Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1860-06-04

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not. TheAform of words probably urigi-
mated in the fact that, parties perfectly
competent to sue in the National courts,
had failed to show their competency by
failing to allege their citizenship.
Let no one suppose that though the Dis
trict and Circuit Courts of the United
States must have jurisdiction, must have
u plaintiff competent to. demand some
thing, and actually demanding something,
and defendant competent to contest his
drmaud and actually contcsting it, Vet the
Supreme Court may so on, Sw" ,paaie ot
their own vOlition, without II plaintiff CIT
pablo of receiving either good or evil from
their Judgment The capacity of the plain
| t;lf to suc, was the first question. This
question the Court had full jurisdiction
to decide. And they did decide it, and Ggvi-
dcd it against Dred Scott and all his race.
They said that no man of that unhappy race
can sue in the courts of the Union. No
man of that race has any rights which
can be noticed or recognized or asserted in
the Federal courts. Then why go further
Was not all their further exertion idle?-
Or if it can he redeemed from that
charge, is it not By suhjecting their doings
to the charge of usurpAtion? They did
not intend to ininre Dred Scott or his race.
They had Nnnihilated him, or at least they
had reduced him below all fear of further
injury. Their intention was to injure the
eighteen or twenty millions of the Anglo
Saxon race who inhabt the free States, to
debase our civil condition, to reduce us to
state of secondary bondage, to make us
! inferior and tributary. They say that
when citizens of the mighty free States
emigrate TO the Territories, all their laws
forhidding slavery or involuntary scrvi-
tude, except for the punishment of crime,
are abrogated, are abolished, are rendered
null and void. to all intents and purposes.
But when Southern man..emigrates to the
Territories from 81 slave State, he finds all
the slave laws substantially and efTectual =.
, ly in force; though perhaps not infinitely
and i'll detail. "Whatever the laws of any
one of the States regard as property, that
is property when carried 10 the Territories
and entitled to protection as such.' And
Mr.. Tancy asserts that slave property is
entitled to as much protection as amy 9TH
er kind of property. Is it possible TO
make n more Odious or a more invidious
distinction agnint the majority and in fh-
vor of the minority, than this? All the
free State laws ubrOgated in the common
Territories Of the Union, and all the slave
State laws substantially and ettectually i'll
force. So inferior are we in the eyes OF
the Federal Supreme Court, so subordi-
nate is our situation, so impulitic are our
laws and institutions, so little are our i'll
tercs:s and happiness and those of our
poStcritv TO be consulted that any one
slave State Ivy cnacting slave laws, can
spread its laws and institutions over the
whole National Territory, can AfricnniZc
the whole continent, can erect slave dun
gcons wherever waves the Star SpNngled
Banner outside of the narrow limits of the
present free States. While orr laws are
so inferior, so little entitled to aPProbn-
ton or encouragement, they are to he
strictly and vigorously confined TO the
limits of the States in which they are en-
acted. If this was not what the Supreme
Court intended, what did they intend?-
They nnnihilnted the plaintiff. They said
that he was not IL plaintiff, could not sue
at all, could not be heard had no stand
ing room in Court. In one word, they had
exhausted their jurisdiction; they had cX-
haustcd all pretcnsc, all color of jurisdtc-
ton. Just consider. Suppose after going
with previous decisions, tina: importation
into illinois by his master, had conferred
an inaiennblG right to freedom on Dred
Scott Suppose they had decided that
importation into the United States Terri
tory. covered by the Missouri comprn-
miscs, conferred an inaliennblc right to
freedom on bred Scott. What benefit
could bred Scott have received? He
would still have remained the slave of DIR.
Sanford the defendant, subject to lie
chained, imprisoned, scourged, and sold to
Southern cotton fields or sugar plnntn-
tions, Mt the will and pleasure of that girls
Is and ill-boding individual. After dis
nbliug him from seeing, all such dec"ro-
tions in his favor would have been merely
extra judicial, mere Obiter dicta, mere
stump speeches, mere oratoricaI TRADES by
a set of gentlemen who have law learning
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