress should enact law establishing
an order of nobility, there are a great many
men and not few newspapers that would ac-
cept it as constitutional The process of DEM
onstration might seem mysterious to doubling
novices, but it would be entirely satisfactory
to all who worship power and have no faith in
free principles. Our candid friends of the Bos-
ton Courier would become its apologists and
= they would find an appropriate intellectual
exercise in constructing arguments to show its
harmony with the constitution, and in devising
illustrations to set forth its beautiful uses. Its
praise would be in all the custom houses, and
in all other places where federal office-holders
do kiss the hand that feeds them.
Verdant innocence may ask if the Federal
Constitution does not expressly forbid Con-
gress to create an order of nobility. Certain
ly, we find such prohibition in that old docu-
ment, called Constitution, which was framed
by the founders of our government; and the
same old document expressly forbids Congress
to assume the exercise of any power which it
does not grant in express terms. 1t limits the
Executive; and it expressly provides that the
power of the judiciary shall be limited, as its
provisions carefully specify. But slavery has
dethroned the Constitution and taken its
place; and now it is understood by those in
power, and by their followers and apologists,
that no State or citizen has any right save
what that institution may see fit to authorize.
1t is true that this is not always said in
SO many words but it is meant it
stands behind every phrase employed to de-
fend or excuse the fugitive slave act; it regu-
lates the dealings of the executive with Kan
sas it constrains the Supreme Court to rem
der bred Scott decisions
Those who maintain that Congress has
from the old Constitution power to subject the
country to such rascaity as the fugitive slave
act, can defend any thing that may be done at
Washington. Who has ever pretended that
the Federal Legislature has authority to pro-
vide laws and machinery for catching fugi-
tives from justice 2" Yet it has just as much
right to do so as to provide in that way for re-
covering ''fugitives from service" The two
clauses stand together in the Constitution, and
their relation to Congress and to the Statesis pre-
cisely the same. The enactment of that fugitive
bill was so palpably unconstitutional that one of
the Senators from South Carolina, Mr.. Rhett,
stood up in his place in the Senate and admit
ted its unconstitutionality. Such an act would
have been impossible in behalf of anything
but slavery; but slavery is king, and bids US
understand that its power is absolute. Unau-
thorized by any legitimate authority, hostile to
every regular and proper process of law in a
free country, and full of atrocious outrage to
justice and humanity, that act is nevertheless
defended, not only by slavery propagandists
and other enemies of the Union, but also by
many others who have claims to be regarded
us decent, honorable, and respectable.
Who then will say that Congress would not
dare to create an order of nobility, transform
all laboring people into serfs, or change the
presidency into monarchy, if the black pow
er that rules the government should order it
to do so? Such things would not be more
unauthorized or more atrocious than some
things that have been done already. The
whole tendency of the government, at present,
is to a despotic Capitalization of power. Under
the malign influence of this dangerous ten
dency, and of what it has done already, it has
become strange thing for the courts to assert
the rights of State, or maintain personal
rights against the creatures of the general gov
eminent working in behalf Of slavery. We
have another illustration of this Difference to
despotism in what has just taken place in
Ohio. And, while contemplating this Ohio case,
we remember how the fugitive slave act has
put Boston under martial law, how it has put
chains around court house in Boston, and
compelled the Chief Justice of the State to
crawl under them to symbolic the abjectness
of our submission.
And these things are defended, and even
praised, by some men among us who claim to be
foremost in zeal to preserve the Union. This
cannot go on forever. There must and will
be change Notwithstanding the action of
the court in Ohio, there is now such spirit
abroad in that State as was never so prevalent
there before and we look for the time when
the noble position taken by the State of Wis
consin will be adopted by every free State in
the Republic.