New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1864-05-17
OUT OF THINE OWN MOUTH.

DO the Confederate llhn WIN "iibb'u V"' va
the frying-pan find the fire more comfortable
Mr.. Alexander ii. Stephens, one OF the mouths
of the Rebellion, recently made q speech,
which, as il causes much wrath among the Con-
federate editors, must, we think, be tolerably
seasoned with the salt of truth. Mr.. Stephens
| is quite ont of sorts with the Honorable the
Confederate Congress. He filings at it accuse
tons of many high crimes and an assortment OF
intolerable misdemcauors. In the very first
flush Of Slayeholding liberty, if Mr.. Stephens
does not lie, these fine Congressman have
passed Currency Bill which is unconstitution-
al, a Militia Bill which is unconstitutional, and
Habeas Corpus Suspension Bill which is I'M
constitutional - unconstitutional all three :
Verify, dear strict construction seems TO be IN
bad way in the charming land of It's birth.
The beginning of a bolt may be delightful; but
when States have a chronic propensity to 90
into fresh Conlcdoraccs only that they may i'm
mediaicly rush out Of them, the tendency OF
such ccccntricily must be something t0lcrably
like confusion worse cOntOunded. The MGcon
l(Ga) Telegraph says: 1.-The object of Mr.. Sic
phens was to satisfy the Legislature Of Georgia
that the action Of The late Congress was such as
to demand at their hands such action as would
place the seal of Georgas condemnation upon
the action OF the Confederate Government.
There you have it Georgia is 20 be loyal
when her wishes are respected even down to her
whms and the iniantile vagaries OF communi-
~ in which politics are in a neyer-adyancng
condition Of puphage-but Georgia owns no al
legance which she cannot upon short notice, or
upon no notice az all, discard and Of her mere
motion revoke. OF course a State holding such
an opinion should never enter Conlederacy at
all.
NJ. Stephens is especially exercised about the
suspension of the Ilabeas Corpus. This would
seem to indicate tender regard for personal
liberty, which it is ridiculous for any STAKEHOLDER
TO entertain. The landowners theory is that
every individual is entitled to bis liberty always
provided that he can conirye to get it, and, after
getting il, to retain il. But the moment a irec-
man becomes slave he ceases to be fit for
freedom. The fact that he is a slave IS Prlma
faeie evidence that he morally deserves 10 be a
slave Mr. Stephens negro has been deprived
Of something to him OF vastly more Importance
than the Habca. Corpus-in fact, Of body alto
gcther and OF soul mostly. Mr.. Stephens
negro is not allowed 70 make speeches, and to
Indignantly protest against such asperity of
Treatments; and, should he do So his owner
4 al
But, when Mr.. Stephens cries out that lie has
been enIayed, the Confederate Congress cannot
subject him to judicous nagellaiion; and so he
meanders about, believing his disloyalty and
grumbling AT a government OF his own creation.
We have always supposed that color had less
than is usually imagined 10 do with Slavery;
aud we have no reason TO think that thorough
paced patriarch would not as soon make q slave
land. All that iyrant, great or small, wants
Is opportunity. All that the leading Rebels want
is an oligarchy into which one faction will vote
itself, and from which il will exclude the Others
While such monstrous strides arc making toward
a tightly-clutched monopoly Of personal power,
which must inevitably leave the many at the
mercy Of tho few, II seems to be particularly
absurd for Mr.. Stephens to be grooming about
such a little matter as Habeas Corpus. BY
80 doing, he constitutes himself what tho
political philosophers OF the Slave autocraci,
are accustomed to call an agtator, or al
agrarian, or a fanatic, or any other wicked crea
ture, like those citizens Of this Republic who
have not feared to believe in practical liberty, |
and to assert such doctrine, mOnstrous and
miserable, as the equality of man before God, !
and the right of such equality before the laws.
Exact political justiceis Massachusetts, heresy |
the dream of pertectiOnists and the whim OF
philosophers; and it can have no place in those
lofty fabrics of government, which are to be
erected upon the PROSTATE forms of crushed
and tyrant -trodden race. The Conicdcracy |
originates in a love of power; and why should
Mr. Stephens whimper at the very first display
Of vigorous and irresponsible authority :
The Georgia newspaper to which We have
referred is extremely astonished to find
that there are so many people in the Conlcd-
eracy who profess to feel great apprehension
OF the tendency of the Government to n military |
de potism." OF course, this able Editor does not
set why these old-lady-like fears should be en-
lcrlained, and he expresses great contempt for
those who harbor them but feelings of this
kinI do not spring spontaneously in the human
bosom; and We can easily comprehend why
peoplc should naturally fOrcbOdc tyrannical