Smyrna times., 1862-10-09
The Roots of American Patriotism.
TIE CONSTITUTION AND SLAVERY.


The Gospel and democracy are thus similar. be
cause democracy is the offspring of the Gospel Je
sus himself sprang from the masses, that he might
iiit them out Of their low estate He taught that
every man was every other mans brother and neigh
bor and must love him himself, and do to him as
ne would be done by. That was tie germ of do.
mocracy, and out of that idea our own Government
sprang.
know shall be reminded that Christs idea of
universal equality finds in Govcrnmct one mourn
iui contradiction But this is only partly if at all
uue'sln regard to General Government The
slavery OF this country is not an institution of the
United States Government, but of the States Gov.
ernments And when that great and glorious reyo.
iu'oh startled which made us free people, Christ's
uoc'rne OF universal equality was felt and uttered
with ring Of clcarncss suited to that intensely he
roIc PERIOD When the fathers were strugglinr to
free themselves from power that dared TO tax then,
without their consent they felt that their appeal to
the world could only be based on an acknowledgc
"ieht oil universal human rights. Honcc in the Dec
aratlon OF Independence they avowcd their faith il,
the assertion " all men werc created ocno; " od :;
that other no loss precious and correlated truth that
as an inalicna5le right" This, mark Won. was the
spronting period OF our liberties the Constitution of
the Unlted States in the Declaration germinallv
but the full promise of the germ was not kept. The
tree which was born from this germ, namely. the
ConstItutlon bore, indeed no fruit which contradict,
ed the nature of tho germ ITSELF but it threw its
shadow over other plants that did. Nay, there nrc
even now marks upon the gondy old tree ofthc Con-
st'utlon which show that giants have fought among
It's branches. We refer, of course TO its clauses in
regard to slavery. Ofthese there are three, namely,
that giving to the Slave States a representation in
Congress three ifihs of their slaves; that proyid
ing tor their return flgitives; and that prohibit
ing the foreign slave trade nfter 1905 These are
me evidences of powerful struggle in tho convcn
ton which framed the Constitution. And this
struggle, and the way it evcntuatcd are all the more
wonderful when remember that nearly every |
State of the whole thirteen was at that time slave
State.
But though from slave States, the great majority
OF that convention were also fresh from the glorious
heids and the no less glorious counscls of the Revo
luton the greed of trade had not untaught the bs
roic right-hand its noble cunning they could NOT
write universal freedom in the Declaration of Indo |
pendence, ard then write the word slave in the Con-
sn'u'on' They could not invoke aid and sympathy |
nom heaven and earth in the name Of universal
freedom IN the one instrument and then bascIv
canoniIs human bondage in the other In that con.
vcntion South Carolina, then, as ever since. the evil
genius Of the nation, insisted on the recognition IF
slavery In the Constitution. She demendcd that the
clause for the return of fgitivcs from services sboud
recognize the slave as such, and his masters right Of
property in him The thing was impossible. And
while the fathers framed the Constitution as NOT r.
interfere with the right whatever it might bc which
the State law gave the master to the slave. nav
"h'ie they shut themselves out, for all time, from
a" interference with any reserved rights of the
States they still refused to acknowledge the slave
under the name of slave, or in the charactc, ofo
slave The Constitution crefore is tho product of
OF triumphant struggle for freedom; not. to be
sure, for freedom in the States with tbst u b.a
nothing to do but for freedom as far as its owr
principles its own forms and powers were concernod
nc slavery interest in the convention tried In an
proPriate IT. to put recognition of slavery as such
into it, but signally failed
In the struggle three things were accumulated
viz: First, the foreign slavet,ade wns doomed .,I
that before any other civilized power had condemned
It, second the word slave was not allowed to occur
IN le "hSle Constitution the illusions 10 re cir
cumiocutions such as the pous employ when relat.
ing an instance ofprotanity. The third thing nc.
compIlshed was, that the Constitution WAS framed
with prophetic cunning for the day of universal
liberty and If the whole country should to-,norrow
either by the action of the States Interested or as mn
incident OF the war, contain but free Statos
the Constitution would not want an amendment to
conform 1t to the new state Of things. There wonld
be marks to initiate its history, and TO tell what
dangerous roads il had been called 70 travel b,, :;
would want neither piecing, nor patching. nor darn
ing. This, | confess, gives to my affection Gnr M,
country the sanction ormy reason, and enables NV
religion all the easier to ally itself with and IN in
Vlgoraie and intiamo my patriotism. And we NAV
say Of the Constltution in view of the strugglcs
through which it has triumphantIy passed as tho ,
dying Jacob said of Joseph: "The arcbe,s bovo ,
sorely grieved him, and shot at him. and hated him
but his bow abode in strength, and the arms of hi.
hands were made strong by the hands of the migb,v
God of Jacob"
Thus we find that our G.Acral Government. now !
attempted to be overthrown, is in perfect agreement
with ChriSts doctrines of the freedom of religion and
the equality and brotherhood Of men, So that NOT .
only are We bound to country by the ties of ma.
tlvty or cordial adoption by its physical features
by its history and by its erature these are only as
beautiful frame in which is set the living picture
ol our moral and religious convictions Our patriot.
ism' therefore, without scrupe, nay, with iov re-
ceiVes into its bosom the element of religion. md
feels that in defending tha country it is defending
not merely mountains and rivers, not merely gso'
graphical boundaries, but the very cause Of God
himself. a
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