The Charlotte journal. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1835-1851, 1850-04-03

S"'u ~ Ue ooEh WUffcter th8te IS
;" loot Of land 10 be said baf k from heco,nrr
W slave territory, | nm ready to assert the psii
:. cipie OF the exclusion of slavery. am plrds
= 90 20 II from the year 1897 have bee
- pledged to il again and aeain and will ne
! FORM those pledges; but / will not do thin
= unnecessary, thai wounds the Feelings Of 9th
ers' or that does disgrace TO my own under
standing.
: Mr.. President, in the excited lime, i
which We live, there i, found to ex;.,
state OF cr'mina'ion aEd recriminafion be
= tween the North and South. There are lis,
OF g'ievances produced by each +; aud ,hos
; grievances, real or supposed, aieuse th,
MUD of one portion OF The couuiry from Ii,
otasr, exasPeraIe the feelings, suLdue Ii,
sense OF tra,efnai connexion aud patriotic love
and mutual regard. | shall bes,ow . GttI,
aitentInn, sir. upon these various grievances
prnduced on the one side and un the other
b"gn with The complaints Of the Suutb.
VII not answer, further than | have, the
general statements Of the honorable Senator
from South Carolina, that the North has
grown upon the South In consequence Of the
manner oi administering this Government, in
the collecting Of it's revenues and 80 forth -
They are disputed topics, and | have no in.
clinstton 10 enter INTO them But will state
these complsin's especially one complaint
OF ihe South, which has in my opinion ius,
ioueeniion; and that is, tkat ere has been
f"1nd at The North, among individuals aad a.
m"ns tho legislators Of the North, disncli
nation to perform folly their constitutional
duties IN regard TO the return OF persons
bound 10 service who have escaped into The
free States.
ln that respect, il is my judamen, that the
South IsrIgbt and the North is wrong. Eve.
'y member Of every Northern Legislature is
bound by oath 10 support the Constitution of
the United States and ,ifis article Of the con-
slituton, which says 10 ,hese S,uirs ,hrv
snail dehvee up fugi,ives from service, is a.
binding IN honor and conscience as sny other
article. No man fulfIs his duty in any Leg
stature who SETS himself TO find excuses. eva.
SONS, escapes from this constitutional duty.
have always thoughl that the constitution
addressed Itself to The Legislatures of the
States ths mselves. |, is SAID thatsthoee nor.
sons esctpng into other States shall be do.
ivered up, aud confess have aiways boon
OF The opinion that it was an ifiunetion upen
iae States themselves. When ii 10 said. tina,
Pefsos escaping into another S ate, shall be
delivered up, 1t seem. TO me that the import
ot the passage Is. that The State itself, in obe.
dence 10 the constitution, shall cause him Ia
be Delivered up. That is my Judgment.
have always entertained il, and entertain it
now. bat when the subject, some wears ago,
was before the Supreme Cour, Of the United
States, the msJaFlty of the judges held ,ha,
power 10 cause tugi'iyes from service 10 be
delivered up VAS power TO be exercised uo.
der the authority Of this Governmc
do not know, on the whole, tha, 1t NAV
no. have been fortunate decision. Nv bsb
II IS TO respect the result Of judicial deIibsra
tons aud the oleMni.y Of judicial decisions.
But, as Il now stands, the business of seeing
that these iagl'lses are delivered up resides
IN the power of Congress and the ns,ional
lndlcs,ure. and my friend al the head of the
judiciary Committee has bill on the subj. c,
now before The Senate, with some amend. +
mehts TO I, which propose to support, with /
all lis provisions, To the fullest extent. And 7
desire to call the attention of ell sober.
minded ren, of all conscientious men in the I
North, ot all men who are not carried awsv
by any t.nalical idea or bv any false idea
Whatever. TO then constitutional obligations
put Il 10 all the sober aud sound minds at
the Moth as Question of conscience. What
right have they, IN their legislative capacity,
or ans other, TO endea,or to get round this
constitution, 10 embarrass the free exercise
OF The rights secured by the constitution TO
the persons whose slaves escape from them
None at all; none at all. Neither in the TO-
rum OF eonscie9ce nor before The face of the
constitution are they justified, in my opin.
ION. VI course II Is a matter for their con.
sldetaiion They probably, in The turmoil
OF the times, nave not stopped to consider of
this; they have followed what seems to be
the current OF though, and of motive. for the
occasion, and the neglect 10 investigate fully
the ronl question, and 10 consider their con
slituional obligation; as am sure, if they
did consider, they would fulfil them with a.
iactIty. Therefore, repeat, sir, that here
is ground OF complaint agalns, the North
vel founded, which ought 10 be removed,
which II is nov in the power Of the different
departments of this Government TO remove;
which calls for the enactment of proper laws
authorizing the judcaure of this Govern. +
ment, in the several States, to do all that is /
necessary for the recaplure Of fugitive slaves,
and for the restoration Of them to those who |
claim them. Wherever | go. and whenever
speak on the subject when speak
here | desire to speak to the whole Morrill, /
say that the South has been Injured in this
respect, and has rlgh, to complain; and the
North has been too careless Of what think |
the constitution percmptorily and emphalical.
ly enjoins upon it as duty.