New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-03-27
MIR. sTEPIuENs,s SPEECH.

Nn
The Hon. Alexander H. Stephens, the Vice
President Of the Confederate States, addressed
the citizens Of Savannah, last Thursday evening
upon the new Constitution and the prospects Of
the seeded States The high respect in which
Mr. Stephens is held by all at the South, his
intellectual abilities, his official position and the
well.known conservatism of his feelings, Civ. to
his words much importance, as the expression OF
present, deliberate Southern opinion. Passing
over the remarks Of the speaker on various
features of the Constitutional o. which Will be
found in another column-we desire to call
attention to the two prominent points in the
address. These ares The Basis Of the new Con-
.titution. and the Future Career Of the Con-
lederacy.
Mr.. Stephens at times appears not to beere
in shams, nor in the seli-deccption which inyi-
riably follows an attempt to deceive others; he
accordingly here throws away all disguise AID
sets up the flag of the Slave Power IN the luz
face of day. According to him, its authorized
and able expounder, the Constitution Of the
" Confederate States" says this: That the idea
upon which the Constitution OF the United States,
in its treatment of the Slavery question, rests, is
the idea Of the equality of the negro and white
races; that this idea ia entirely false; that the
principle deduced from II, and implied in the
Federal Constitution, that Slavery Ia q moral
wrong, is incorrect, being wrought from errone.
GUS premises; that the negro race is IN inferior
race; that its enslavepent is right, and should
be made perpetual. SO that upon this basis
the Southern Confederacy is plainly. and with
| out wayering, founded; The negro race is in
| ferior, should be enslaved now aud forever, and
we propose to enslaye it. This certainly is
clear, and distinct, and bold. We commend the
exposition to the careful consideration Of North
ern men who favor the projects of the South.
The words Of Mr.. Stephens on this point sug-
pest one or two remarks: While tie traitors 10
the Cabinet at the South and in the North.
ern States, were blowing up the fire Of rebel.
lion, recitiDg the "wroDgs Of the South, the
I" aggressions Of the North" they cried
out with one voice that the shareholders only
wanted their rights under the Constitution;
that those would satisfy them, and were sufficient
for every need. 1t now appears how insincere
were all their professions; their rights according
to the Federal Constitution, were not enough Tor
them; the manner in which the duties Of the
North, under this instrument, have been performed,
is acknowledged by Mr.. Stephens TO be satisfac-
tory; the trouble is fundamental one in the Con.
stitution ITSELF and could only be remedied by
new and different instrument such an instrument
as the shareholders intended to make, such an
instrument as they have made. A destruction Of
the old, and the creation Of new, WINS the fun.
damental idea in the minds Of the men who
long ago inaugurated this rebellion. WASH
ington, Jefferson Madison, all the leading
statesmen who made the Constitution, says Mr.
Stephens, believed a. that the enslavement of the
" African was in violation OF the laws Of
" nature; that it was wrong in principle,
" socially, morally and politically" This was
a delusion which had led to much evil, aud
one object of the Revolution was to frame q
Constitution in accordance with the new views
Of the South.
The warping effect of belief in The justice of
Negro Slavery, even upon mind like that of
Mr.. Stephens, is plainly shown by this speech.
He places the principle of the inequality of the
African, and the consequent doctrine Of the right
Of Slavery, on level with the principles enun-
ciated by Calico Harvey and Adam Smith, and
gauges the probable development of his theory
into universal action BY the progress they made
"A progress Glow but continual. He does not
see that, while the men whose names no speaks
were striving ever forward to draw mankind out
of the night into the open light and the pure
air, he hurls everything backward into deepest
darkness, reversing the wheels of progress with
violence which threatens eternal destruction to all
its machinery. Again. the orator says that the |
civilization and Contamination Of Africa can
never be attained except "by first teaching the |
" negro the lesson taught to Adam, in the sweat
=" of thy face shalt thou eat bread; and teach |
d" ing them to work and feed and cOthe them
" selves" Is it possible that Mr. Stephens can
not feel ashamed of such prOcyitesl Because
Man is hidden to earn tho bread he eats the |
Negro must earn the bread he is not allowed to
eat and the owner Of the Negro, living not
by bis own labor but the labor of Others shall
eat the bread be does not earn
Upon the point touching the future career Of
the Southern Coafederacy" little need be said,
except to direct attention TO the treatment it
receives. Mr. Stephens is here disingenuous,
using figures with the small cunning of the pet
tifogger. He says Are we too small We
have more territory than France. Spain. Portugal.
..-- e go