The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1844-09-26

ceased. But while the echoes of the bat
tie vet reverbetated from our hills. aot
fingered along our valleys, the Corgres:
put forth a final address TO the people,
''Let it be remembered they said, 'tha
it has been the pride and boast OF Amer
ca that the rights for which she contend
ed were THE RIGHTS OF HUMAN NATURE
By the blessing of the Author OF these
RIGHTS, on the means exsrted for their
defence, they have prevailed against all
Opposition, and form the basis Of thirteen
States. No instance has heretofore &C.
cuIred, nor can any instance be expected
hereafter to occur, in which the unadul'
teraled forms Of Republican government
can pretend to 80 fair an opportunity Of
jus:ifying themselves by their fruits. -
This address was also the composition Of
a Virginia Statesman, and adopted, as the
voice OF Congress, by Virginia votes.
Not many years elapsed before an op.
porunlty was presented to the American
Congress, of giving to the world signal
proof Of its fidelity TO that doctrine Of hu'
man rights to which the nation stood thus
soIemnIy pledged. The immense Terri
tory, stretching from the western limbs OF
Pennsylvania TO the Mississippi, and the
Ohio 10 the Lakes, had become, by the
cessions of the several claimant States,
the undisputed domain of the nation. In
making these cessions, Virginia took the
lead, claiming under the charter almost the
whole OF all that is now OHIO, Indiana and
Illinois. She magnanimousIy surrender.
ed her pretensous TO the common good,
slipuallng onIy that States 10 be erected
within the coded limits, should be republi-
can and sovereign.
The acquisition OF the North Western
Territory devoved on Congress the du!y
Iof providing system OF law for the gov
ernment of its inhabitants. But Congress
did more. Il promulgated in 1857, an
ordnance, by which the fundamental prin,
IcipleS Tor which The war of independence
had been wagedwere established as the un-
aIerabIe basis of the laws and constitutions
of the States to be formed within the Terri
tory. This ordinance announced lis pur-
pose 10 BE-, the establishment OF the prin>
cipIes ofcIvii and religious liberty" in the
new States and us necessary to this end it
declared that there should be " neither
slavery nor Involuntary servltude within
The territory, Otherwise than in the puu-
ishmeul Of Crimes" In prelacing this re-
ma!kabe instrument Nj Jefferson took an
impor'an, part. For adopting it the vote
Of Vmgnia was unanimous. Ia fact but
single negative was opposed to It's pass
sage, and that solitary voice proceeded
from the Stlie Of New York.
That as Signal a monument Of the fdel-
iy Of our fathers 10 the pledges III the
covenant of l774, aud in the declaration
Of l776, has been preserved, furnish fiji
occasion Of devout thanksgiving to Al.
mighty God 1t was the last important
act of The Congress OF the confederation,
and well does Ii correspond with the sol.
emn covenant which was The first.
The framing Of the Constitution Of the
Unit, States, was conlemporaneous with
the promuIgnlion of the ordinance. Il Is
sometimes SAID lhalthis constitution guar,
antees slavery; bat the assertion is libel
on the memory of our fathers. The orl-
ginal articles submitted by the convention
Tor ratification 10 he States, did. undOubt-
eddy, notice the fact of the existence ot
slavery in the several States under The
Safe law, and provided for the represent.
alton Of three. Of the slaves in Con-
gress; but there was, then no provision
IL hto l,.I dtt
Of The National Government 10 maintain
slavery in the States. Much less was
there any provision which would warrant
Congress in establishing or conlinuin g
slavery in any territory or district within
It's exclusive Jurisdiction. But The Cos
situlion after being ratified by the Safes,
was amended by the people in 1875. One
of the amendments proposed by Virginia,
declared explicitly that 40 person, not no
fireman or no citizen, but no person,
shall be deprived Of life, liberty or proper
ly, without due process Of law II has been
argued that the continuance of slavery ev'
en- under law, is Incompatible with this
amendment Without stopping to discuss
the validity Of this argument, we may at
least assert that the National Government
cannot by any law or treaty create or con-
linue slavery within the limits of lis pecnl-
lar jurisdiction. The language Of the doc.
uments which we have cited, the policy o!
the government as indicated and settled by
the ordinance Of 1857, the history of the
times, the recorded opinions of all the
leading men of that day, and the provis>
ions OF the constitution itself, clearly show
that it was the understanding of the peo-
pie, that the powers OF the government
should never be exerted for the support or
extension Of slavery.
1t is not unknown 10 you, felow-citi-
zens, that large and rapidly increasing
i portion of the American People, feel deep.
y agrieved by the departure of the Gen.
eral Government from this plain, saulary
and indispensa bic principle, Tbey com