Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1838-04-11

imparting the blessings contained within
Its mighty folds.
Congress hare full POper, therefore.
10 pass a laac ab0lishing slavery IN sub
stance, IN the .foll0aeiag a0ords -
!" Whereas, the people Of The United
States, BY the constitution, ordained that
no person should be deprived Of his liber-
ty except by due process Of law, by indict-
ment by grand jury, and the judgment
of a court: And whereas the people Of
1.-THE United States, who pretend to hold
slaves by the laws of several states, have
never established their title to their alleg-
ed slaves BY due process of law, during.
1.-THE forty-eight years which have existed
| since the mode of creating slave was
ordained by the sovereign people Of these
United States: Therefore be it enacted
by the Senate ard House of Representa-
tives in Congress assembled, that all per-
sons in the United States, who were rot
deprived Of their liberty and made slaves
BY Indictment by a grand jury, by petit
Jury, and judgment of a court, previous to
the first day Of January. 1887, be and the
same are hereby declared to be free per-
sons, any constitution of any state. or law
thereof, or usage, judicial or Legislative,
in any state of this nation, to the contrary
thereof Notwithstanding"
+ From the reasoning pursued in this pa
per. 1t appears manifest that every fugitive
slave who has been delivered up, ought
to have had his liberty : that every order
made for the delivery of slaves to their
supposed masters, have been made with
out the evidence required by the constitu-
ton.
A further deduction seems legitimate
from these premises, that we of the North
are not bound to uphold slavery in any
form, as We have not the evidence agreed
!. on by the constitution, that there is slave
in the United States. All prescriptions
! are 10 be made In favor of liberty, until
the record evidence by due process of law
> appears, by which the slave has been de-
/ prived of liberty according to the consti-
tuition OF the United States.
We are bound to do but one THING. which
. is to petition Congress, without ceasing,
until Congress passes a declaratory act,
in aftirmance OF the great principl les of
} human liberty established In the 5th arti-
: Gle of the amendments to the constitution
, of the United States, by which every
slave nconsttutionalIy deprived of his
, liberty, may lift up his head and rejoice
f for the hour Of his redemption.
, If it be true that Congress have entire
power over the question of slavery, and {
} right to put an end to the unconstitution
al slavery which now exists, is it not &;
matter of rejoicing that in all future eff
forts of our cause, they will be directed
not against slavery in detail. in the Dis
trict of Columbia, or the internal slave
trade between the states, but against it as
whole, as an entirety. We can fence in
the whole field. How thankful should
we be, if the foregoing proposition be true,
that the responsibility of slavery rests on
the entire American people, and that It's
overthrow does not depend upon the con
version of slaveholding states to our sen.
timents; but Congress has ample and
complete power over the question.
For all this. let us give thanks to the
Most High.