I never doubted that this interpretation was wrong,--not even in the days of Slavery; but it is doubly, triply wrong now that the Declaration of Independence is at last regarded, and that the Constitution not only makes Slavery impossible, but assures the citizen in the enjoyment of Equal Rights.
Sumner expresses his long-held belief that the interpretation of the Constitution supporting slavery is fundamentally wrong.
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It is clear that the only question of present practical interest arises from the usurpations of the Slave Power and the efforts to extend Slavery.
Controlled by such a code, employing such representatives, sustained by such agencies, animated by such Furies, and producing such fruits of tears and bitterness, it must be open to question.
According to recent calculations, its annual cost is not less than a thousand millions of dollars.
The first is a heavenly sentiment, from God: the other is a device of this world.
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