The semi-weekly mountain Democrat., 1860-10-13
Correspenasnee oT the psneer...

MEssRs. EDIT0Rs: Mankind in all ages
and in oil nations Of the worid-the most
refined and enlightened, as well as the be-
| nighted and barbarous-havo been the
subjects Of deluSion, superstition and er-
ror, and have been and still are the dupes
Of designing, and the prey Of crafty, Gun.
ming and unprincipled men, whose sole
means Of retaining power and extOrting
from the toiling millions the means Of re-
yelling in luxury, case and wealth, was
and is the spread of delusiOns in govern
ment, religion, politics, law, and even the
nature and mission of man himself
For near three thousand years, accord.
ing to authentic history, Kings claimed to
rule by divine right, and their claim was
supported and the delusion imposed upon
the masses of the people through the in.
strumentality Of n vcnal and corrupt priest
hood, who, through the mystery Of ini-
guilty. bound with the chains Of fear and
superstition, the minds Of their deluded
victims. That despotism should rule an
ignorant people by force, and religious fn-
naticism rule the mind of superstitious
people by fear, is not subject Of wonder;
but that the most enlightened people that
| CNcT lINCu, uHu tIidL tIlc HlOSL lEdtuCuO Nui-
cnted, ,shrcwd and experienced Of that peo-
pie should DC deluded for hundred years
by Il Lcyat error, is matter worthy Of the
serious consideration of those who believe
that mankind are still progressing toward
perfection in mind.
For hundred years the legal mind Of
England and America has been chained by
one of the most absurd and paIpahle de-
lusions that has ever disgraced the intel
lect Of man.
Lord Mansfield, in The celebrated Som
crsct case, promulgated to the world his
glitter dict0, as the law of England; and
that opinion has 6ecn blindly adopted and
followed with all the superstiiouS zeal Of
frcnzicd religious fanaticisn, by the entire
legal profession Of England and America,
day. That celebrated opinion, which was
SO universally acQuiesced in by all the
great legal minds Of this country, and
quoted by Webster, Clay, Cass, and near
ly all our eminent statesmen as sound laGI,
when it is carefully examined, will be
found, in the language Of Hon. Charles
O'Conner, to be not only mot good Law,
but untcnable."
IL acdS not British l0so at The time II
,c0s promulgated, nerer AGs been, and is
not aOtc British Laic.- 1t is q well known
historical fact that, the British Govern
ment and its merchants were then largely
engaged in the African slave trade, and,
Notwithstanding Lord Mansfield 8 decision,
continued 20 deal in African slaves as Arti-
cles Of merchandise, and protected and de-
Tended the traffic by the Idso and power
of the English Government, long after
the slave trade was prohibited by act Of
Congress in 1907. In the four years pre-
ceeding 1908, English shippers had sew
enty vessels engaged in carrying slaves to
the port of Charleston, South Carolina
and during these four years, English ships
brought into that port alone l9, $40 slaves.
The English construction Of maritime, In.
tcrnational law, is too well known to all
, legal minds to leave them for . single mo-
ment in doubt. 1t is we'll known that by
English law, as well as the Law OF nations.
the deck of ship belonging to citizen
of nation, is as much part Of the do
main or territory of that nation ~ any
part Of the soil Of the country. =, s-.
= And yet, in defiance Of this celebrated
English decision, which is 80 much veqer'
ated by the Republican Abolition Gnatics
the government of England, by its lawS
and its power, protected its citizens In the
African slave trade as long as . Jnarlxet
could be found for their sale And now
at this day, in defiance Of Lord Mansfield !
dictn-in defiance Of an act of Parliament
abOlshing the slave trade, the ERglist
] Government is now largely and probably
engaged in the African slave trade. Un
der the assumed plea or pretense Of pre-
venting or breaking up the slave trade
England keeps q large fleet Of her nntiOna
vessels on the coast Of Africa, and like tn
, eagle with the tlsh-hawk, they watch tn
slave trader until he gets his cargo OF
board and starts out on his voyage, whel
they, like the eagle, pOunce upon and rol
him of his ship. and appropriate his carg
to their own use =; they confscate and sci
the ship as prize, and the negroes ar
|, sent to their West India Islands and ar
there sold for twenty-five dollars per head
to serve as apprentices for the Term Of min
= years and the money arising fo0 the sal
goes to pay the expense Of keeping tha
' Jenerolent fleet Of pirates in profitable en-
= ploymcnt. Not one Of all the thousand
Of negroes that have been cApt0red an
D. sold in this way, and after nine years har
work to learn British civilization, not
E, single instance is known Of any ever re
turning TO their native land again. THE
=. ARE SLAVES FOR LIFE! AboliGon-R -Reput
\, lcaniSm, like all other decisions wit
which mankind has been cursed, mu:
: have its end; and the day is fast approach
ing when the walls that ha~c SO long SUI
rounded the Jericho Of despOtism, will b
raised to their foundations, and the NOR
strous dcluson be exploded forever.
S Already has the citidcl Of legal despC
is tiSm been attacked by one of the able'
!; legal minds Of the age, (Hon. Charlie
Sc OConner), and when his artillery ofreaso
'se is brought to bear, there can be no dout
r r about the result, being complete victor
Of truth over error.
The "Goliah," too, of Republican Abc
itionism, in the person Of Senator Sew
ard, surrounded by his PhiliStan arm
of negro worshipcrs and armed with hi
mailed coat Of deluSion and sophistry an
the spear of error; has been met an
'' slain by the young david" Of Califo'
m MIA, in the person Of Senator Latham
armed with the simple " sling" Of justic
and right, and the "smooth pebble" {
truth for his weapon.
y "Truth, crushed to earth, will rise again;