, 1860-12-20

rbitaap Gribune.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1860.
THE N. =. TisfsHSSHis TGnss,oSis1s. Aso '0 S
The New York Tribune suggests that
President Buchanan is actually Insane.
Considering that the Old Public Function
ory ia pursuing substantially thel'o1icy ad-
voca:cd by the Tribune towards the seccs-
sionis.s, It Is fair to presume that the editor
Of that paper is insane also. If seven or
eight Southern States desire TO scccde, says
the Tribune, they hare right to do so. l!
South Carolina desires to secede, says Mr.
Buchanan, We cannot prevent her from |
doing so. The difference between the tWo
Is that the one is President Of the United
States and the other is the editor OF an in
f]ucu:ial public journal. The one has taken
m oath 10 support the Constitution OF The
United 6tatcs; the:other has not. This if
IN important distinction 50 far as the r
ties are individually concerned, and an I'M
important one in other respects. We quote
from The Tribune Of 18th inst:
1--WE have repeatedly asked those who dissent
from our view OF this matter to tcli VI franSs:
whether they do or do not assent to Mr. Jcactsons
statement In the Declaration Of Independence thai
gororn.aeata *dsf.se their Just powers from Mf
't3astns q Tie gorcsnfd and that. whenever any
'Gorn Of government becomes destructive OF these
'ena.. Ills tic riga: Of iAs r<cts to a'feTor abo*iM
II. md to Institute new government &C
We do heartily assent to this general
principle, but if Mr: Jefferson had gone On
to say *'it is the right Of tho people to al
ster and abolish il, and to instit .te new
"goyernment infringing upon the rights o:
"othcr governments and peoples, jeop-
"nrdiz;ng thcir commerce, unset,ling the
foundations Of their rolity, opening fatal
"gaps in their Republican system" etc.
we should either wholly dissent from the
position, OF we should insist that something
like the following be added: "And wc
'ho.d that the government so Threatened
"thc people so jeoparded, tic Republican
"system 50 itnperilel, have the right 10
apessuade the lnalcontents back to their
constitutional obligations by such argu-
"ments as may seem best adapted to the
send" Bat why does not the Tribune take
the Declaration Of Independence IS a
whole: Why does it suppress the context
Of the quoted passage? What sends" did
Mr.. Jefferson refer 10 in saying that when
q government becomes dest,ueftze Of these
onds, etc. The answer is plain and una
voidahle-"l life, liberty and the pursuit o.
hnppineaa.n Did he mean that for ever,
paltry occasion, every prctext, every Pre-
tense Of m injury, people have right tt
1eyo!utionize? Did he mean that in ever!
Ruch event the government has no right Il
guppress the revolution: He did not eve,
cay that the King and Parliament Of Grea
Britain had no right to enforce their Law
in the colonies If they were strong cnoussl
Does any man in his senses believe IL
Jefferson intended to say that section {
any constitutional government has rigl
to abolish that government because the
have lost an election? OF that q ;ccrta'
number Of Shareholders, no matter 1lo
large, have the right to dissolve Unie
which will not tolerate the introduction
their chattcls into free tcrritoryp The i'd
Is prepostcrous.
But we presume the Tribune means til
the people who essay revolution shall
the sale judges Of the injuries. real or pl
tended, which aftlict them. Mr. Jef1ers
never said SO. The Declaration Of 1nt
pcndcncc was in itself m appeal to
uanaind-so designated in its own p
amhlc. We deny in toto that a people
tempting to cast of their gorernmc
Whatever it may be, hare the sole right
Judge of the occasions for the propos
step. We do not believe the theory c
be found in the works Of any writer
distinction on fundamental law. ]
graft that they have q right
Judge for themselves, but wc Ii
that they cannot judge for others :
The authorities on fundamental law #
whom we are familiar, hold that tile f
duty Of = government is to provide for
own pcrtuancuce. Wc will not misst
th. Trijuac's position on this score. It
.sists that the duty Of the Government,
federal functionarics. at this present
ncnt, is to enforce the laws in South G
lima as well as elsewhere, "But if (
"seycn o. eight States it continues, rs
''ageuts to Washington to say, We VI
"tto get out Of the Union,' VIC shall
"constrained by our devotion to HUI
s;Li1erty to say, Let them gol' 1tthus
pears that something depends upon
magnitude and organization Of the IN
mcnt Abstract principle is not the vi
nor the principal ingredient in tic
6unes "deyotion to Human Liberty
admits that tie secession Of Cover
Island, and its annexation to Franc
Great Britain, even though sanctioned
the vote OF all its inhabitants, could nj
permitted. We infer from its jousts
tic Espress that it believes the secessis
New York city, though perfectly organ
though demanded by q decisive maje
could not be tolerated In point Of
then, the 1'ri5une's "dcvotion to Hu
Liberty" is small part Of its prem
And We confess VIC do quite nit see
Its premises are 1t sets out with an u
quotation from the Declaration Of
pendence as an item Of simon-pure p'
pie not to be departed from without
Injustice. It ends with denial Of
principle as applied to certain conn
ties, and an appesl based upon the
bcrs md influence Of the seces
lists This brings Us back TO
point where the argument 81
hare started, namely; whether
rights and interests Of botA section
compatible with secession. We thi
can be shown, VIC think it has already
shown. by lair argument, TINT
IL not to be avoided by my
OF sccession-that under existing
cumstauces warts tho most natural an'
cal consequence Of sccession-and u
sist again that no net ought to he per
ed or permitted tending to raise the
mcnt Of South Carolina from the cha
OF miserable rebellion 10 the diguit
national conflict.
To return 10 the resnectiyc incopz1