The Yazoo City Whig and political register. (Yazoo City, Miss.) 183?-1840, 1840-03-06

States! Further, the emaHcipators generally de.
clare that il is their intention 10 effect their OBJ
ject although their acts contradict the assertion
By no other means than by convincing the slave
holders that the Immediate emancipation Of the
slaves Is called for both by moral obligation and
sound policy An unaedged youth at the moment
Of his leaving lindeed, in many instances before
he has left) his Theological Seminary, undertakes
to give lectures upon morals to the countrymen Of
Wythe, Tucker, Pendleton and Lowndes, and les
sons of political wisdom to States whose affairs
have so recently been directed By Jefferson and
Madison, Macon and Crawford. Is it possible
that instances of greater vanity and presumption
could be exhibited?
g But the course pursued by the emanci-
pators is unconstitutional. do not say that
there are any words in the constitution which
forbid such discussions as they say they are
engaged in. know that there are not
And there is even an article which secures
to the citizens the right to express and pub
lish their opinions without restriction. But
in the construction of the constitution, it is
always necessary to refer to the circumstan-
ces under which it was formed, and to as
certain its meaning by comparison Of its
provisions with each other, and with the pre-
vious situation of the several states, who
were parties to it. In a portion of these,
slavery was recognized, and they took care to
have the right secured to them to follow and
reclaim such of them as were fugitives to
other states. The laws of Congress passed
under this power have provided punishment
to any who shall in auy way oppose or inter-
rupt the exercise of this right. Now, can
any one believe that the instrument which
contains provision of this kind, which au-
thorises a master to pursue his slave into an
other state, take him back, and promises
punishment for any citizen or citizens OF
that state who should oppose him, should at
the same time authorize the latter to assemble
together, to pass resolutions and adopt
addresses, not only to encourage the
slaves to leave their masters, but to cut their
Threats before they do so! I insist :ha1, if
the citizens of the non-slaveholding sfates
can avail themselves of the article otrthe
Constitution which prohibits the restrict on
speech or the press, to publish any thing in
furious to the rights ofthe slave-hofdingsta
they can go the extreme that have men
toned, and effect any thing further which
writing or speaking could effect. But, fell
low citizens, these are not the principles OF
the constitution. Such constitution would
defeat one of the great objects of its forma-
ton, which was, that of securing the peace
and harmony of the states which were parties
TO it. The liberty of speech and of the press
were given as the most effectual means to
preserve to each and every citizen their own
rights, and to the states, the rights which APP
pertained to them at the time gifts adoption.
eft could never have been expected that
it would be used by the citizens of one Por-
ton of the states for the purpose of depriving
those of another portion, of the rights which
they had received at the adoption ofthe Con-
stitution, and in the exercise of which none
but themselves have any concern or interest.
If slavery be an evil, land no one more read
liz acknowledges it than do,) the evil is
with them. Ifthere is guiltin it, the guilt
is theirs, not ours, since neither the states
where it does not exist nor the Government
of the United states can, without usurpation
of power and the violation of solemn COM
pact, do any thing to remove 1t, without the
consent of those who are Immediately inter-
ested' With that consent. there is not man
in the whole world who would more willing
ly contribute his aid to accomplish it, than l
would. If my vote could effect it, every
surplus dollar in the treasury should be APP
propriated to that object. But they will nei-
Their ask for aid consent to be aided, so long
as the illegal, prosecuting, aud dangerous
are in progress of which COM
plain; the interest of all concerned requires
that these should be Immediately stopped
This can only be done by the force of public
opinion, and that cannot too soon be brought
into operation. Every movement which is
made by the abolitonists in the non-slave
holding States is viewed by our Southern
brethren as an attack upon their rights, and
which, if persisted in, must in the end era
dicate those feelings of attachment! and affec- |
lion between the citizens of all the States |
which was produced by community of in
erests and dangers in the war of the Revo-
ution, which was the foundation of our hap
by Union, and by continuance of which it
ian alone be preserved I>entreat you then
elbow citizens, to frown upon the measures
which are to produce results SO much to be
deprecated"