Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1864-02-17
Political immortality.

Such is the title of an article in the North
American Review. 1t is gratifying to see that
public attention is turned to politics as a science
well trade. Boswell once told DR.. John
son marvellous story, ending his narrative with
at is incomprehensible, and that's an end ont !"
mo, sir" roared the doctor cit is lie, and that
is the end ont" Such is the difficulty with the
Republican theory of politics, North American
Dir. Blair, and all the preachers included They
start with fasehoOd as basis, and are very much
puzzled because 1.-the sum does not prove" They
assume that the Union and Constitution are
growth not a manufacture. They treat the
Union as a tree. of which the roots arc certain
principles which they PROFOUND. and of which the
States are simply branches
lt Is unnecessary To argue upon this PROPOSE
ton. Ii is mere waste of time. Ii would re
peat the old story of the Royal Academy debating
why tub half full OF water. with large fish IN
it, weighs no more with the fish i'm than out IL
did not-there DEBATE closed
The Union made. How? BY ratifca
ton oi the Constitution by the convention OF
eleven States. 1t made "A marriage is
made. Partnership formed, or a sale effected by
the voluntary assent OF eleven contracting par
ties. The sole principle which lies at the foun
daiion of our system is bargain / give to get,
you get To give
The first great question TO be settled was how
much the large States would give, and how little
the small States would take Each class wanted
all, each class took half The small States got
equality in the Senate, and the large States inc
quality in the House
The Eastern States wanted their commercial
interests secured: the extreme Southern States
wanted their slave interests secured
We will make two quotations from the lie
bates IN convention To show how those sections
felt as to the natural mutually of interest
MT Butler. OF South Carolina considered "the
interests oi The Southern and Eastern States
d fferent the interests of Russia and Tur-
KEY "
Mr. Graham, of Massachusetts, desired it to
be remembered that the ErSteru States had no
motive to Union. hut commercial one -
Let us see how they compromised. Pinckney
(as to the slave trade) moved to strike ont 500
and insert SOS Mr.. GOrllam, of Massachusetts,
seconded the motion
New Hampshire. Massachusetts, Connecticut.
Maryland, North Carolina. South Carolina ave;
New jersey, Pennsylvania Delaware, Virginia,
no.
Mr.. Ellsworth. Of Connecticut, had been will
ing TO 90 further. He said: LET every State
import what il pleases The wisdom and moral
ity of slavery considerations that belong 10
the States themselves"
Mr. Butler reciprocated by: DESTROYS of con-
ciliatng the affections of the Eastern States, he
should vote they wished upon the navigation
clause"
To show more conclusively that these were the
considerations tor bargain, the whole subject of
the slave trade and the Navigation acts were re
committed on motion OF Gouverneur Morris he
saving: These things-namely. the slave trade.
to which some of the y orth are opposed. and the
navigation act, without restriction 10 which the
South was oppOsed-msy form a bargain be
tween the Northern and the Southern States"
The Eastern States got the consideration for
their part of the bargain. The Southern States
got theirs in the Fugitive Slave law and in the
importation of slaves Tor twenty years-a right
which Mr. Madison Justly observed would pro-
duce all the mischief to be apprehended from
the liberty (meaning uDlimired) to import slaves
To make The question OF property in slaves
still more clear. duty was imposed on them as
upon other imports, with the distinct admission
and full understanding THAT il was unreasonable
that slaves alone should be EXEMPT, when all
ofher articles are taxed and duted. snd in spite
OF the objection by Sherman, THAT by laying a
duty on slaves, as on other imports, il recognizes
them property
IL will be seen by these few extracts that the
Eastern States and the extreme Southern made
the interest compromises in the Constitution
against the wishes, nav, earnest desire and re
pe4.ei attempts. OF Pennsylvania and Virginia.
(as expressed by Mr.. Mason) "that the general
government should have the power 10 prevent
the increase OF slavery" H. other words, the
very principle Of the Republican party was before
the convention. backed up by all the power of
Nire mia. the then greatest State. and Pennsyl-
vanIa. second ouy 10 il. and failed. though four
of the strongest minds in the conventioB-Frauk
lin, Gouverneur Morris, Madison aud Mason
were in it, favor
The trainers of the Constitution were practical
business men, not xealots. They were acting as
the ambassadors Of nations They knew very
well tina, men never have agreed. nor ever can
agree. upon questions OF conscience: but upon
material interests they agree easily enough.
They limited the system they were moulding TO