Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1859-06-03
NM nREn sCoTr DECISION.


conceivable ue,ion ~ idea, since the flood that every
crochct IN law ccy problem in science every mootcd
pont IN religion, lad been olucidntcd, explained and
settled by that decision, whereas, all that comprehend
ed in that decision is ncrclythat the plaintiff bred
Scott srvgro u African descent whose ancesti were
Of purc blood, and who brought into this country
and sold slaves, not being citizen within the mean.
ing of tc Constitution, IS disqualified to sue in United
Court, and that the case is accordingly dismissed
for waW " jurisdiction" An the rest is talk and
just binding, decision Of ne Sprcme Court, as "a
decoration on ruano or an opinion " tile best mode of
cxterniua,ing rats in which The members Of the court
might have seen III 10 indulge after the decision OF inc
question really IN hand.
ton legally before them, about which they chose 70 c
verse when making up their 'Drcd Scott decision,
win be time enough quote their opinions A. authority
Wicn Judge in giving his opinions on a case ~
rou.. "travc Of the record and talks about dls
Eng dat ting and one ting ana fodder rs "Old hip
Coon" says the fodder Of "Massa's barn consisted
Of however wise he may look or however leainel anu
interesting his talk may be- Il hardly be entitled to
the binding force Of legal decision.
Tho "Drcd Scott decision is all right so Jar as ihe
question before the court is concerned and when some
other questions come UP, the decision ~ presumed
will be right-but legal decision question before
court one thing and ,sk Of the 1uasS anon, some
IaDsogt Patriot n May 2s
Il is now moro than two years since the
bred Scott decision was made and the Fore
going is the first notice Of it we remember
having observed in the Vermont Patriot and
the peculiar character of this notice indicates
strongly that It is the first time our neighbor
has given his serious attention to it, At
first blush, two years ago, everybody enter
tanned the opinion of the Patriot now, that
all the talk Of the Court, every opinion out
side of the question Of the citizenship of
bred Scott, and the jurisdiction Of the Court
was mere talk, and Just as binding as a dis
sertation on guano, or an opinion OF the best
mode of discriminating rats The dissent
ing Judges Of the Court were of that opin-
ion; the conservative politicians were of shat
opinion; the Republicans we're Of that opin-
ion; and now we confess it elevatos the
Editor Of the Patriot in our estimation TO find
that he begins by agreeing with this opinion,
which was so popular two years ago. To be
sure he begins rather late it has taken two
years for him to get the hang of the thing
perhaps owing TO the onerous labors IN the
post-office for the first year, and the mournful
labors ont of the post-ofiicc during tho last
But he has fairly begun upon the bred Scott
decision at last, and done well as far as he
has gone. We hope for more and better still,
as he posts himself up and gets fairly into
the subject; and first of all, we hope he will
see that the Court. and President Buchanan,
and Senator Douglas, and the Democracy in
Congress generally, and the Slayocracy all
over the country in particular, have not the
slightest idea of submitting to the notion
that the a-iudcial opinions of the Federal
Court are utilities No The real opinion
Of modern Democracy is that the Federal
Court is the highest political power in the
land Holding Office for life, and really re-
sponsibio to nobody-boyond the reach of
the people, and beyond the reach even of i'm
parchment. so long as Democracy can control
the House OF Sonate-the Supreme Court is
practically treated as the only real, stable,
reliable political power in the land that the
Constitution permits 1t is eminently demo-
cratic and democratic just in proportion as
it is slavocra,ic When the People rebel
against slavery, slavery appeals to the Court
against the People. When Congress refuses
to do the business of slavery, slavery appeals
to the Court against Congress. Remember
the Court annulled the ordinance of 81 and
the Missouri Compromise act. When sover-
eign States refuse to do the dirty and wicked
work of slavery, slavery appeals to the Court
against the States. Remember the late de-
cison against Wisconsin. When the free
people in the Territories undertake to bar out
slavery, slavery appeals to the Court against
the people of the Territories. Remember
that the Court says slaves are property, and
like any other property may be taken into
any Territory And finally, when we get 4
President who will dare to treat the extra
judicial dicta of the Court as utilities, OF
rather as usurpations, we doubt not slavery
will appeal to the Federal Court against the
President; but then we trust the court vii
find more than n match, as il did in the days
of Andrew Jackson.
The keynote of the extra judicial opinion
of the Conrt is that "slaves arc property
like any other property This key-not
rules the grand march of slavery all over tn,
scale and through every bar-takes it into al
territories, and will take it, if not resisted
even into every free State This key-not
was designed to give the genuine slavocrati
tone to the President, to Congress, to all tn
States and Territories, and especially to tn
latter through all the subordinate Courts
The subordinate Federal Courts of cours
catch the tone, and sound it as jocundly as
it were the anthem of Liberty; and now III
Supreme Federal Court is attempting to sc
itself above the State Courts, and sound tn
slavocratic pitch for them. Remember tn
late order Of the Federal Court to all FEEDER,
Marshals, to disregard the authority Of II
State Courts. Against this deliberate an
persistent purpose of the Court to enforce il
extra-judicial dicta, even with violence, tn
cry of nullity by the Patriot is itself nihilt
--nothing-"mere talk" We need stornC
stuff than that to resist judicial usurpation
work work. work VOTES votes votes
first to brush away the barricades wit
which the Court is surrounded, and then
bring to bear directly upon it the power