New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-06-27

The doctrines of the Declaration Of Indspenleass
are not to be comprshended in eli their beauty ssl
sublmity BY the closest study, any more than thsy
are to be wasted away by the shrewdest vssssi
criticism of the letter Of the instrument, Great q
were the abilities Of those who framed it, they
we're. and all men would have been, UNEQUAL
to the task of condensing into words Of confnins
within sentences, the great idea of political equal
ity which informed the general American reason
and heart. They left us letter noble only BE-
cause II was the exponent of noble Pirit Ths
letter might be perverted and controverted might
be faithful to the ear Of the world, bat altogether
false to its hope-but tho spirit would remain. inca
pable Of double sense, and useless to pei.
terers. fat ttIs t-N3f la3lag
We did not need II, but We are happy to have tie
opinion of Mr. George Bancroft, the best know.
of our historians, that the DeclArston Of Isds-
pendence was not " tissue Of glittering eenerAi-
"ties.p Mr.. Bancroft contradiets the late Mr.
Rofus Choate point blank, and in words which are
curousy responsive to those of that advocate, Coz
DIR. Bancroft says distinctly that the Declaration
" avoided specious and vague generalities.r Agh,
those who have been misled by the indignant
repetition of tbs phrase " Higher Law, viii have
ampler opportunities of exhibiting their virtusus
horror when they read what Mr. George Bancroft
has written "The bill Of rights which 1t e. 0. tho
" Decaration] promulgates, is Of rights that arc
colder than human institutions, and spring from
tie eternal Justice that Is anterior to the State"
he must possess very rare powers of distinction
who can find any substantial difference between
I" the Higher Law" and the rights that sre
older than human institutions rights that
spring from the eternal justice that Il anterior
ssto the State" But Mr. Bancroft goes stn
further; nor can we forbear the pleasure ofquotDg
his own admirable words. 1.-TWO political
I" theories" says be divided the world; ono
i" founded the Cemmo awealth on the reasons Of
/" state, the policy of expediency: the other on
the immutable principles Of morals: the new Re-
public, as 1t took its place among the powers Of
I" the world, proclaimed its faith In the truth
" and reality and uDchsngeableness Of freedom,
" virtue, right. The heart of Jefferson in writing
+" the Declaration, and of Congress in adopt
ing it, beat for all humanity; the ssssr-
{" ton of right was made for the entire world
" of mankind and all coming generations,
I" without any exception whateverj for the
proposition which admits Of exception. can
|" never be self-evident." Moreover, and in Illus
tration of the universal application of the glad
tidings, Mr. Bancroft says The astonished ma
" tons as they read that all men are created equal,
" started out of their lethargy, like those who have
Z" been exiles from childhood, when they suddenly
+" hear the dimly remembered accents Of their
!" mother tongue" Mr.. Bancroft, it will be seen,
does not speak with the fashionable timidty of dys
peptic students. He does not maunder about races,
nor take refuge within the cheap defenses of ethno
logical sciolism. His political philosophy makes
g the circuit of the world"-his political morality
is applied to " the entire world Of mankind, and
90 all coming generations, without any exception
&" Whatever" After Mr.. Cushng's pilferings from
and stereotyped nonsense about
white and black and yellow races-after the intol-
cradle cOnceit, ignorance, and inhumanity of his
mitators-after the inconclusve conclusions oftext-
splitting and text-twisting Doctors Of Divinity
after all the gnOble efforts Of fools and of knsves
to extenuate moral wrong by appeals to physical
is pleasant to find man like Mr..
Bancroft adhering to a simple and sensible con-
structon of the adages and axons of honest and
fearless Republicanism. These trimmers-thess
torturers of plain words of plain morality intotenth
century sophistications, have now their answer.
and they have it from very high, if not from the
highest quarter. ss