, 1860-01-13
91rnea:is|;:.N;'Trihut1e, i !: / ]; !;

:91reas:&Tribut1e
FRIDAY. JANUARY 10. 1850.
Q0NHT1TUTTNNAK4 LIBERTY OR
TaE LAM OF FSLATElkX--tHkaICI
There is l,ls enc condition on which Slavery
oan exist i'll the United States with out endan-
gering tic liborty Of The white race. 1t must
be plaeed where tic public mind will rest in
the belief that it il in the course Of ultimate
extinction, Or the essential principles and SAFE
guards Of liberty must bc Internationally SUR
rendered. TLcrc is no middle-sround-no
halfway house. 1faur have honestly believed
otherwise. what is now transpiring in the free
States ranno: 1nii to undccciye them. Moth
lug can be more absurd than the belief that
TWO principles so antagonistic as Constitutional
liberty and Slavery can dwell side ;by side
forever. Take away the condition that one is
gradually giving place 10 the other, and that
moment the q irrcpressible conflict" begins,
which nothing can terminate but the yanquis1l:-
,ueni Of the one ind the complete enthrouo-.
,nont Of the other. The Union Of these States
would novsr have been perfected upon its
present basis had not tie founders Of the gov
.ra:nent believed that Slayery Yves nero
temporary institution that would soon be erndi-
Gated by tho action or the various States Had
they regarded it as ncrmancnt thing, that it
was 10 endure as long as the Republic might
Inst, either the idea {: rnion would have been
abandoned altogether, Or constitution would
!.ave.la Gu framed cn.ircly adapted to the ne
cessiaics Of Slavery. The freedom Of speech
mud d the press, and the exemption Of person
AID Of property from seizure without process,
~onld nor havc been guaranteed; hut on the
contrary these essentials to constitutional lh-
erty would l4nro been specifically withheld.
Til: stability Of the Union thus far is to be
:r.:c"d to the belief that las heretofore pre-
r.iled, atthe South as well as at The North, tha:
Slavery, sooner cr later, would cease 10 exist,
The decay Of that belief in the alareholding
States, the aggressive character which Slavery
has assumed, The withdrawal Of all admissions
Of its w5ongfu!ues., and the clainls which art
set Tip in its behalf these and these alone art
tie Causes which have undermined that sta1pil-
ity,' and which have set men to talking Of dis
solving the Union aud computing its value
'What is considered by the South ns vital to
tho existence Of Slavery, upon the hypothesis
Of its being permanent institution, is now be-
lug practically Illustrated in almost every slarc
holding State. Not only must the shareholders,
n however pitiaS]o minority thcy may bc, b.:
I!'e supreme l'wgivcrs, hut tic safe,y q:
slavery must he recognized by everybody as
the supreme Law, overriding all tic natural
and inalenablc rights Of man. Tie slavehold-
ers constitute about odc-twentieth ofthe white
population Of tho s1ayeholding States.
This twentieth is TO rule. withou.
question, the uineteen-iwcnticths who
have no personal interest In thu.
ins itutioa, but who would be benefited
il every respect BY its overthrow. And that
This right to rule may lot be called in ques-
hon, tue niueteon-twentie- lbs must be depriy-
I'd Of the liberty Of speech, Of the rrefs and
even the privilege Of holding aliy opinion ad.
verse to slavery. It is 4 fact that III the slave.
holding Suites Of this Union, nine.een-tweu-
teths Of thu whites hold their literature, their
religion, their books, their thoughts and pr;n-
cipIes, subject to tile censorship o: the other
twentieth. THO discovery Of IL book that in
anyway called in question the divine charnc-
ter Of slavery and the right Of the slarc-
holders to give law to the non-slarcl,oldin;;
class, would deprive its rosscssor Of all protec-
ton of law, and probably send his1 an exile
from his native State. The right or the nine.
teen-twentieths to subscribe for newspaper
and receive item through the government
mails, is permitted cnly when subject to the
abore censorship oft11c slareh6lding twentieth
They exercise tho r;ksA Of suffrage only OIL
the same condition. To rote in opposition t
the wishes cf the one-tweutieth Fraction,
would result in 1orcible exile. These ale
SOHO Of the conditions which slavery demands
~ se- "'4s%~ ft@tA[ VI %*AH ~
the Rcputtic-as necessary to its permanent
existence. We shall not call in question tl.e
judgment Of those who prescribe them. They
doubtless know best, and they declare tha1
black slavery is incompatible with white free
dom. The issue is Of their own muking-no1
an abstract or theoretical Que, but painfully
concrete and practical, as recent events in the
soutl, testify. So tar, therefore, as nineteen,
twentieths Of tho South are concerned, the
rights under theirFe1era! Constitution are tram.
pied under foot By the slareholdcrs-c
tut;onal liberty with them is merely 4 rame,
not reall'y. But this small fraction Of the
white population ol the Slaveholling States
go further than this. They assert that they
must dictate laws 10 the while natisu in ordc,
to the security Of slavery as a permanent in,
stitution. II deprived Of this power, they will
at once dissolve tho Cnion. It matters not
that Republican President may he elected by
tho modes prescribed in the Constitution-that
clear majority Of tic people Of The United
States may designate linn as their cEcicc, o.
{. tLat tie mag administer The government in stricl
accordance with The Constitution Unio1
must terminate upon his accession to Office
Slavery demands as 4 condition Of its security
that the Office Of President shall be lilled ly
the voice Of The three hundred and fifty thou
sand shareholders Of the country; it demand.
TINT the functions of Chief Executive Of tin
nation shall be exercised in accordance witt
its own requiremcuts--tlla it's law shall over
ride the Federal Constitution. We shall no
question the wisdom Of the Shareholders fo
believing that this too is essential to tue per
mauent existence Of slavery. They have TIL
best opportunity for Judging Of its necessi
ties. They declare TINT slavery is incompati
ble with The exercise Of the right Of sutIras
By the people Of the free States. THE issue il
Of their making, not ours.
: To this point then arc We driven. Eithe
slavery must be put back l,y the States wle1
it exists upon its cid basis Of gradual bs.
certain extinction, or constitutional libert,
must be given up, If the one or the other i
not done, dissolution Of the Union Is Inevitable
Indpinr of the requirements Of s1aycrv 1,y lii