Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1839-05-16
[WHoLE No. 476.

II
citizen of the union the enjoyment of this
great constitutional right? This resolution
IS obviously another indirect attempt to deny
The right of Congress to abolish slavery IN
the District of Columbia and the territories,
without denying It's form.
i The fifth and crownng resolution OF this
suit, also in two parts. was;
!. "Resoiped, therefore, That all attempts
on the part of Congress to abolish slavery IN
the District Of Columbia or the territories, OF
To prohi5, the removal Of slaves from state
To state, or to Discriminate between the IN
stituiions of one portion offhe confederncy
and another, with the views aforesaid, ARE III
violation Of the constitution, destructive OF
the fundamental principle on which the nnion
of these states rests, aud beyond the lurlsdic"
ton OF Congress"
The Iooscness and inaccurary Of expires.
sion noticed in the fprmcr resolutions ~ equnl-
ly remarkable in this, which II the conclusion
of the syllogism, the q. F.. ID. oi the demon
stration--. Resuirtd H0fjor---an ergo as
lucldy deruccd from the premises as ihe ar
cal of the gtave-digger's crowners quest la"
in Hamlet. Sc of,1dtndo
For the real violation Of the constitution
was the presumption Of the House III declar-
ing, by resolution, attempts when IL sup
poses TO be actually mpde on the part OF Con-
gress, violations of The constitution. III -
clear that if the House Ind any constitutional
right to pass this resolution their successors
will have the same right tn pass resolution
directly the reverse, affirming what these
resolutions deny, aud denying what they al
firm.
All attempts on the part Of Congress to do
such and such things "Gre III violation oi the
3 - t,gcpssnrilv Ulyluu that
the part of Congress such attempts are ac-
tually made, and assuming to declare, by re-
solution Of one branch OF the Legislature.
a,tcmpts imputed 10 the whole Congress
unconstitutional.
g. And tiLc cream Of ally "tlai every pc
titon, memorial, resolution, proposition, or
paper. touching or relating, ~ any way or tn
any extent whatever, TO slavery rs aforesaid,
or the abolition thereof, shall, on the presen-
tation thereof, without any farther ACTON
thereon. be laid upon the table, without beng
debated, printed, or referred"
This last half Of the 9th resolution IL the
practical result OF oppression aud nbrIdgment
of the right of petition, of the freedom at
spccch in the House of their Representatives,
and of the press throughout the Union All
the rest being merely u winding staircase at
preamble 10 arguiy Congress out oi tic right
10 abolish slavery III the Dislrc, and Terri
tories, without denying II.
I These, resolutions were introduced by
motion to suspend the rules of the House,
! which could be carried only by majority of
two.thirds ot the members present invite
+ YOUR attention 10 the fact That this majority
4 was obtaincd and that without II the reson.
tons could not have been offered. The vote
to suspend the rules was l31 To to; three
votes more on the negative would have pie-
vented the Introduction OF the resolutions.
They were introduced, preceded by
speech Of about half an hour from tho intro
durcr, who closed 1t with a motion TOR tho
prcvious question. mot one word of Discus
sion was allowed dupon any one Of the resolu-
tons. The last three resolutions were di-
vded, and separate questions taken upon
the two members Of each Of them. They
were all adopted; The practical or second
member of the last resolution by avote Of
rs to ~, considerably short OF two thirds;
and Of those who had voted against the rcso-
luton, seven had voted for the suspension ot
the rules.
There runs through all the resolutions
vein of state right aud notification doctrines,
utterly unconstitutional, and bctaying their
Southern origin. The Government ot The
Union is throughout, considered AS u II were
exclusively a contedcracy and the nverment
/. that The constitution rests on The broad prIn-
, ciple of equality among the mci"bers ol thls
, cnulcdcracv, is Just as true Us 1t the House
i OF Representatives should resolve that the
vegetation upon earth rests on the broad
principle that The light Of day Is al cnanalion
+, from the moon.
| The ouly part of the resolutions to which
/ | could have given my assent was 10 the
aycrmcnt in The first member If the rcsolu-
ton. THAT this Government IS a Government
of limited powers" That is true and, IT
true of the whole Government, must be truu
of all lis parts and OF course ol the House of
Representatives. Now, among the limited
powers of the House, that of defining or de-
caring 10y resolution what are and what arc
rot the powers Of the Government Is not III
cudcd, and the resolution is n suicide. 1t
destroys itself The second member of the
same resolution contains a misrepresentation
injurious 10 the -slayeholdiDg states, aud
an avcrncnt altogether uniounded. It says
that by the constitution Congress has no ju-
risdctlon whatever over the institution ct
slavery in The SersrM siates-an expression
which implies that the institution exists IN all
the states--a gross Misrepresentation. 1he
avcrment that Congress has no jurisdiction
over The institution oi slavery, III the states
where it exists, is equally unfounded. Con-
grcss has Jurisdiction of protection over the
institution of slavery IN the snveholdng
7 states. The institution of slavery Is protect
ed by the slave representation IN the House
Of Representatives, by the article IN the con.
s,,utlon which binds the United States TO
protect each state, on application OF The Leg
lsaturc, ur of the Executive when The Log
isaturc cannot be convened, against domts-
lie violence; by the article which st'pula'es
for the delivery up of all fugitive persons
} held 10 labor by the act Of Congress oi 'hc
, l2,h February, 1913, respecting iugtives
| from Justice, and persons escaping from The
service of their masters; by oil the negotla-
t,ons with Great Britain for indemnity To The
owners of slaves carried away during and ut
tho close OF the laio war; and even now by
NEGOTIATIONS with Great Britain for indemni-
ty TO the slavc.,taders oi the Comet. Encom-
iyn, and Enterprise. What is 1t hut u ju-
: risdicton over the institution Of slavery In
the states where it exists, that authorises a
CAIN OF indemnity to slave traders for the
Liberation of their slaves, from Government
with which tue United States arc bound by
treaty To use their best ende avors to promote
hIo m fltpct ma ti.p tatal nbolttluu