Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1845-03-22

the Senate should not be called give express ex
pcit appreciation TO certain clauses in the Florida Cons
ton which the Senator himself regretted in it, and which
he thought ought not have been there The only diff
ference between them was that the Senator'S convictions
the improperly strong his They both agreed
that the clauses wee unfortunately improperly there but
Mr. f. thought they e0sfitltiO,lay there. Now
the Senator proposes spirit If Cancellation and compro-
mise that the Senate should retain them they stood that
should violate conscences and our by voting
for them rather than he who has scupes and who deems
them wrong should vote against em Would It not be
better way to compromise if those who regrettedhe clauses
there should consent to strike them out some OF us
have the ceaest and strongest convictions OF duty ana he
frest opinions of the unconsuenahy OF this law, which
compel refuse votes in favor OF State Constitution
recognising the power of the State enact them And the
Senator proposes that should violate these feelings and
these conscences TO retain that which all the impulses OF his
heart would lead him to strike out and we must retain
them for Cancellation and compromise That the appeal to u.s.
The Senator said another Mr. b. regretted ohear
him say it, That Senator had often been the eloquent adyo
cate of rigid adherence 70 tbs CorsRn1 anaeF oil cEcp
and every sacrifice, and had declared no would not
violate il for any earthly consideration. Yet what did he
say That there might be circumstances when
the strongest restrictions of the Constitution were but as co
webs to be brushed away whenever in the Judgment of the
esDag of any State authority the safety of domestic in
satu0ns was snaaasessa higher than Al Con
situations would justify them il abrogang its SACRED pro-
vsons' tho law of necessity overriding, subvering, de-
sroyng all the securities and guarantees of our liberties This
Mr. e. held to be dangerous, very dangerous doctrine He
d moi knoT hoy far such principle might might not have
operated IN recent yoc Of ne Senate which that Senator so
strennoasY resisted; but was principle Of appalling dan
The Senator places the ground Of sepreservaon
supposes case OF extreme danger But in whose esma
ton was thus case OF danger to be thus extreme There were
sides such question There the
ton OF the domestic institutions certain States on the other
side the Of the rights Of other States where that
aslAltcn did not prevail The senator PVT On extreme
ease and tbsn asked whether they had not right egsae
10 meet II The Senator put the of whole shpoad
OF colored sailors being shipped in Massachusetts and sent
among Southern slaves designedy, avowedy cte them
to msurrecon and buche and, he asks they not to
be allowed to lay their hands them Mr. E. replied yes
yes-yes lay your hands on them by all means them
and punish them with what severity please But the law
ne complained or was thai which, when nee citzen ham
another State having such purpose Of crime and murder in
his heart no such thought in his head hut who came among
them for the lawful purposes OF commerce, his complexon
was of certain hue empowered them instantly seize and
cast him into prison. They punished the man. for any
overt evil act for any evil intent of his heart but
Tor the color Of his face Was this just Was it according
to the Constitution i
Let them make their laws for the punishment of crime as
severe as they pleased who would complain who had eo
planned Who denied that they had perecf night to at
rost try, and punish PERSONS white or ooored come from
where they might, who guilty of actual crime No
body would complain OF this They had lately done So and
nobody questioned their power But when free man,
without dreaming of any purpose of HARM but the
one Of their ports for purposes of honest traffic. they mpute
crime to him by force OF law they and mpson him.
and they scourge him from their soil What could lie more
Illegal o. unuat twas no answer to say that coming
among their slaves with evil ought be punished
Punish the guilty. but not the innocent Punish crime but
not color As the talk about torches bloody hearhs and
bazes and tomahawks and all that did move him much
Who had any such purpose kndng bazes and deIuenp
hearths with blood What Northern sailor went to Norfolk
or Charleston with any such design He knew indeed tha
there were societies at the Norm who cherished tue purpose
OF immediate emancipation and had it occurred to
Southern gentlemen how powerfully they aiding and
abettinu the ends by
they were pursuing Mr. E. knew something Of ;ese abo
htonss and of their movements, whom southern gentlemen
reProhated SO vehemeny He felt disposition defend
their principles their but he could tell his South
en friend this that these abotons have very little desire
that the South should repeal their obnoxious laws or mitigate
N any way the evils 81 slaysry When that is done, their
vocation gone These laws and these harships the
very breath OF their noss These among evils upon
which they excite the public mind if these gone hey
would lose their topics for pathetic appeal and popular deca
nation Every enforcement of such enactment every in
crease IN their severity gave them and plausible
often just occasion Of appealing the corsrieEce az The
freeman " te NORTH end % making converts their cause
faey sezed IN their anxiety, the existence of such
laws which practically operated not against crime but against
innocence This furnished them with of their strongest
arguments and used they knew how to use it. was in
their hands Of the most effective instruments that could
be desired to keep the very excitement of which Southern
men complained.
their internal peaes ad safety tie yes and dwellings of teir
czens God forci but what he complained Of and what all
the North complained of and would continue complain Of
that while the laws Of their State and the Const
ton OF the Union secured protection to honest while in
the transaction of lawful business and not otherwise the
lays Of the South subjected them msorant and Iss oil
liberty without the slightest impuaon Of crime they felt
themselves called on to resist any further extension of such
a system. Il. Ia
In all this his colleague (ir. FARrIELpl dJcssd from
him. He said that the inspcpRg Of las Legislature required
him 10 protest. and he did protest Very good But the in
srucons also required him to make of his best efforts TO
procure the repeal Of such laws whether existing in States or
Territories Now, Mr. E. thought OF the ssbes eors
to effect this would be to say that they would not conssDl
the admission Of this State unless such proyon ware
stricken out OF her Constitution. least Of all was ii using
their best eo 70 The end designated sit perfect silence
and to acquesce in and sanction such He con-
sdered that to sanction such clause in the Constitution of
State to invite the Legislature Of the State to pass laws
in conformity with it. II doing all the Senate could do
to declare such laws constitutional This Mr. T. would moi
do he would, as ne required to- his best ebrts
procure their repeal and Of the ways to do this he
would have Congress express its solemn opinion that such
laws ought not to have an existence. il
Mr. ARCHER wished to offer few words of explanation
which he considered due alike to the honorable Senator
from Maine and to himself He had expressed his regret s,
these provisions contained in the Constitution OF Florida
And why Because he considered the exercise of such
power unconstitutional Far from it. Though perfect
y competent for savehodng State have such provision
on her statute book he regretted had been put into her
stuhon He would not have had il inserted there He
might very consistently the propcy Of abstanng from
such insertion, and from enacng such law, and yet
consider himself obliged by the clause when inserted to ex
ercise the power Ii
But there much more material question Suppose
they ALL with accord, South and North should reprobatc
the introduction Of such clause into this Constitution did il
follow that the Senate had any right to expunge He de-
MED such right The Senate had no such power II was p
in he Inf