Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-01-02

called by other names. the higher
law was practiced often before it was
introduced here. Amurath securing his
throne by killing all his brothers and
uncies; Herod slaughtering the IN
1iocents, Nero petsecuting the- Chris
tians; Nine. dc Pompadour filling the
Bastile with victims of her petty spite:
Lola MOntez setting her dogs on the
students at Munich for doubling the
political wisdom of the Kings mistress
all these acted upon the same kind
of law that Mr. Seward declared to be
higher than the American constitution:
1t reduces free government 10 a per-
soiial despdtisri. The citizen who vol
UNFAIRLY submits to it is slave in his
soul.
Let me tell you a fact. In 1866,
months after the peace, at the political
metropolis of the nation, in full sight
of the Executive Mansion, the capitol,
and tile City Hall where the courts
we're in session, Il petfbctly i1nOteht
and most respectable woman was law
lessly dragged away from her family
and brutally put to death, without
judge or jury, upon the mere order of
certain military officers eonyoked for
the purpose. 1t was, take it for al in
all, rs foul murder as ever blackened
the face of Gods sky. But it was done
in a strict accordance with higher law,
and the law department Of the United
States approvei It, Now mark you:
Within less than three mOhths past, the
present Attorney General officially re-
ferred to this, as q precedent ely
fit to be followed This may not he
very important in itself, but tits signif-
cant as showing, that the reign of higher
law is not over yet. Can you promise
that it ever Will be? Is there not reason
to fear that this doctrine has poisoned
all the streams Of justice?
Yeu kto@ istdt tie fFrepFessibie
Conflict was as Mr.. Seward uttered it at
Rochester. l present an analysis which
you Will admit to be accurate. He an
nounced that:
l. There was then a conflict between
the North anc. South-nOt merely
conflict of interests, opinions. and feel
rigs to be determined peacefully by rea-
son or law; but,
.. 1t was a conflict between the op-
posing forces of The Northern and South-
ern States. Actual war already exist
ed; the relation cf tie parties was that
of belligerent enemies.
3. The determined purpose of this
war on ore side was TO plant slavery in
the North by force, and on the other to
abolish it In the South by simultaneous.
This of course involved the complete
subiugation of the defeated party.
4. The conflict was irrepressible.
The dogs Of war were loose and cOrld
riot be chained up again.
5. The conflict sh6Hid not be stop
ped; it mast 90 ON until all the rights
of one section should be trampled down
under the hostile feet Of the other. Woe
to the conquered!
You are, Of course, aware that this
was a mere inv antion. There was no
such conflict 80 he described. This
wish of himsel. and his party friends
to visit the South with fire and sword
and famine may haYe been very strong,
but the declaration that the Southern
StIteS were using their forces, or IN
tended To use them, for the purpose of
African slavery into the
North, was such an offense against the
known truth as admits of no palliation
1r excuse.
Before you asserted that Mr.. Seward
'aUed the country you ought to have re.
that if the nation had been
saved from him and his followers, and |
he irrepressible conflict which they
treated, 1t would have needed no other |
salvation.
Now as to the little bell. The same |
higher law which gave the Federal |
Government power t. legislate against |
he States in defiance of the Constitu- |
con would logically Justify any Execu-
i've outrage that might be desired for |
PERSONAL or party purposes on the life, |
liberty and property of individuals. |
Such was Mr.. Stewards theory. and |
iuch was the practice Of himself and |
lis subordinates and some of his col
eagues. l VIII not pain You by a re-
,ital Of the wantOn cruelties they in |
iicted upon unoffending citizens | |
lave neither space, nor time, nor skill |
o paint them. A life size picture of |
hem would cover more canvass than |
here Is ON the earth. You were abroad |
Is Minister to England when most Of |
hem We're done; but every wind bore
-ou the reports, and You must have |
flushed for your country when you
aw her degraded in the eyes of the
Whole world. Since the fall of Robes
,icrre nothing has occurred to cast 50
much disrepute on Republican institu-
ions.
When Mr.. Seward went into the State
h. took a little bell To his |
,lfice in place Of the statute book. and
his piece of sounding brass came TO be
symbol of tie higher law. When he
lesired to kIdnap 4 free citizen, to
,anish him, to despoil him of his pro-
,erty, or to xii him after the mockery
# a military trial, he rang his little
,cll and the deed was done
This man to whom yOu would assign |
place in history above all other Anne
lean statesmen, took a childish delight |
n the perverted use of his power. and
displayed it rs ostentatiously as one of
hose half-witted boys who were some
lines raised tc the purple IN the evil
lays Of the Roman empire. He boast
"a Of it on many occasions, and crowed
veT the British Minister, telling him
hat his Queer could not do so much.
IOrd Lyons WIS dumb. Victoria had
10 little bell o. that kind; she swore ut
Ter coronation to govern according TO
Ter oath. For more than two centuries
10 English monarch had tried the ex-
of higher law ON his people.
Jnder Charles l., STAFFORD declared
hat 1.-The Kings little finger was thick
+ than the law" but he was tried for
his and put tc. death as traitor. For
citing upon Strafford's suggestion the
,eople rose upon the King himself,
ragged him to the block, and chopped
is head off; and the God Of Justice
OOked down from his great white
hrone in the heavens and smiled upon
he deed.
By Mr.. Wei es' paper it is distinctly
made known that Mr. Seward, as soon
S he came INTO Office. concerted n