Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1843-02-24
BY A WING OF OHIO.
INTRODUCTION.


10 Congress who will vote to repeal the tariff, and
10 abandon the protection Of the free labor OF the
North. We must expect the election OF such
man as will exert his influence against our harbor
improvements, and completion of the Cumber-
Hand road and who will oppose the distribution of
the proceeds of the public lands. We must look
for the election ola who will vote for the an
ne xation of Texas to this Union, and who will lend
his influence generally to the slavehodng interests
The State will be so disircted to elect the great
est possible number of Representatives in Congress-,
who will sustain the same policy, and who viii
vote for John C. Calhoun TO the Office OF President
in 1874, should the election devolve upon the
House of Representatives.
a Had the friends of northern rights united their
poca efforts at the recent election these conse-
+ dnences would have been avoided but we were di-
yided, and of course were conquered. elimination
and recriminaton will otextrcate us from the diff
cultes into which our unhappy divisions have pre-
Cipaied US. Future triumph can only be secured
BY future union we should therefore, profit by eX-
perience. Let us search out the rock on which we
have split that may avoid it hereafter. If there
be any political or moral principle involved in this
controversy, let it be developed and placed before
the people, that we may all distinctly understand
it, In order to do this, it is the intention of the
writer to enter into examination of this subject
8 He will endeavor 10 do so with such palnness and
sincerity as the subject demands no false delcacy
shall deter him from full, fair and candid express
sion of truth shall feelings of excitement in
duce him to use terms or epIthets that may offend
the sincere inquirer after TRUTH whether he lives in
a free or slave State, belongs to the Wing, the
Democrat, or the Liberty party.
In order to be distinctly understood, your read
s ers may expect examination of the subject in the
q following order
LIST. lie will inquire into the rights and privilc
ges of the several States in regard TO slavery.
end. The entertainments upon these rights, of
which the anti-savery men complain.
3D. The remedy which, Think all will agree
should be adopted.
The whole will occupy several columns of your
paper, and will be furnished the writer finds lei
sure TO communicate with your readers.
November, !, 1872 PAClFlCUS.
4 Rights and Privileges of The several States
concerning Slavery.
Mr. Edtor:-For the purpose of fixing in the
mind definite idea of our rights and privileges
respecting slavery, it becomes necessary to look
back to the time of forming the Constitution
5 At that period, the spirit of universal liberty
pervaded the minds of our people generally,
particularly those of New England and the
northern States. The sages and patriots of
& l776 had put forth the undying truth, "that
man is born free" as self erident fact.-
In obedience to this declaration, Massachusetts,
ever forward in the cause of liberty, by SINH
lar assertion of the rights of man, had stricken
The shackles from every slave within her terri
tories. The soil of Vermont had never been
contaminated with the footsteps of a slave
Pennsylvania, and indeed nearly all of the
northern States, had commenced a system OF
gradual emancipation. The delegates from the
north carried with them a strong predisposi-
ton in favor of universal liberty. While in
convention they spoke of slavery with deep alb
hOrrence, and the most irreconcileabe hatred
+ Not so with the southern States. They regar-
ded slavery as necessary to their prosperity
They refused to enter into the constitutional
compact upon any terms that would subject
that institution TO the control of the General
Government. Up to this period each State
had acted, in regard TO slavery, according to
the dictates of its own will Each, for itself,
held supreme, indiSputable, and uncontrolled
+ jurisdiction over thatiustilution within its own
limits. This entire power was reserved to it.
sell by each state, and no portion wasdelegated
10 the General Government; and to place the
subject in such plain and palpabe light that it
+ should never be questioned or disputed; article
q 10, of the amendments, was subsequently a.
dopted; by which it was declared, that the
powers not delegated by the Constitution were
& reserved to the several States. tits, therefore,
4 plain, that the General Government have now
no more power over the institution of slavery
I than il had prior TO the adoption of the Consti-
tuition. The people of the southern States
hold that Institution as independently of the
Federal Government as they did under the old
Confederation. s
Precisely to the same extent do the people OF
the free States hold and enjoy the blessings OF
personal liberty. They.delegated to the Fed
eral Government no more power to involve
them in slavery, than'the south did to involve
them in its abolition. The rights of the States
on this subject were mutual and perfectly re-
ciprocaL Those States who desired to do so,
could continue the institution of slavery; and
those who desired TO be free, and entirely ex-
empt from the expense, the disgrace, and the
guilt of it, reserved TO themselves the full and
indisputabe right to remain altogether separ-
ate from, and unconnected with, its evils. phe
sons of the pilgrims regarded slavery as a vio-
laton of the will Of Heaven, and fragrant
transgression of the law of God. They would
no sooner have been prevailed upon to involve
themselves in its moral turpitude, than they
would in that of piracy or murder. The peo-
pie Of the free States, therefore, secured TO
themselves the absolute right Of remaining free
from the guilt, the disgrace, and the expense
o. slavery, by Withholding from the Federal
Government all constitutional power in regard
to that institution; while the slave States Sc
cured to themselves an equal privilege to enjoy
the benefits Gas they supposedly resulting from
acontinuance of slavery.
These doctrines are not neD-they are as old
as The Constitution. They are not local, for
they have been substantially asserted in Con-
gress, and both in the north and the south
They are rot anti-slave,y, for they have been,
for half century, the declared doctrines Of the
slave States. If any anti-slavery man claims
for the free States any further rights in regard
to slavery than those expressed above, he is re-
qnested to make them known. If any Wing OF
Democrat ofthis State is willing to deny TO the
people of the free States the rights above SET
forth, he is invited TO express his views, in or
der that the public mind may be informed upon
this important subject.
If these be the Constitutional rights OF the
Tree States, all will agree that they should be
maintained and supponed. On this point il