Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1842-04-08

citizens, to appeal to you've ask you
10 examine carefully the facts which we
shall lay before you, to consider care
fully the principles which we shall set
forth, and then determine for yourselves
whether we arc not justified in our pur
pose OF separate organization, & whelh.
er the interests Of free labor, AMI the
cause OF free government, and the main.
tenance OF human rights, do not require
you to co operate with US.
When our fathers assumed an indie.
pendeCt rank among the nations, they
announced their political creed in the
most SOLEMN manner 10 the world. 1--WE
hold these truths TO be seIfevldent:
that all men are endowed 0y their Gre
ator with certain inherent and unaien.
able rights: among which are Ife Iiber.
ly and the pursuit Of happiness" la
this short and sublime declaration, they
embodied the fundamental principles or
which they proposed to establish the
Tree government of the United States
Their creed is our creed. Their faith
is our faith. All the objects which we
seek 10 accomplish will BE- attained, when
the Government which they bequealh-
ed to US, is restored to the control Of
the principles which they proclaimed.
When the war Of the revolution was
ended, and American independence was,
by the blessing Of the God Of armies,
firmly established, our fathers again
assembled 10 frame permanent system
Of Government. The result Of their
Iabors was the Constitution Of The Amer
ican Union
BY the Convention which formed the
Constitution, the irreconcrlabIe opposi
ton Of slavery TO freedom and Of slave
labor to free labor was well understood.
and the solemn pledge given in the de-
cIaratIon Of Independence, was freshly
remembered The soil wet with the
blood of freedoms m9rlys was hardly
dry. aud the echoes Of devoul thatks
giving for the great triumph Of Ameri
can Liberty, yet fingered throughout the
land.
1t was impossible that this Convcn
ton could recognize the principle
slavery in the frame OF the Nauona
Government. ln the emphatic language
Of Mr.. Madison, they "rhOught it wrong
to admit into the Constitution the iira
that lhoro could be property n man "
Yet, as they had no power to change tn.
personal relations Of the inhab,ansS o.
any State to each other, but we're char.
| ged with the duty Of framing a gener.
al system a Government for the people
Of all the States, leaving those relations
untouched, it was equally Impos>,hI"
for them TO abolish avery 10 The Stares
where il existed
Accordingly, we fud that the Consri,
tuition designates all the Inhabitants TT
the States as persons, and nowhere re.
cognrzNs the idea that men can be the
subjects Of property; al the same time
| it nowhere Coners ON Congress the
right TO abolish slavery in the STATES
where it is recognized and sane Ioned
by the Iocnl constitutions. 1t contains
indeed, several provisions respecting
taxation, representation, tho rec,au,s
ton Of fugilVes from service, aud the
importation Of such persons as the sew.
eraI States, might see fit TO admit, uurlI
1903, which undoubtedly had reference
to tho fact that, in some of the States
slavery was sustained by local law, bu
it contains no provision which gives tc
this practice the National sanction anc
appreciation The Constitution Iount
slavery, and left it, State Institution
the creature and dependant of State
law--IoCal, wholly, in It's existence auC
character. 1t did not make it a national
institution. II gave no national characlel
no national existence This prnclpI,
we are happy to find, was recognized By
the Supreme Court Of the Unled State;
in It's decision Of the celebrated Mlssis
sippi case, last winter,
| And these, be it remembered, are thu
positions assumed by the most promi
nent defenders OF slavery at this day
They claim that it is State institution
and that the General Government has
therefore, no control over it in these
States. On this ground they demant
that q | pettinDs-nay, more, that tht
solemn resolutions OF Sovereign State
- in any way relating to it, shall bt
p'uously thrust aside as imperll.
nent intermeddIing by the free State
and the citizens of free States with wha
is no affair of theirs
We admit-we assert that it is strict
ly a State institution, and that Congress
has no control over it in the States.
Why, then, fellow citizens, are W,
now appealing 10 you? Why have thou
sands Of our counlrymen in Other State
ranged themselves under the banner o
Constitutional Liberty against slavery
Why is it, that the whole nation Is mo
we'd. as with n mighty wind. by hi