Union County star and Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1859-1864, 1860-05-18

we're possibly true construction of tht
Constitution, that the power Of deciding
practically for ever between freedom anC
slavery in a portion Of the continent fal
exceeding all that is yet organized, should
be renour ced by Congress, which alOn,
Possesses any legislative authority, anC
should be assumed aud exercised by f.;
court which can only take cogDizluce o
the great question collaferally, in pri
vatc action between individuals, anC
which action the Constitution will not sut
fer the court to entertain, if it involves
twenty dollars Of money, without the over
ruling Intervention Of a jury of twelve
good aud lawful men Of the neighborhooC
where the litigation arises. The indc
pendent, ever-renewed, and er-recurring
representative Parliament, Diet, Congress
or Legislature, is the one chief, paramount
essential, indispensable institution ina Re
public. Even liberty, guaranteed by or
ganic law, yet if it be held by other tenure
than the guardian care of such a repre-,
sentative popular assembly, is bu. preca
riously maintained, while slavery, enforced
by an Irresponsible judicial tribunal, is
the completest possible deye!Opement OF
despotism.
Mr.. President, did ever the annals Of
any Government show more rapid or
more complete departure from the wisdom
and virtue Of lis founders? Did ever the
Government of great empire, founded on
the rights Of human labor, slide away so
fast aud so far, aud moor itself SO tena,
ciously on the basis of capital, and that
capital invested in laboriDg men Did
ever free representative Legislature, in
vested with powers so great, and with the
guardianship of rights SO important, of
trusts SO sacred, of interests SO precious,
and of hopes at once SO noble and so com
prehensive, surrender aud renounce them
all SO unnecessarily, so unwisely, so fatal
ly, and SO ingloriously? If it be true, as
every instinct Of our nature and every pre-
cept of political experience teaches US, that
all fares the land to fastening ills prey,
Where wealth accumulates, and u,en decay
then wherein Ireland, in Italy, in Po-
land, or in HuDgary-has any ruler pre-
pared for generous and confding people
disappoin;ments, disasters, and calamities,
equal to those which the government of
the United States holds now suspended
over SO large a portion Of this continent
of North America! !
Citizens of the United States, in the
spirit Of this policy, subverted the free
Republic of Nicaragua, and opened it to
slavery and the African slave trade, and
held it in that condition, waiting annexa-
ton to the United States, until its SOW
reiguty was restored by combination Of
sister Republics exposed to the same dan
ger, aud appreheusiYe of similar subver-
sion. Other citizens re-opened the for.
eign slave trade in violation Of our laws
aud treaties and, after a suspension Of
that shameful traffic for fifty years, savage
Africans have been once more landed on
our shores, aud distributed, unreclaimed
and with impunity, among our plantations.
For this policy, SO far as the Govern
ment has sanctioned it, the Democratic
party avOws itself responsible. Every
where, complaint against it is denounced,
and its opponents prescribed. When Kan
sas was wrirhing under the wounds of in
cipient, servile war, because of her resis-
tance, the Democratic press deridingly
said, "let her bleed" Official integrity
has been cause for rebuke and punish.
nent, when it resisted frauds designed %
promote the extension of slavery. Thro'-
3ut the whole Republic, there is no, one
known dissenter from that policy remain
ng in place, if within reach of the Execu-
i've arm. Nor, over the face of the whole
world, is there to be found one rcpresen-
ative Of our country who is not an apollo
,ist of the extension of slavery.
1t is in America that these things have
the nineteenth century,
he era of the worlds greatest progress,
md while all nations but ourselves have
'een either abridsing or altogether sup
PRESSING commerce in men; at the very
when the Russian serf is emanci-
'ated, and the Georgian, the Nubian pri- /.
oner, and the Abyssinian savage, are lift !
d up to freedom by the successor of No
ammed. The world, prepossessed in our
ehalt by our early devotion to the rights !
f.human nature, as no nation ever before /
ngaged its respect and sympathies, asks, ,
n wonder and amazement, what all this |
means? 1t has an excuse /
etter than the world eau imagine, better
han we are generally conscious of our
elves, virtucus excuse. We have loved
OF Freedom so much less, but the Union
f our country SO much more. We have
cen made to believe, from time to time,
nat, in crisis, both of these precious in
i,utions could not be saved together, and
,erefore We have, from time to time, sur
,ndered safeguards Of freedom to propiti-
tc the loyalty of capital, and stay its
ands from doing violence to the Union.
be true state of the case, however, ought
Of to be mystery to ourselves. Pres
ence, indeed, is not given to statesmen
1t we are without excuse when We fail
apprehend the logic of current events
ct parties, or the Government, choose or
, what they may, the people of the Uni
d States do not prefer the wealth of the
W to the liberty of the many, capital to
Dor, African slaves to white freemen, in
e national Territories and in future
ates. That question has never been dis
,ctly recognized or acted on by them.