The Republican journal., 1874-01-08
Mr.. Blacks Estimate of the Late VIM.
H, Seward,

Mr.. SeWard's reputation must rest forever on
the three things which made him especially
notorious all the world over His fame. 50
superior, in your opinion, to that of the men
who framed our laws and administered them
faithfully for three-puarterS of a century. was
not won rs they won theirs. He was remark
ably defective i'll nearly all the qualities which
gave 50 much grandeur to their characters. But
he was unqucstionahly greater than amy or all
of them put together on The Higher Law.
'tThe lrrepressbe Conflict" and The Little
Bell" of these. you touch the first in II @ingerly
way, and avoid all mention Of the other two.
If his theory and practice on these points are
indetensible, you wronged your country and
Yourself by calling him a public benetactor and
setting him up As "a light and LANDMARKS" 10
guide his successors.
Your reference to the higher law might be
considered eyasye if il We're not YOURS. You
will excuse me, am sure, for saying that your
attempt to explain it, and your >ileer at the ol-
position il met with rs il mere '.outcly' against
an ''obyious TRUTH. show that you understand
nothing about it. transcribr your words
1t was in this speech also that he enunciated the
| doctrine OF higher law than the Constitution,
which gave ris TO infinite amount OF outcry from
| very respectable class OF people, who
shocked at the license thought to be implied by such
an appeal But ii seems to lie that no truth is more
| obvious than this That all powers of Government
and Legislation are closely restricted within hinit;t-
tom hevnnd which they cannot mass without being
purely material OF it may be moral but, in either
| case its power is similar if not the sun,e 1t is Il
familiar story which is told in the books Of Canute,
the great DANISH conqueror OF Britain, that once,
when his courters We're wing with each other in
magnhyn !eiI seiISe Vi ms e Sip
~ ,I af ~ ,h t'i. ] g" d iodi, coaned me
waves to rt1ire The tlattrrers understood the INIT
and We're abashed by this whitening illustration OF
| the "higher law
| E'rom this if i annarcut that Won slIDnosc
thr assertion of the hohqr law to have been a
mere warning against attempts of legislation
and Government 10 overStep the material on
tlieir farce Rnt thi, is :, rnlnablr mIi.roprpp-
t;nn
| Iou will surely admit that there meyer wa,
any uuestion nor any argument pro or con
ton to worL miracles on the material erection.
| Did Mr. seward think if necessary 10 DENY thai
IN ,rt Of CONGRESS roul,] make fhe I'm change
its appojnted time for rising and setting. or bid
thn ni,in flonJ bate if, u.Ii:l height Or invrrt
ta fnr.a of trrayt.tion tho thc rain EvouId tlll
unvyar,}s anj thr smoke tumble down. Nrytr
s;rp"' tho hnninnin@r If thn world did ~,,r6
thnuebts enter a s1nr mind. That tn, courtie1s
nT Eine Can,ltc affected tn believe in his power
w t,f In ,.,,-o h =, ro,..l order ana tl,r H..
',,oi tha ontt,rI hv .rtIioIlv irvine The ,l-
r,ri,nant is > childish f,hlr never, treated a. +.
t,; e. ,',nh io . .I,ithnrnr iIIst.,
HI ~, -, ~, ,trolln Nm rxcnnt yomr,elf
''',I', s;ita,,ne,.,ta+io, nt HI bir,,ar III j,
ioui rt( - X ,t'",i l;n,;t.,tin. ~ InaiintiSc
1nu.ar { an,iaIiv inacr'rnt, Sou s,v tIat thc
;itt;n, H. Ilsi Iatinn ..,n.,, h1 rith,r mjt,ri,
n"to;I o., il na1- H., moral. hut i'm either ,,,lSr
i,i'ei ~ "1 II III i ii,ittinnI i;
u, H." i; y, MOI tL .,,,, I,nr. Won mean if
'',tat, ~ ,f.,;c ,,ot ttt ,i, Of i,.ii on,I,Ict
,ou a. ',rl,l'h' ,,ij ti ,,ran, liI..
l - of ~, osiish"I Sn ~,
iiNe i "h''iVt - d 'S, " ,,,,.t l,fati,, M
if il were in conflict with Il material force You
think it safe TO affirm that the mere nlqult} OF
a law does, Proprio tigore, defeat the intent OF
the law-gver, in the same way that the WniN
and tides are said to have defeated Canute'r
proclamation to the waves of the Northern
ocean Reason and history both contradict YOU.
From the days Of Nimrod to the time Of Grant
mankind have been governed by law a~ bud a.
cruel peryersity Of their rulers could make
them but. 80 far from being inctfectual the ma
tions Of the earth have groaned under them and
struggled against them in vain. Many recent
cnactincntS of Congress arc open to the grave
moral objections, but no iot or little on then
fail, to the ground for that reason rh, in
famous combination of Yankee and negro Thieves
who now have the government of the southern