rade was treated like other
kindred forms of piracy, as a capital crime, they had their ships in
that felonious traffic; and now their vessels engage in the American
Slave-trade and their hand still deals in the bodies of their fellow
men. In all the great commercial cities, like Philadelphia, New York
and Boston these men prevail, and are the "eminent citizens,"
overslaughing the press, the pulpit, the bar, and the court, with the
Ideas of their lower law, and sweeping along all metropolitan and
suburban fashion and respectability in their slimy flood. Hence the
great cities of the North, governed by the low maxims of this class,
have become the asylum of Northern men with Southern "Principles," and
so the strong-hold of Slavery. And hitherto these great cities have
controlled the politics of the Northern States, crowding the Apostles
of Freedom out from the national board, and helping the party of
slavery to triumph in all great battles.

Thus aided, for many years the South has always elected her candidate
for the Presidency by the vote of the people. But the American
Executive is twofold,--part Presidential, part Senatorial. Sometimes
these two Executives are concordant, sometimes discordant. The
Senatorial Executive has always carried the day against the less
permanent Presidential power, except in the solitary case where
General Jackson's unconquerable will and matchless popularity enabled
him to master the senate itself, who "registered" his decrees, or
"expunged" their own censure, just as the iron ruler gave orders.

Now by means of the control which the Northern Cities have over the
Northern States, and such Commercial Men over those cities, it has
come to pass that not only the Presidential, but also the Senatorial
Executive, has long been hostile to the Idea of Freedom.

Gentlemen of the Jury, the direct consequence is obvious,--the Party
of Slavery has long been the conqueror in the field of Federal
politics. In the numerous and great conflicts between the two, Freedom
has prevailed against Slavery only twice since the close of the
Revolutionary War,--in prohibiting involuntary servitude in the
North-west Territory in 1787, and in the abolition of the African
Slave-trade in 1808. Her last triumph was forty-seven years ago,--nay,
even that victory was really achieved twenty years before at the
adoption of the constitution. In this warfare we have not gained a
battle for freedom since 1788!

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