Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1847-12-17
The Elective Franchise.

"OLD PATHs," a correspondent Of the T.
vangelical Repository, with whom our rea-
ders have had some acquaintance, concludes
an article as follows
"In this the day of my perplexity it occur
red to me that, at the time The constitution
was framed, it was distinctly understood by
the trainers of it that slavery should be Of
short continuance, and that it would soon
pass out through state legislation and, in
view of this, the constitution was so worded
that it need not be altered when slavery had
ceased 10 exist in the states. | therefore
came to the conclusion that the time had
elapsed, and that slavery had no cOnstltu-
tional being either in the general or state go
veTnments, as such existence would be in
violation of the understanding of the trainers
of the constitution, which understanding is
evident from the history Of those times, and
from the face of the constitution itself. And
| have also concluded 10 vote for no man
that would not come TO the same conclusion,
although he might not adopt ny premises in
arriving at it. Nor would | support any man
who would not make known this his deter
minatlon to the administrator of the oath at
the time Of the administration of it,"
This difficulty arose from the fact that in
the late trial OF DR.. Mitchell, in Pittsburgh,
for aiding a fugitive, Judge Grier in his
charge, gave the following Interpretation of
the Constitution 1--WE might feed" said
he, 1.-The hungry, &c., but that if we did any
act, the natural tendency of which was to let
or hinder the pursuing master in retaining
his escaping slave, knowing him to be a
slave, we violated the constitution and law,
and subjected ourselves to the penaltv.*
In nearly every respect, this view of"Old
Paths appears to US untenable. LIST. lie
does not say that the trainers of the Consli-
tuition supposed it would disappear through
the operation of any constitutional princi-
pie: but on the contrary, he admits that it
was looked for Through State Legislation"
vi course, he must admit that in the appre-
henslon of the trainers, there was no provls-
Ion In the constitution for The removal of sla-
very had there been, they would have an
tlclpated its removal as a consequence Of
snch'provlslon. Anticipating this 'through
state legislation" of course they understood
1t to be left 10 state control the constitution
was not made for slaves. In making this
admission, this writer saps his own founda-
tons. I'd. BY what right does "Old Paths"
fix the time when slavery was expected to
disappear! 81 came to the conclusion -
On what grounds! If the evil was to be
remedied by estate legislation was not the
time left TO their optionl Or does he adopt
the absurd idea that the states were actually
bound in adopting the constitution to abolish
slavery, and that in a given timel But even
granting this, how does he know that the
majority had fixed upon ffty-eight years, and
that the minority had given their CONSENT
Yet all this he must know, or his conclusion
is premature. Sd. Is not this to extend the
authority Of the understanding of the trainers,
to a most unwarrantable extentl We grant,
we hold that the views of the trainers, and of
the country when the constitution was adopt
ed, are highly useful in ascertaining its true
meaning. We are ever suspicious of any
logic which rejects this method of reasoning.
But we cannot go farther. The doctrine of
sold Paths" makes the understanding Of The
trainers an additional article IF The Constiiu-
-
y This we believe 10 be the true view of
the Constitution.