The Charlotte journal. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1835-1851, 1840-01-16

laws Of Congress passed under this power,
have provided punishment to any who shall
oppose or Interrupt the exercises of this
right. Now can any one believe, that the
instrument which contains provision OF
this kind, which authorizes a master 10
pursue his slave into another State, take
him back, and provides punishment for
any citizen, or citizens Of that State who
should oppose him, should, at the same
time authorize the latter to assemble to-
gether, to pass Resolutions and Addresses,
not only TO encourage the Slaves to leave
their masters, but TO cut their threats be.
fore they do so ,
insist that If the citizens of the non
slaveholding States can avail themselves Of
the article of the Constitution, which pro-
hibits the restriction of speech or the press
to publish any thing injurious to the rights
of the slayeholding States, that they can go
to the extreme that have mentioned, and
effect any thing further which writing or
speaking could effect. But, tellow-citlZens,
these are not the principles Of the Constitu-
tion. Such a construction would defeat one
of the great objects Of It's formation, which
was that of securing the peace and harmo.
ny of the States which were parties to it.
The liberty of speech and OF the press, were
given as the most eifectual means to pre-
serve to each and every citizen their own
rights, and to the States the rights which
appertained 10 them, at the time Of their
adoption. L, could never have been expect
ed that it would be used BY the citizens of
one portion of the States for the purpose
Of dcprising those Of another portion, OF the
rights which they had reserved at the adop-
ton of the Constitution, aud IN the excr-
else of which, none but themselves have
any concern or interest. If slavery is an
evil, the evil is with them. Ii there Is
guilt IN it, the guilt is theirs, not ours, since
neither the States where II does not exist,
nor the Government Of the United States
can, without usllrpatIon o; power, and the
violation OF solemn compact, do any thing
TO remove 1t without the consent of those
who are immediately Interested But they
will neither ask for aud, nor consent to be
/ aldedwhllst the illegal, prosecuting and dan.
gerous movcmentsare IN progress, otwhich
| complain the interest of all concerned
requires that these should be stopped i'm.
mediately. This can only be done by the
force Of public opinion, and that cannot too
soon he brought into operation. Every
| movement which IS made by the Abolition
lists in the non.slaveholding States, Is view.
ed BY our Southern brethren as an attack
upon their rights, and which, If persisted in,
must IN the end eradicate those feelings of
attachment and affection between the citi.
Gems OF all the States which was produced
BY a community OF interests and danqers ID
the War of the Revolution, which was the
foundation Of our happy union, and by a
continuance Of which, It can alone be pre-.
served. | entreat you then, to irown upon
/ the measures whlca are 10 produce results
50 much 10 be deprecated. The opinions
which ! have now given. have omitted
no opportunity for the last two years to lay
before the people otm ny own State. have
taken the liberty 70 express Them here,
knowing that even it they should untottu-
nately not accord wi,h yours, that they
would be kindly received.