Des Arc citizen., 1859-12-21
CHARLES 0CoNNER ON VERY


 Among the lawyers of New York, no one occupies position more enviable than that of Charles O'Conner, Esq. He made speech at the late Union demonstration III that city, from which we extract the follow ing as sample of the general quality;
 indeed these two things-the law of God and the principles of natural justice, as be- tween man and man, are one and the same thing. The wisest heathens gave the rule of conduct between man and man in these few words Live honestly; injure no man, and render to every man his due. In words far more direct and emphatic-in words ol per feet eomprehensiveness-the Savior gave us the same rule in one brief sentence: Love thy neighbor as myself" Now speaking as between us, people of the North, and the people of the South, I ask you to act on this rule-the maxim Of the heathen, the com mand of God. Render to every man ms due; love thy neighbor as thyseh mus should we act and feel toward the Sonth. JJpon that maxim, which came from Hlm ol Nazareth. we are to act toward the South, but without putting upon 1t any new tangled modern interpretation. But gentle men, the question is, do these maxlms Justliy the assertion that negro slavery is unJust' This is the point to which this great arSu ment, involving the fate of our Union, mus now come. Is negro slavery unJasU II violates the great rule of human conduct render to every man bis due, it is unjust. l if violates the law of God, which says
 Love thy neighbor as thyself it is unjust And gentlemen, if it could be maintaine' that negro slavery is thus ln conflict with th law of God aud nature, l might De pre- pared-perhaps we should all be prepared to 20 with a distinguished man, to whom a. lusion is freauently made, and say there 4 higher law which compels Us to dlsregar the Constitution, and trample it beneath ou feet as wicked and unholy compact An this is the question which we must now mee and which we must finally determine for ou selves. I insist that negro slavery is not ul inst. It is not only not unjust, but It IS JUS wise and benefieent.
 I maintain that negro slavery IS n uniust: that it is benign in it's lnd ences, both on the white man and the black. I maintain that it is ordaln' by nature; that it IS necessity ot DO races that in the climates where the bla' race can live ana prosPeii Hau"Ao n0
 joins correlatlve duties on the black ma and the white, which cannot be performI except by the preservation, and, ii the n sing gentlemen please, by the perpetuat' of negro slavery. , | contend that it is not injustice to lea' tbe negro in the condition in which nata , placed him, and for which condition ne adapted. Fitted only for a state of pupllas [ our slave system gives him master to g, ern and supply his deficiencies; and in u there is no injustice. Neither is 1t iWust in the master to compel him to labor , thereby afford to that master a just eompf sation in return for the care and talent e ployed in governing him. In this way aio is the negro able to render himself useful himself and to the society in which he placed.
 These are the principles, gentleme which the extreme measures of abohtionls and it's abettors compel us to enforce. IT is the ground that we must take, or aband' our cherished Union. We must no long favor political leaders who talk about slave being an evil nor must we advance u