Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1866-02-23

NRw VIEWS or SLAVERY
The men Of the Revolution passed away. A
new generation sprang up, impatient that an in
stitution TO which they clung should be considered
as inhuman, unwise aud unjust; in the throes Of
discomfort at the selreproach Of their fathers and
blinded by the luster Of wealth to be acquired by
the culture Of n staple they devised the theo
ry that slavery, which they would not abolish, was
not evil but good. They turned on the friends ol
colonization, and confidently demanded, " Why
take black men from civilized and Christian
country, where their labor is a source Of immense
gain, and a power TO control the markets of the
world, and send them to a land Of Ignorance, idol
airy, and Incidence, which was the home OF their
iorefathers, but not theirs Slavery is a blessing.
Were they not in their ancestral land naked,
scarcely lifted above hrutes ignorant of the course
OF the sun, controlled by nature2 And in their
new abode have they not been taught to know the
difference Of the seasons TO plow and plant and
reap 10 drive oxen. to tame the horse, TO change
their scanty dialect tor the richest Of all the Ian
guages among men, and the stupid alteration OF
iolles for the purest religion And since slave
ry is good for the blacks it is good for their mas
ters, bringing opulence and the opportunity of
educating race The slavery of the black is
good in itself; he shall serve the white man iorev-
er." And nature, which better understood the
quality Of aeeting interest and passion, laughed,
as 10 caught the echo, 80 man and forever"
SLAVERY AT HOME.
A regular development Of pretentions followed
the new declaration with logical consistency. I'm
der the old declaration every one of the States
bad retained each for itself the right Of mlnumt-
ting all slaves by an ordinary act Of legislation
now, the power of the people over seryitu1e
through their Legislatures was curtailed aud the
privileged class was swift in imposing legal and
constitutional distractions on the people them
selves. The power Of emancipation was narrowed
taken away. The slave might be disquiete1 by
education. There remained an unconfessed con
scientiousness that the system Of bondage was
wrong, aud a restless memory that it was at vari-
ance with the true American tradition its safety
was therefore to be secured by political orginiza-
ton. The generation that made the Constitution
took care for the predominauce Of freedom in Con-
gress, by the Ordnanne Of Jefferson; the new
school aspired TO secure for slavery an equality Of
votes in the Senate; aud while it hnted At or
gauic act that should concede to the collective
South veto power on national legislation, IL as
sumed that each State separately had th right to
revise aud nullify laws Of the United States, ac-
cording to the discretion Of its judgment.
SLAVERY AND FOREIGN RELATIONS.
The new theory hung as bias on The foreign
relations of the country there could be no recog-
nition Of Havti, nor even Of the American colony
Of Liberia and the world was given to understand
that the establishment of free labor in Cuba would
be- a reason for wrestling that island from SPUN
Territories were annexed--LOuisiana, Florida,
Texas, half of Mexico slavery must have its share
in them all, and it accepted for time a dividing
line between the unquestioned domain OF free la
Dor and that in which involuntary labor was TO be
tolerated few years passed away, and the new
school, strong and arrogant demanded and receiv-
ed an apology for applying the Jefferson proyiso
70 Oregon.
sQUATrER SOVEREIGNTY.
The application of that proviso interrupted
tos three Administrations butjustce moved stead
lily onward in the news that the of Califor-
nia had chosen freedom, Calhoun heard the knel
of parting slavery; and on his death-bed he coun-
scled secession. Washington and Jaiferson and
Madison had died desparing of the abolition OF
slavery; Calhoun died in despair at the growth of
freedom. His system rushed irresistible TO its
natural development The death-struagle for Cal
ifornia followed by a short truce bat the new
school of politicians who said that slavery WAS not
evil, but good soon sought to recover the ground
they had lost, and confident Of securing Kansas,
they demanded that the established line in the
Territories between freedom and slavery should be
blOtted out The country believing IN the strength
and enterprise and expansive energy Of freedom,
made answer, though reluctantly, Be il so let
there be no strife between brethren let freedom
and slavery compete for the Territories on equal
terms, in a fair field under an impartial admins
tration y and on this theory if on any, the con-
test might have been left to the decision Of time.
DRED SCOTT DECISION.
The South started back in appallment from its
victory; for it knew that fair competition fore
bonded its defeat. But where could it now find
ally to save it from its own mistake What
have next to say is spoken with no emotion but
regret. Oar meeting to-day is, as it were, at the
grave, in the presence of Eternity, anl the truth
must be uttered in soberness and sincerity. In a
great republic, as was observed more than two
thousand years ago, any attempt to oyerturn the
State owes its strength to aid from some branch
Of the Government The Chief Justice of the
United States, without any necessity or occasion,
volunteered to come TO the of the theory OF
slavery And from his court there lay no appeal
but TO the bar OF humanity and history. Against
the Constitution against the memory OF the nation,
against previous decision, against a series of
enactments he decided that the slave is property,
that slave property is entitled to less protection
than any other property, that the Constitution up
holds it in every Territory against any act Of a
local Legislature, and against Congress it
self; Or as the President OF the time tersely pro-
mulgated the saying, " Kansas Is as much a slave
State as South Carolina or Georgia. slavery, by
virtue of the Constitution exists in every Terri
tory The municipal character of slavery being
thus taken away, anc slave property decreed to be
" sacred,n the authority of the courts was invoked
10 introduce il by the comfy of law into the States
where slavery had been abolished and in Que OF
lut thuFNo VI tue Oulttu oldlth piohOhuAtu
the African slave trade legitimate, and numerous
and powerful advocates demanded It's restoration.
TANEY AND SLAVE RACES.
Moreover. the Chief Justice in his elaborate
opinion, announced what had never been heard
from any magistrate of Greece or Rome--what
was unknown to civil law and canon law and
feudil law and common law and constitutional
law; unknown TO JAY, to Rutledge, Ellsworth
and Marshal--that there are - slave races The
spirit of evil is intensely logical. Having the
authority of this decision, five States swiftly fol-
lowed the earlier example of a sixth, and opened
the way for reducing the free negro TO bondage
the migrating free negro became a slave II he but
entered the jurisdiction of a SEVENTH and an
eighth from its extent and soil aud -niaeral ~,
r5agces, destined 10 incalculahe groatne~f, aiosed
eyes on is coming prosperity, and cnactod--
3 Tmeys decision L had the right 70 do-tiai
every free black man who would live within ia
limits must accept the condition OF slavery Tor him
self and his posterity.
SECESSION RESOLVED ON.
Only one step more remained TO be taken.--
jefferson aud the leading statesmen of his day held
fast 10 the idea that the enslavement OF the Airi
can was socially, morally, and politically wrong
The new school was founded exactly upon the op'
posite idea and they resolved first TO distract th,
democratic party, for which the Supreme Cour
had now furnished the means, and then to establish
anew government, with negro slavery for its cor
ner-stone ssooialiy, morally, and politically right