The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1865-12-20

Vate contract, and interfere with those rel
" tions between employer and employs
which naturally grow out Of state OF thini
over which Congress hes no control, an
which is materially affected by locator
climate, social habits and differences
labor aud products.
Hours suited 70 the climate Of Main
would not DO for that Of Texas. The pre-
ducts of the Massachusetts, workmen ditfs
+ from those Of the Californian. The ma
e who raises wheat is governed by other ne
csssities than he who grinds it. The raj
! which fills the streams and turns the mil
wheels is an enemy 10 the harvester, an
may spoil his crop. One mans fortune
another's lOss. Every man must, therefore
be lefs free 70 look after his own interests
Il is not the business of the Government q
curb and restrain him-to regulate hi
hours 10 labor, his dress, prices, trade, reli
giOn. It's original and essential Office is L
protect all itsIeitizsns against aggrsB5ioI
from without and injustice within. P0liti
cal relations are relations Of justice. They
should give nothing and forgive nothing
The State is q mutual insurance society
against wrong. Any attempt 10 establish
privileges by class legislation is an error
The general law should put every creditor
and every dsbtor-every criminal and
every injured person-every employer
and every emPloyee-upon the same foot
ing, respectively, as all others Of like con-
dition.
TIE needs Of q particular class may ap-
parently cry aloud for help, but yet it will
not do for the sake Of sustaining that class
to depart from the established law Of
equitU which is Che broad foundation and
great object Of the State. Political society
Is jllrai society. The moment this truth
is forgotten, the door is opened for the
| widest and most imprscticable schemes.
| Beuevolence Is Often the plea Of those who
would break down the barriers Of State
duty, and bring its power to bear in sup
port Of objects not properly appertaiuing TO
the State. The moment we attempt 10 sub
stitute therelations Of benevOlence for those
of Justice, both the scales and the sword
| fall from her hands. BeuevOleLce can regu-
late nothing and enforce nothing. AS a po-
liticsl motive it Is suicidal, for It lustliies
injustice and hence it follows that sup
posed good inaugurated by benevolence
leads 10 a real evil inflicted by tyranny.
Where one law-maker gratities sentiment
in behalf of benevolent law, another graf
fes prejudice in behalf Of an oppressive
law.
There is no reason Thy the mechanics,
as such, or the labOriug clas', as such, or
the merchants, as such, should be legis-
lated for or against The law Of contracts,
the law for the collection Of debts and for
! punishment Of crime should reach all peO-
/ pie alike, without distinction OF class.
| There is another species of class legisla-
| ton now being urged upon Con grass, IN the
| eagerness to accomplish which the great
first principles Of government are lost
sight Of The various measures introduced
for the purpose Of securing the civil rights
and political equality Of negroes with whites
Trf 81 faa
ship.
Senator Sumner sigualized mis- return 10
Washington by precipitating upon the dis
tinguished body Of which he is a member,
on the frstday Of the session, a batch Of mea-
sures, which the Independent POLITICALLY
terms his summer harvesting" They
all relate 10 the Southern States, and
the status Of the negroes therein, and
are supposed to be the carefully wrought
out results Of Mr.. Summers thought
during the interregnum between the
surrender Of Lees army and the pres
ent meeting Of Congress. If this be SO,
then we think Mr.. Summers thought is the
subject of a bias which Perve ts his judg
meut aud wastes his scholarship. Men OF
no education might have drawn up resolu-
tions and bills in which the English would
have been less pure, but We think it would
have been impossible for any one to have
evinced a greater want Of practical states
manship and common sense. We have
already spoken Of the sectional applicati. n
Of his resolutions upon what constitutes ga
republican I'm Of government" by WI ich
he would make a republican form Of gov
erpment one thing South of Mason and
Dixon's line, and another thing North Of it,
thereby keeping up sectional differences |
with their perpetual and anEry agitation. |
If it be the duty Of Congress 70 guarantee ga
republican form Of government TO every |
State" let Congress pass declaratory reso- |
luton as 20 what constitutes republican |
form Of government. II that be law, the |
Supreme Court viii say SO, and all cOnstitu- |
tionsl provisions Of the States at variance |
with it will necessarily fall 10 the ground. |
So long, however, as iI Is a mere matter Of
opinion, there is no guarantee that the sue
ceediug Congress may not give smother |
definition to il, and thus the laws Of the |
country become as unstable as party tri- |
umphs and popular rights dependent upon |
temporary influences. To day "uuiverssl |
suffrage" may be the sbibboleth with which |
the great measure Of reform Is ingaurated, |
and universal suffrage may be understood |
10 mean that all men shall have the right |
10 vote. In England, J. Stuart Mills nee |
lv drawn distinction between "manhood |
sutf-sge" and nuuiversal suffrage" gives a |
wider scope 10 the latter, and it is assumed |
hereunder that women and children have |
the right 10 vote.
Another measure Of Mr.. Summers, inten !
ded to regulate juries, Is both sectional and |
martial in its application, and as it affects !
Us in Mary Wand, we take the liberty Of ex |
pressing our decided disspprovsl Oft. This |
law provides that when one sixth Of |
tbe population Of a State is colored, one-half |
of the Grand Jury shall be eolored men,
L. a IN
where colored people are parties, shall be |
coIored men. The proportions Of popu a.
ton are 50 arranged as to impose this jury
svstem only upon States lying south Of |
Nason's and Dix0n's lire, and appears 10
have been hit upon by the Massachusetts, |
senator with the express view Of keeping up
sectional agitation. Wemay regard ourselves |
as fortunate, in the hands OF this political |
Nemesis, whose mission is TO punish the |
delinaueucies Of the southern States by |
forcing the negro race into the ascendancy;
that, in 50 far as Maryland is concerned, |
he considers seven hundred thousand white |
people entitled 20 the same representation |
on the juriss as the one hundred and sixty
thousand black peOple-that is, for jury
business, six white men are equal TO one
black man. Could not Mr.. Sumner carry out |
his class distinctions a little further, and say
that in California, for instance, every Jury |
shall be composed Of four negroes, three |
Chinese, two Digger Indians, two Aztics, |
and one white man. We are afraid, |
that in his eagerness % establish an aris- |
toeraey Of color, he f0rgets some Of the |
lighter shades Te believe in Massachu
sets, which State has the honor % be re- !
presented by this Senator, that there is 10 /
disability for Jury service on account Of |
color, but notwithstanding the advanced |
state Of public opinion, and the sublmatiou /
Of political faith on the negro question, we |
have never heard Of o negro being put upon |
the jury. The Sheriff may summon him if |
he will; but, as q general thing, the Sheriff /
Will not.
Now, what can be more ridiculous or re- |
sIlv more damaging q. the intertts Of the |
freedmen than this persistent forcing Of |
impracticable aud unwise measures-this |
attempt % give au impossible status 10 the |
negro race by legislation
The freedmen have rights which ought 10 /
be protected-valuable rights, which open |
the way for them 20 advence themselves. |
We wish 20 see their righ g secured 10 them,
and not imperilled By q dreadful reaction |
to be brought on by disgust az the foolish |
measures OF these who e aim % be their |
especial champions. Baltimore American. |
I often wish that Shakespeare had not put |
that speech picture Of life into the mouth |
IN Jacoues Jacques had q melancholy
view Of things. ID De had not been mis- |
spthrope, q baby might have presented it. |
self 10 his mind as chuckling and Growing |
In the nurses arms, and not as muling and |
.-1-+,r IN like manner he might have