Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1860-07-11
THE DAILY Pr ESs



people do not form any very extravagant
expectations of "four-cylinder" logic. The
article proposed to go to the root Of the,
matter, or at least near the root and bring
up the ground principles. Thus f
''It may be we'll to call attention to some
principles which lie very near the root OF tne
whole matter, and are in much danger OF
being on all sides overlooked. Amid all this
wearisome palaver about slavery extension
or restriction, amid this incessant chatter of
politicians concerning popular sovereignty
and congressional sovereignty, amid this con-
tinual din of hammering at the Kansas-Ne-
braska bill, many forget that there are ques-
tons involved whose solution reaches far
beyond the politics of the hour, and will
affect perhaps for ages, the destiny of our
people. While the politician concerns him
self only with immediate results, and is prone
to argue and decide every question with
reference to its effects on the next election,
it becomes us to watch closely the signs of
the times, and detect if we may, the vital
and the permanent amid the triHing and the
feeting."
So, to relieve US from all this "wearisome
avera5outslavery extension orrestriction,
the writer proposes to go to the root of the
matter and discuss-what7 Why slavery
extension or restriction 1t reminds us of
the person at frugal boarding house, where
the main dish was bean-porridge, which every
well reared person knows is best at nine days
old. OF course, towards the ninth day beans
grew scarce, and this logical prototype as
tonished the boarders one day at dinner by
pulling off his coat as if be was going to the
root Of things. In explanation, he declared
his purpose to dive to the bottom of the dish
to see if he could bring up bean. The logi-
clan of the Commercial has been running
"wearisome bean-porridge on slavery ex-
tension and restriction and now for a change
be dives to the root of the matter and brings
up an exhausted bean.
Another novelty in this effort is that II pro-
poses to abandon the question of slavery re-
striction for the present, and settle it for the
future. The question now is "triAing and feet
ing" but in the future it Twill effect perhaps for
ages, the destiny of our people" People
whose logic does not rus in a circuit might
be puzzled to understand the quality Of a
question which is "heeting" now, but
eternal In the future; also TO understand
WIN, if the question is trifling now, we should
trouble ourselves about it in the future.
The circuit of the first day was to show
that opposition to slavery extension is per-
fecty consistent with friendliness to slavery
where it exists; or, to fortify the Republican
paradox, that slavery is uuobjectionablc
where it Is, but very Objectionable where ii
isn't. The logic to this end seemed to be
that if slavery is good where it is, it has q
right to go everywhere. That was very
short circuit.
The next days dive brought up that ex-
hausted bean, that freedom is natural, and
slavery artificial that, in the words of Mans
field, 1.-THE state of slavery is Of such a nature
that it is incapable of being introduced on
any reasons moral or political, but only By
positive law. 1t is go odious that nothing
can be sufficient to support it but positive
law" Ofthe esame nature is thatgreat Amer
icnn truth" in the Declaration Of Indepen-
dence that all men are created equal" and
this is ramifed in our antithetical catch
words, that slavery is sectional and freedom
nationals and that slavery exists only by locaI
law, and without law all men are free.
We are perpetually repeating that truth is
eternal; yet we never trust truth TO 60 alone
or to stand on its own bottom. We perpetu-
ally whine about the heeting and imperfect
nature of men, but no eternal truth has any
weight with us unless we hitch it to som,
man. Is not this one of our most beautifu
paradoxes? We never appeal to truth-the
thing eternal-but TO the sayings of some
man, the simile of things heeting and chang,
able. We have no principle of government
in this country, except as the sayings of JEFF
ferson, or Madison, or Washington, or some
man of like passions with ourselves. As fai
as our principles of government go, this
nation is hybrid without the faculty of per
petuating its species. Oriental nations wor-
shipped their ancestors. What nation evel
carried it to the extent that we do?
Iftruth is eternal it acquires no force BY
being tied to any man. If eternal, it vii
only be exalted by investigation. Examin,
this declaration of Lord Mansfield 9TH
state of slavery is of such nature that it is
incapable of being introduced on any reasons
moral or political, but only by positive law
1t is 50 odious that nothing can be sufficient
10 support it but positive law" What is the
object of law7 We suppose that all vii
agree that il is to protect natural rights
Now look at this Mansfield sylogism. The
law is to protect natural rights Slavery Is
contrary to natural rights. Therefore slavery
sran not exist without law. This palpabll
nbsurdity is made the shibboleth, and quoted
rs the end of reason, because Mansfield
made it.
All writers upon law hold that its only
foundation is justice bat Mansfield declare,
that slavery is so unjust that it can be
founded upon nothing but law.
1t is argued that slavery has no right o
extension because freedom is the natural con
dition Of mankind. So, all men are created
equal. One 'truth" is just as glittering al
the other, and Just as valuable in settlin,
the question. Is freedom the natural con
dition Of mankind? Slavery has Away
held the greater part Of the world and tn,
majority of mankind. Even in countrie
which are called free, a few are born ruler,
and the rest born to be governed. The prin
ciple is the same as that Of slavery. Whe
was the natural condition Of mankind ths
of freedom Not in families, for childre
are subject to their parents, and this gre,
az onoa into the natriarcha1 oovernn1antj