the anti-slavery crusade-第25节

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　that　State　in　order　to　enjoy　the　liberty　of　governing　ourselves　in　Kansas；　then　let　that　be　the　issue。　If　Kansas　and　the　whole　North　must　be　enslaved；　or　Missouri　become　free；　then　let　her　be　made　free。　Aye！　and　if　to　be　free　ourselves；　slavery　must　be　abolished　in　the　whole　country；　then　let　us　accept　that　due。　If　black　slavery　in　a　part　of　the　States　is　incompatible　with　white　freedom　in　any　State；　then　let　black　slavery　be　abolished　from　all。　As　men　espousing　the　principles　of　the　Declaration　of　the　Fathers；　we　can　do　nothing　else　than　accept　these　issues。〃　The　men　who　saved　Kansas　to　freedom　were　not　abolitionists　in　the　restricted　sense。　Governor　Walker　found　in　1857　that　a　considerable　majority　of　the　free…state　men　were　Democrats　and　that　some　were　from　the　South。　Nearly　all　actual　settlers；　from　whatever　source　they　came；　were　free…state　men　who　felt　that　a　slave　was　a　burden　in　such　a　country　as　Kansas。　For　example；　during　the　first　winter　of　the　occupation　of　Kansas；　an　owner　of　nineteen　slaves　was　himself　forced　to　work　like　a　trooper　to　keep　them　from　freezing；　and；　indeed；　one　of　them　did　freeze　to　death　and　another　was　seriously　injured。　In　spite　of　all　the　advertising　of　opportunity　and　all　the　pressure　brought　to　bear　upon　Southerners　to　settle　in　Kansas；　at　no　time　did　the　number　of　slaves　in　the　Territory　reach　three　hundred。　The　climate　and　the　soil　made　for　freedom；　and　the　Governors　were　not　the　only　persons　who　were　converted　to　free…state　principles　by　residence　in　the　Territory。

CHAPTER　XIII。　THE　SUPREME　COURT　IN　POLITICS　The　decision　and　arguments　of　the　Supreme　Court　upon　the　Dred　Scott　case　were　published　on　March　6；　1857；　two　days　after　the　inauguration　of　President　Buchanan。　The　decision　had　been　agreed　upon　many　months　before；　and　the　appeal　of　the　negro；　Dred　Scott；　had　been　decided　by　rulings　which　in　no　way　involved　the　validity　of　the　Missouri　Compromise。　Nevertheless；　a　majority　of　the　judges　determined　to　give　to　the　newly　developed　theory　of　John　C。　Calhoun　the　appearance　of　the　sanctity　of　law。　According　to　Chief　Justice　Taney's　dictum；　those　who　made　the　Constitution　gave　to　those　clauses　defining　the　power　of　Congress　over　the　Territories　an　erroneous　meaning。　On　numerous　occasions　Congress　had　by　statute　excluded　slavery　from　the　public　domain。　This；　in　the　judgment　of　the　Chief　Justice；　they　had　no　right　to　do；　and　such　legislation　was　unconstitutional　and　void。　Specifically　the　Missouri　Compromise　had　never　had　any　binding　force　as　law。　Property　in　slaves　was　as　sacred　as　property　in　any　other　form；　and　slave…owners　had　equal　claim　with　other　property　owners　to　protection　in　all　the　Territories　of　the　United　States。　Neither　Congress　nor　a　territorial　Legislature　could　infringe　such　equal　rights。　According　to　popular　understanding；　the　Supreme　Court　declared　〃that　the　negro　has　no　rights　which　the　white　man　is　bound　to　respect。〃　But　Chief　Justice　Taney　did　not　use　these　words　merely　as　an　expression　of　his　own　or　of　the　Court's　opinion。　He　used　them　in　a　way　much　more　contemptible　and　inexcusable　to　the　minds　of　men　of　strong　anti…slavery　convictions。　He　put　them　into　the　mouths　of　the　fathers　of　the　Republic；　who　wrote　the　Declaration　of　Independence；　framed　the　Constitution；　organized　state　Governments；　and　gave　to　negroes　full　rights　of　citizenship；　including　the　right　to　vote。　But　how　explain　this　strange　inconsistency？　The　Chief　Justice　was　equal　to　the　occasion。　He　insisted　that　in　recent　years　there　had　come　about　a　better　understanding　of　the　phraseology　of　the　Declaration　of　Independence。　The　words；　〃All　men　are　created　equal；〃　he　admitted；　〃would　seem　to　embrace　the　whole　human　family；　and　if　they　were　used　in　a　similar　instrument　at　this　day　they　would　be　so　understood。〃　But　the　writers　of　that　instrument　had　not；　he　said；　intended　to　include　men　of　the　African　race；　who　were　at　that　time　regarded　as　not　forming　any　part　of　the　people。　Thereforestrange　logic！these　men　of　the　revolutionary　era　who　treated　negroes　actually　as　citizens　having　full　equal　rights　did　not　understand　the　meaning　of　their　own　words；　which　could　be　comprehended　only　after　three…quarters　of　a　century　when；　forsooth；　equal　rights　had　been　denied　to　all　persons　of　African　descent。　The　ruling　of　the　Court　in　the　Dred　Scott　case　came　at　a　time　when　Northern　people　had　a　better　idea　of　the　spirit　and　teachings　of　the　founders　of　the　Republic　regarding　the　slavery　question　than　any　generation　before　or　since　has　had。　The　campaign　that　had　just　closed　had　been　characterized　by　a　high　order　of　discussion；　and　it　was　also　emphatically　a　reading　campaign。　The　new　Republican　party　planted　itself　squarely　on　the　principles　enunciated　by　Thomas　Jefferson；　the　reputed　founder　of　the　old　Republican　party。　They　went　back　to　the　policy　of　the　fathers；　whose　words　on　the　subject　of　slavery　they　eagerly　read。　》From　this　source　also　came　the　chief　material　for　their　public　addresses。　To　the　common　man　who　was　thus　indoctrinated；　the　Chief　Justice；　in　describing　the　sentiments　of　the　fathers　respecting　slavery；　appeared　to　be　doing　what　Horace　Greeley　was　wont　to　describe　as　〃saying　a　thing　and　being　conscious　while　saying　it　that　the　thing　is　not　true。〃　The　Dred　Scott　decision　laid　the　Republicans　open　to　the　charge　of　seeking　by　unlawful　means　to　deprive　slaveowners　of　their　rights；　and　it　was　to　the　partizan　interest　of　the　Democrats　to　stand　by　the　Court　and　thus　discredit　their　opponents。　This　action　tended　to　carry　the　entire　Democratic　party　to　the　support　of　Calhoun's　extreme　position　on　the　slavery　question。　Republicans　had　proclaimed　that　liberty　was　national　and　slavery　municipal；　that　slavery　had　no　warrant　for　existence　except　by　state　enactment；　that　under　the　Constitution　Congress　had　no　more　right　to　make　a　slave　than　it　had　to　make　a　king；　that　Congress　had　no　power　to　establish　or　permit　slavery　in　the　Territories；　that　it　was；　on　the　contrary；　the　duty　of　Congress　to　exclude　slavery。　On　these　points　the　Supreme　Court　and　the　Republican　party　held　directly　contradictory　opinions。　The　Democratic　platform　of　1856　endorsed　the　doctrine　of　popular　sovereignty　as　embodied　in　the　Kansas…Nebraska　legislation；　which　implied　that　Congress　should　neither　prohibit　nor　introduce　slavery　into　the　Territories；　but　should　leave　the　inhabitants　free　to　decide　that　question　for　themselves；　the　public　domains　being　open　to　slaveowners　on　equal　terms　with　others。　But　once　they　had　an　organized　territorial　Government　and　a　duly　elected　territorial　Legislature；　the　residents　of　a　Territory　were　empowered　to　choose　either　slave　labor　or　exclusively　free　labor。　This　at　least　was　the　view　expounded　by　Stephen　A。　Douglas；　though　the　theory　was　apparently　rendered　untenable　by　the　ruling　of　the　Court　which　extended　protection　to　slave…owners　in　all　the　Territories　remaining　under　the　control　of　the　general　Government。　It　followed　that　if　Congress　had　no　power　to　interfere　with　that　right；　much　less　had　a　local　territorial　Government；　which　is　itself　a　creature　of　Congress。　A　state　Government　alone　might　control　the　status　of　slave　property。　A　Territory　when　adopting　a　constitution　preparatory　to　becoming　a　State　would　find　it　then　in　order　to　decide　whether　the　proposed　State　should　be　free　or　slave。　This　was　the　view　held　by　Jefferson　Davis　and　the　extreme　pro…slavery　leaders。　Aided　by　the　authority　of　the　Supreme　Court；　they　were　prepared　to　insist　upon　a　new　plank　in　future　Democratic　platforms　which　should　guarantee　to　all　slave…owners　equal　rights　in　all　Territories　until　they　ceased　to　be　Territories。　Over　this　issue　the　party　again　divided　in　1860。　Republicans　naturally　imagined　that　there　had　been　collusion　between　Democratic　politicians　and　members　of　the　Supreme　Court。　Mr。　Seward　made　an　explicit　statement　to　that　effect；　and　affirmed　that　President　Buchanan　was　admitted　into　the　secret；　alleging　as　proof　a　few　words　in　his　inaugural　address　referring　to　the　decision　soon　to　be　delivered。　Nothing　of　the　sort；　however；　was　ever　proven。　The　historian　Von　Holst　presents　the　view　that　there　had　been　a　most　elaborate　and　comprehensive　program　on　the　part　of　the　slavocracy　to　control　the　judiciary　of　the　federal　Government。　The　actual　facts；　however；　admit　of　a　simpler　and　more　satisfactory　explanation。　Judges　are　affected　by　their　environment；　as　are　other　men。　The　transition　from　the　view　that　slavery　was　an　evil　to　the　view　that　it　is　right　and　just　did　not　come　in　ways　open　to　general　observation；　and　probably　few　individuals　were　conscious　of　having　altered　their　views。　Leading　churches　throughout　the　South　began　to　preach　the　doctrine　that　slavery　is　a　divinely　ordained　institution；　and　by　the　time　of　the　decision　in　the　Dred　Scott　case　a　whole　generation　had　grown　up　under　such　teaching。　A　large　proportion　of　Southern　leaders　had　become　thoroughly　convinced　of　the　righteousness　of　their　peculiar　system。　Not　otherwise　could　they　have　been　so　successful　in　persuading　others　to　accept　their　views。　Even　before　the　Dred　Scott　decision　had　crystallized　opinion；　Franklin　Pierce；　although　a　New　Hampshire　Democrat　of　anti…slavery　traditions；　came；　as　a　result　of　his　intimate　personal　and　political　association　with　Southern　leaders；　to　a