New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-01-28

The ground taken by the counsel in the Lennon
Slave Case, that no State in the Union has the
power to abolish Slavery within it's own limits,
while single member of the Confederacy continues
to hold slaves indicates the next step TO be taken
BY the Democratic Disunion party on the Slavery
question. For, amid all the subterluges into
which one or the other wing Of that party has been
driven, at one time and another, aud from one te
the other of which they have from time to timo
lodged, to shelter themselves, one idea has been
kept prominent and paramount This is, that
whatever the Nine Federal Judges at Washington
shall decide to be the law concerning Slavery, must
be cheerfully received as such, and acquiesced in
without question. Thus, Mr.. Douglas, during the
worst paroxysms of his Popular Sovereignty at
tack, has always persisted in deferring to the Fed
eral Slayeholding Court at Washington. He has
never minated that the people of the Territories
or the people Of the States, can have any rights or
any power whatever, which that body might not
abridge, qualify, OF take from them as it should
think proper. He has apparently never had the
penetration to see, and certainly never the
grace to acknowledge, that that Court under
the Shareholders demand, might entirely overturn
aud trsmple upon the most cherished and cearess
constitutional rights of the people, both of State
and Territory. In fact, ever since that Court has
been under the control Of the shareholders, both the
latter and their Northern advocates have abandoned
all explosions of suspicion as to its usurpns dispos
tions and have invariably sunk out of sight their old
State Rights doctrines, and yielded entirely to the
-
DEGREES Of the courts, whether within or without its
SPHERE Thus Mr.. ToOmbs of Georgia, and other
prominent Southern politicians when they feared
that the judgments and tendencies Ofthe Court might
be against the slayehOldDg and slayetrading inter-
ests never could utter contempt and defiance enough
as regards IFS political decisions, whether actual or
contemplated But since the boot has been put on
the other leg and since the court has gone over
bodily to the shareholders embraces, that whole
crowd OF irascible politicians and defiant faction
ists, have roaIed like so many sucking doves.
They have never said word against the Court, or
against any of its usurpations and extra; judicial
opinions It's utterances being all in the interest Of
Slavery have been regarded by them with none
but the tenderest sentiments Of consideration.
This is the way things ,tand now. The Supreme
Court is deferred to as the High and Mighty Ruler,
where Slavery is concerned. All the outrage rus
demands of the Slavery prOpagandists are finally to
be referred TO this Court. Every outrage and
every usurpation ia to be according 10 law Bat,
as Mr. Atchson said of his Kansas exploits, ave
"did everything in the form of law, though it wa,
''mostly id poor law" so lie to be the treatment
of the Slavery question by the Supreme Court. No
body, il is assumed but rebels, would think of
going against the opinions of the Federal judiciary.
This is the cry resOunded through the North 1t is
all the Court, the Court. Whatever the Court
says, whether it be formal decision or mere die
tum, whether it be according to old law or in def
ance of the decisions of the Bench for over half
century, whether the decision be upon questions of
law, or upon merely political topics, it is all the
same. Everybody is expected to defer implicitly,
blndly, unquestoDingy to the Court This is the
political programme of the Slave Power, and they
harp on its pacific character and gentle method of
settling this question every day.
The significance of the law phase of the Slavery
question cannot therefore, be oyerated. What.
ever the Courts can be brought to say or decide on
this subject is to be crammed do gn the throa;s of
the people of the Free States so far as the power
of the Federal Slaveboding Court can do it. The
doctrines we have before referred to as now pre-
scented before the Court of Appeals of this State, by
the eminent spokesman of the slave power in New
York, shadow forth in the most distinct manner the
ground which the United States Supreme Court in
tend to occupy as the next step in advance. They
show distinctly enough that we are on the eve of
decision, by that Court, which will make it law,
that property in man stands on precisely the same
basis as any other pIopertythat there is no law of
nature against Slavery, and that there can be no law
of any one of the Free States competent to its abo-
ltioD within the limits of such State, while single
Slave State remains in the Union. This is the next
legal dose pre- pared for the people of the Free
States to swallow We are Of the opinion that it
will be easier TO prepare il than to get il down. We
would advise the Court not to hurry. We know
that Drsd Scott did not agree well with Northern
Constitutions, and we are sure he is by no means
dgested yet.