Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1845-10-17

treaty. II was by the union Of such alternative
mat CONSCIENTIOUS sfUpes as 10 annexation by joint
resolution were queted though the alternative left il
IN the power OF the President to give effect he has
done, to the joint resolution ITSELF and thus do the
very thing which those scrupes would not allow
could be done.
| Ne have, thus, double violation Of the Cons,itu.
ton, to which must be added, the fact that the
President elect made his appearance at the
scene Of action and turned the trembling scale,
BY throwing into it the weight Of his incoming
Official patronage.
Shall such an act, carried by such means,
have the effect in this free country, Of conclud-
ing and sencing opposition to an unconsun-
mated measure Let the spirit Of free, intel-
gent and unsubdued Vermont snswer.
And where will Vermont soon be, il the poll
cy OF foreign annexation is to prevail, and be.
come the settled policy Of the country She
will be in the condition Of an appendage Of a
vast slave empire, embracing, not Texas only,
but California, and finally every part Of Mexico
I-all Of which will be overrun by slaveholders,
who will in due time, declare indepe ndence.
and claim and obtain admission into the Union.
But annexation may be contaminated Slave.
~ may triumph. Il may secure majority in
the Senate Of the United States. II NAV annul
the compromises Of tho Constitution, and de.
stroy the bond that holds these States together.
What, then, shall Vermont do! What Il will
be her right TO do, admits Of no question. II,
from regard to peace, she shall forbear to ex>
erclse her right, il should be with solemn dec.
laralion TO the Union and the world that she
thereby acknowledges no right Of annexation,
and forboars from no diminished conviction that
It will subvert the Constitution, and essentially
destroy the Union Of which il is the bond and
that she reserves the right Of such future action
as circumstances mag suggest.
Il But in the event uf ammo atm fho ro ,v;lI .o
main great practical duty for us to perform.
1t will be to 60 to the very verge OF our consti.
ltutional power to effect the abolition of slavery.
as 1.-THE chief evil in our country, and the great
crime OF our age" Slavery will, BY annexa.
ton, have been taken under the special pro,ec.
ton Of the national government, and made in
the highest sense, a national institution and
thenceforth will become leading and control.
ing element in the Union. 1t will then be seen
in stronger and clearer light than it ever has
been. The success Of annexation will have sig.
nalIy illustrated its character; and the time is
not distant. when 1t will be able no longer to ad.
lust its influence in the scale Of parties, 81 as
to maintain its ascendancy by Northern coop
peration for the North will have learned The
indispensable necessity Of uni"n, in order to roll
BACK the tide OF It's usurpailons, and 80 change
the policy Of the government, that il shall cease
to make the support Of slavery an object of soe.
;
1 the sake of peace, shall submit to annexation.
the South must submit to the legitimate and in
evltabe consequences Of thus forcing, every-
I where, an investigation of the merits VI slavery,
and thorough exposure Of the iInposby, OF
+ long maintaining Union, embracing the hos.
tile and irreconcllable elements of slavery and
6 freedom,
have received from the Executives of sew.
eral Of the States, resolutions of their respective
legislatures, touching the subject Of annexation,
which shall hereafter communicate for the
consideration OF the General Assembly.
. Among the papers received from the Execu-
I tives of other States is the solemn Declaration
and Protest of The Commonwealth of Massachu.
. sets, against the laws Of South Carolina, under
, which, c0lored citizens Of Massachusetts, are ar.
. rested OIL board her ships in the harbors OF South
Carolina. imprisoned in the jails Of that State,
and sold into perpetual slavery, in default OF
their commanders to give bonds to redeem them
and to pay the expenses Of their detenton-all
+ which Massachusetts asserts is in violation OF
that lause Of III Constitution of the United
States, which declares that 1.-THE citizens OF each
State shall be entitled to ali privileges and i'm.
munities of citizens in the several States"
|, 10 protect her citizens from the execution of
these laws, Massachusetts commissioned one Of
her most distinguished citizens to proceed to
South Carolina, for the purpose Of insti,uting
such process as should bring the question OF the
constItutionalify OF these proceedings before the
, Supreme Court of the United States. II is a
i matter Of history, that the agent, on appearing
in South Carolina, for the purpose of execu in9
commission thus looking to peaceful and or.
DERBY appeal to the appropriate judicial tribunal,
was driven away by threats Of personal violence
OF a mob; and that subsequently, the legislature
|, sanctioned the act OF the mob by making an or
der ITO expel" the agent from the State. Against
this, also, Massachusetts protests
have received from the Governor of South
Carolina, the proceedings referrrd to- of the leg
slature of that State. I have ALEC received
from the Governors Of the States Of Arkansas
and Alabama, resolutions of the legislatures of
those States, approving the outrage committed
on the agent oil Massachusetts; and frnm the
Governor OF Connecticut, resolutions of the leg.
lslature OF thai Stale, declaring that the act of
South Carolina is "a palpabe and dangerous
violation OF the national compact" / shall here.
after transmit these papers, with others on vari-
Gus subjects, received from the Executives of
other States, for the use oi the General Assem-.
bly,.
have made this special referance to The pro.
ceedngs Of South Carolina, for the purpose Of
bringing them into immediate connection with
the kindred subject to which have, at some
length, invited your attention, and Of submitting
to you the propriety and duty Of full consdera-
+ ton OF these extraordinary proceedings, and an
expression Of the sense entertained by the Gen.
era Assembly Of this State, Of their true cbsrae-
Ter and tendency. 1t would seem evdeD, that
the Union cannot be maintained, il pesceable
attempts to appeal to the appropriate judicial
tribunal for the settlement Of great constitution
al questions. involving the relative rights Of the
States. and To Pot down by mob violence, and
the added sanction Of the legislative authority.
II is worthy Of remark, that, upon an attempt
by South Carolina, to enforce the same laws
against colored British subjec cts, and the remon.
STRANGE OF the British government TO that of the
United States, South Carolina desisted; and
yet she vigorously enforced them against one of
her sister States, and adds the extreme sgpra-
walton Of rudey expellng from her territory On
agent OF that State, rather than allow him resi-
dence long enough to perfect the process of sub.
hitting the question Of difference to the decision
OF the constitutional tribunal.
Several of the Slave States, il is Understood,
have laws on this subject, similar to those of
South Carolina. Their enforcement in louisa.
ma induced the legislature Of Massachusetts to
send an agent to that State for the purpose of
instituting similar process, who was also driv.
en- from the State by threats of mob violence.
! II slavery cannot exist without the protection
which such an exemption from constitutional
law will give il, then il is evident that slavery
and the constitution are al irreconcilable yari.