Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1868-09-10
GRANT AVID CoLFAx,


TISURD.
wecannot considerihe Republican par
~ as identical with The abolition party as
il stood pre- eminent with its programme
before ihc war because the policy of the
Republican party from the beginning was
merely the nonextension of slavery beyond
the States, where it then constitutionally
existed by State sovereignty, which means
that each State had a right to regulate lis
own domestic affairs, inGistinction to farci
ble interference with their State sovereign
ty, we cannot call IL radical at the expense
| of order.
| When / said that the civil war grew, as
a legitimate consequence, out Of the denial
of the validity of the Dred Scott decision.
| equally do not impeach the Republican
Iarty, because that decision had no consti
tutional validity, ipasmach as the Supreme
Court consiiiuiionally could not transfer
the doniiciliun of slavery beyond the
creating and maintaining State sovereignty
into territory which had yet no right io
establish an institution at the expense ofthe
liberties Of the people, by means contravcn-
ing to Republican form of government
When the supreme court made such dc.
cision she trcspassed her proper sphere o.
impartialiiy i'm the service os influences an
tagonisiic to the general principle OF free
dom cons,itutionally valid in the L. s. II
Ii. t1,
these principles then the supreme court
could equally have forced each State TO suf-
fer the introduction of slavery. Freedom
therefore, was the general, slavery the ex'
ceptional condition of Matters
II it should be said that by such a view
undermine the authority of, and the re-
spect and confidence due TO that court, |
reply that il did the undermining. 1t is the
highest instance of human justice. If jus
tice as executed by court meant the veri
fication of absolute justice why not bc con
tented with one court only; why courts o
appeal OF errors and correction, why su-
preme and superior courts.
Such courts mean simply an Impartial
review OF a case BY a different and highel
intelligence so far us il is TO be cxpectco
from tic nature of the circumstance tha
To higher cUurfs generally men of create
abilities and Of more experience are elect
eel as Judges
But higher intelligence and greater cx
pcrience do not imply also that in cases
partaking of political character. party in
ierest or prejudice should not affect de
cision.s skfs y 4T
II we see Chief Justice soliciting hi.
nomination as Presidential candidate by d
a psrtywith which he was So Car ia oppo
sition. ir we see him at MI descending from
that throne OF impartial justice to crafty
his political ambition, itsvill be no fault OF
the people ifi ficonfdence In his decisions il
weakened. And inasmuch as a court is
human, no matter how high its standing il
Is liable to all the defects of human nature
and in practical matters the people stand
highe:. than a court. ~
| In all countries there Is an appeal from
the supreme court possible TO the sovereign
or people in mass as represented in Con
srcss or Parliament or Legislature, as in
a court Of chanccry to decide case on tie
merits Of equity instead oflaw.
When Vcro quoted sentence Of writer
on law, who says that we are a nation SIM
ply because we have a supreme or nation
al court Of justice. subscribe to il for
seen this court is one as il is expected To
be one of impartia'ity and justice; but ]
nyite him TO acknowledge tha, as soon as
a court leads its weight to party issues in
political manner we cease 10 be nation
just as the civil war established II sufficient
ly; just because We nave TO supreme court
rs it ought To be.
Therefore the legitimate consequence al
the Dredd Scott decision in the form of Il
civil war has as regards respors ibiliiy to
rest with that party which wished 10 use
IL as an instrumentaliiy for It's issues.
Al The time of Lincoln's first election sla-
very was guaranteed to the slave States
by reason ofthe constitutional sovereign
iy Of theirs and consequently the asccndan
cy of the Republican party which made
a corresponding endorsement in the Chica
so platform, was no cause for trea ;onab,C
attempt to destroy the Union.
Ii anything anarchical happened mt that
time it rested with somebody else than the
Republican party.
just compare the spirit of those mer
who represented their respective parties.
III" said Davis in a public speech, 81
were to choose between the companionshiT
of yankees and hyenas. / should infinitely
prefer the hycnss." This was certainly q
Union speech.
Did Lincoln reply in the same spirits-
with malice towards none. Will
charity for ALL Was this disunion, Mr.
Vero?
Congress, in tho same spirit of reconcil.
iation, resolved, that the war was not wa
gcd TO destroy slavery or the States but
that as soon as the rebel armies should dis
perse and the Union be sustained lhe wal
would cease .a.ts 81
Davis replied: ave viii have indepcnd
eDce or determination y
| There, sir, is your scandalsus elemen, o.
disorder and disunion.
| Seward instructed our diplomatist,
abroad to deny that the fate Of slavery, wa
involved in the contest.s8 c.. iss.a ss.3 q
That was certainly abolition equally 50
that Mr.. Lincoln conducted ii on tho
most conservative principles: sr...
j Democratic Generals returned Fugitive
slaves and were sustained, certain Rerub
lican Generals freed them and were re
moved. II ar;.f-. ~. -. .,....i..--..