Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1862-03-28

morally correct. The nation was a slaveholding
nation At the date Of the declaration, and nothing
can be clearer than the fact that the trainers Of the
instrument did not intend u include the slaves of
America in any OF the privileges which they claim
Ell IN Their statement Of grievances against the
British Crown l. there any thing TO ntima te that
they intended to say, a. our contemporary asserts.
that an adult human being only by crime for
felt his equal right TO life liberty and the pur
suit Of happiness1' Surely not: for We at once re-
call a score Of cases in which they could not have
intended such an idea. They did not intend that
a man Of twenty years old was entitled 20 liberty
in equality with man of twenty one. They did
not intend that an Indian Of this country was en-
itl,d 10 enjoy the pursuit OF happiness IN his own
way a. freely as a white citizen. They did not
intend that slave Of Mr.. Jefferson was entitled
equally with Mr. jefferson to representation in
the Congress of the Colonies. No one will con
tend that any Of these, or manv other cases we're
within the operation Of the "gttering generality -
which is arbitrarily interpreted to admit of but
one exception, and that case of crime.
Inc intent OF the wise men who thus stated
their views, was not To declare any general truth
in morals or in religion which should have a
sounding ring and be destitute OF practical
truth. They were not preaching, nor teaching,
nor making Grafton, nor editing paper.
And this consideration lies at the bottom of
They were bot declaring all the principles
that underlie the relations Of man 10 man. They
cutting loose the existing governments in
America. from the sovereignty which up TO that
moment had been Acknowledged in the crown OF
England. and in doing so they had no intention
70 overthrow any Of the principles of established
law which were then recognized in the American
colonies. Their entire declaration intended
TO be taken az subject to the existing principles
of laVv v-htak al tb.. If %
man. Life an nalienable right. subject to
law Liberty was a right then, as now, of com
parative Specification, and the liberty which they
declared inalienable the liberty which result
ed from and was regulated by wholesome law,
and which was by means uniform among men.
The pursuit Of happiness was right which like
liberty existed only subject to the restraints OF
law. and il not intended 20 declare that any
man had right 10 pursue 1t in any manner for
hidden by existing law.
( The intention of the declaration was 10 state
the rights whieh every man had, in his own
place and position. and To suppose that there was
any design 10 overthrow the relations then exist
ing among men. the relations established by law
and custom which had grown to be law, would be
70 suppose that instead OF the founders of gov
eminent the Congress then assembled were the
apostles of anarchy, designing 10 uproot the
foundations OF society.
would he equivalent TO supposing that Mr. Jeffer-
son intended to 20 home from Congress and re
main dumb in the presence of any of his slaves
who should demand freedom from that servitude
which the law imposed on them. When we thus
learn what he could not have intended to say.
we shall more easily appreciate what he did mean
to declare. And the first lesson to learn is TO
avoid the mschevous error that confuses the
two portions OF sentence in the declaration
The propos iton that all men created equal is
IL has connection with the following
proposition that they are endowed with certain
rights. nor it designed TO declare any equality
in those rights The most that can be implied is
that each man may pursue happiness, enjoy life
and use liberty, subject TO the restraints which law
and necessities OF social relationship impose on
all men, and that therefore each in his own position
may use liberty 30 as not to abuse il IT, by
law, by colonization, by any changes of the So
cial system, the black race OF Africa the Indian
race OF America, or the Malay race of the South
Seas, should be elevated to the grade of ciyiliza
ton and the enjoyment of free institutions the
principles OF the declaration would Justify them
in the fullest enjoyment of their liberty just as
those principles now justify them in the enjoyment
of whatever liberty they possess by the laws Oh
the social necessities of their several positions in
the world. Unless it be held that the Declaration
of Independence meant TO destroy the right
of the father TO control the son and to own bis
labor and service till he twenty-One years old
il cannot be held that il was designed TO abolish
any other relation OF servItude established by
common or statute law.-N \. Journal of Com
f1erre