The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1849-08-11

e ton was TO be subject 10 amendments pro
1 posed by the Legislature and ratified by tn,
q people, without the necessity Of submitting
e the entire instrument 10 the action Of anoth
or convention. With these provisions il
the new constitution, those who desire tc
take the sense Of The people upon The in
sIitulion OF slavery and It's continuance for
ever saw that the door was open to them.
But behold the change. know proslave.
ry candidates for the convention who are
not now willing TO incorporate in the new,
precisely th: sane provision which the old
constitution contains on the subject OF sls,
very. know pro-slsvery candidates who
are utterly opposed to amending the new
constitution by permitting the Legislature
to submit particular amendments for the
ratification Of the people. Look also at
The action of the last Legislature. That
body modified the law Of 1888 prohibiting
the importation of slaves in such manner
as TO make the modification almost equiva.
lent to its repeal. his was done, be-
lieve, without consulting the people upon
the subject in the preceding canvass. BY
the census Of the 1910 it was proved for the
first time that our free white population had
increased by greater ratio than our slave
population. This result was attributable,
in a great degree, TO the act OF 1888. In
1870 our slave population was 1S2, 25S.-
In 194S, according to the I'd auditors re-
port, 1t had reached 1872, 470, showing an
increase Of only 1929 in eight years. In
1910 our voters numbered los, 900, accor.
ding to the ratio of the apportionment Of
representation In 1S48 they had increas-
ed TO 1862, showing a gain in eight
years exceeding 81, 1000. We have no an
nual enumeration Of free persons as we
have of slaves, except Of school children
between the ages Of 3 and 10. In 1874
our free white children between these ages
numbered 160,S34. In 1S4S they reach.
ed 163, ass, showing gain Of 22,624 in
four years. These acts prove that we are
destined to follow the States of Delaware
and Maryland, where the slave population
is fast receding and giving place to freemen.
When the advocates Of slavery become dis.
satisfied with their own platform of Prin-
ciples, and when they nave destroyed the
salutery operations of the act OF 1888,
when they have commenced the work Of
agitation by their own instability and the
sudden destruction Of the law restraining
the Importation Of slaves, il is our duty 10
speak. Indeed, my friends, those who think
as do are bound to speak in SELF defence.
. y.o,,.t,,,tix raiaraNraSaular ANa
are charged with designs and opinions to
which we are totally opposed. There is, !
have no doubt, some intentional misrepre.
sentation with view to render our positions
odous with uninlormec and prejudiced per-
sons. But should our adversaries win a
triumph by such unworthy means, it would
be Of short duration. He who is deceived
by the trick, is always disguised with the
consequences, and loathes the deceiver. A
! examples Of the misrepresentation Of Our
views, need only mention the efforts which
some persons make to identity US with the
abolitionists Of the Philips and Garrison
Abby Kelly and Lucretia Mott order; anC
: the not less absurd charge that we intend L
5 deprive owners Of their slave properly with
|, out making compensation.
5 What is that northern abolition imputed
: to us! Ii is, that negro slaves should b,
i forthwith liberated; vested with equal, civil
i social, and political rights; and in all re
] spects placed upon the same level with thel
i former masters. This equality OF privileg
|, would allow intermarrisge between tn
/ blacks and the whites, and send black an
is white voters to the polls together. Now
t, | do not know citizen Of Kentucky VIII
S is willing to organize our society upon an
l. such basis. have often made speeches I
l. prove the absurdity Of attempting, and tn
/ impossibility of accomplishing any sue
o project. There are sympaIhes and antiP'
e thies in the social, Just as there are attraC
e tons and repulsions, in the natural world
e which effectually prevent the comminglt
1, ment Of two distinct races into the sam
:, social and political body. To attempt j
e is to destroy all harmony and to war again'
; nature. am therefore altogether oppose
d to emancipation, unless il be connected Wit
d colonisation.
d But we are charged with intending
re invade the sanctity OF vested rights. The
ID may be, for ausht know, persons in kel
Is lucky, as we'll as in the Northern State
U. who deny that there can be any such thin
ut as property in human being, or veste
a. right in the services Of slave. With a
such, il there be sny, widely differ
IN What is it that creates vested right?
y, answer: II is the act OF our Creator whic
Is creates and vests us with all our natur
to rights; and the act Of Government whiC
II creates and vests us with our civil and leg
- rights. But there may he vonairt b
is, tween the rights thus derived. For exar
nd pie, God gives the right TO defend ourselv
ed and 10 redress our wrongs; and ii men
Is thrown together without government, ea'
NAV exercise this natural right derived fro
nd God as his reason and Judgment shall
lily quire. But as soon as government is torl
ng ed. whether il be done by arbitrary pow
iss or by the assent Of the governed, this mai
'ur raj right of selfdefence and self-redress m
m be taken away by the act Of the govel
as ment and legal rights substituted in pie
of it. The civil codes with which
it, acquainted allow the right Of self-defence
its remain nearly as perfect as it exists by
= ture. But the natural right OF self-redr
ov- is almost invariably superseded by CT
to remedy. Thus the regulations and inst
me tons OF men may, and often do, put do
10 and suppress the rights which God HI
s ] given 10 his creatures. Indeed, it has gro
Who into maxim that when We enter the soc
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