Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-11-10
OUR MAIL POUCH.
Je1srson's Environment.
, fha rdttor of The Dispstch.

| To the Editor of The Dispatch:
Our Wampum friend "comes back at u.s.
and sQuirms IN a manner which shows quite
conclusively how sharp we spurred him.
Like all men when vanquished in an argu-
gument, he forgets facts and logic, and hurls
at us, with much harmless fury. what he no
doubt conceives to be the keenest of irony
and sarcasm. The manner in which our
friend begs the question is quite amazing.
First, we will say that nothing is so fre-
quently instructed as the phrase in ques-
tion in the Declaration of Independence by
people generally, unless it be the passage in
the Bible in which it is declared that "in the
sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread" le
Is almost invariably quoted: Earn your
bread by the sweat of your brow" And IL Is
not uncommon, as all newspaper men Wen
know, for the average reporter, no matter
how correctly he may hear the familiar
phrase quoted by public speaker, to put
1t in print in the commonly misquOted forn
Our friend has evidently given more study
to the peculiar terminOogy of some text
book on grammar, and to complex and com,
pound sentences and modifying clauses
as these-whatever they are-relate merely
TO syntax. than he had to the true import
OF sentences and the rules of logic.
. we did not, and do not blame Jefferson for
mis- unavoidable environments" hence 1t
was not necessary for "N.'' to defend him
against any charge we did not make. We
do, however, blame him, as all civilization
4.
grating the institution of human slavery
IN the organic structure of IL government
which was to be model in the free
dom of its citizens for all the rest OF
triots .were not to blame for the sentiment
into which they were born," the verdict of
mankind is emphatfcally against them for
declaring in trumpet tones that 'all men
are born equal" yet saying, sotto voce, and
Dy their actions that the word "white' must
be read between the words 'alr' and "men."
1t is one thing to be born into a sentiment,
and another to labor consistently to crush
out sentiment which all men abhor, and
which is alike an outrage against the en-.
nshtened conscience of mankind, as we'll
as sin against the laws of God.
Jefferson and his associates well know,
and acknowledged in their debates in the
convention which framed the Constitution,
that human slavery was wrong; that it was
only local institution, and that by n law
that had existed among civilized nations
from time immemorial, subject of such in
stitution, the moment he got outside the
territorial limits over which the institution
prevailed was free and no power on earth
could again reduce him to the condition of
a slave-return him to that from which he
had escaped.
But what did these great founders of the
Government, that was to be the freest the
sun ever shone upon, do?
They deliberately built monument by
they were familiar with the great law Of
nations to which we have referred, and at
the same time willing to declare as clearly
that their cupidity was stronger than their
sentiments of patriotism; that they cared
not for the rights or freedom of any but
their own race, and in order to defend the
institution of human slavery and to protect
the mercenary interests OF a portion Of their
fellow citizens, they were ready to abro-
gate, If possible, even the laws of the AL
mighty himself. And hence they sanctioned
by organic law the slave trade for a certain
number of years. and also provided indef1-
nitely for the capture Of slaves that might
escape into free States of this glorious
Union. This certainly was ian environ
ment," as well as ga sentiment" for which
have been in other respects, is most as
suredly to blame. 1t Is the inconsistency be-
tween the mere declarations and the posi-
tive acts of the trainers of our Constitution
that subjected us as a nation to 1eers and
jeers Of all civilized nations from July, 1716,
to January. 1868. E.
PTTTsBURG. November O.