The Charlotte journal. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1835-1851, 1850-12-11
The Union 1T must be Preserved.


gres, Union Meeting was held in Ph,Ia
delphia on the 2la ul,. The papers stat,
that i, was q /" demonstration IN every va,
credi,able to the city," The lion. John Ser
resnt was called upon 10 preside. IS Vics
Presidents and 10 Secretaries were sppulntcd
Oa taking the Chair. Mr. Sergeant, return
ed his thanks in very sppfcpria:e manner
The Hon. Geo. NJ. Dallas also addressed ihs
meeting. lie then offered a series Of ieso
Iu,ions reported by committee.
The Hon. josiah Randall said, in second
ing the resolutions offered BY my lriond, Mr.
.Dsilas,) | wish to ufer few remark:
The question Of slavery in the Uo,ed
States has at all times created a cnrf,c, Of
feeling. So iar ., il depends upon the action
Of the legislatures of the different States, II ia
now settled upon q basis which cannot be
shaken. The constitutional provision may
bs stated IN a singIe woid-non. inter jertnce,
or, ssit Is sometimes called, roa int rrenfion.
6sveRy is The subject OF domestic p"i,cy.-
Each Stale. old or new, has the tight to sd.
nn OF exclude slavery, as the people may de-.
iermine, and there - no power TO prevent a..
Penos, s,lvarIa o. any Other fee State may re-.
introduce slavery within ITS limits whenever
It's legislature may elect so to do. II he
thirteen old States POSSESSES the power. the
new States must also possess it, Lecausc IN.
der The federal compact The States have equal
ugld. Tie admission or exclusion of slave.
~ rests with the people. and ntilh~r the or.
6lnance of 1857. nor the declaration of Con.
gfess IN ihe admission Of Missouri has any
valid authority; and Territories included
within the in,erdie,lon, when admitted as
States, have full right TO establish slavery
within their iimiis. Ooe tbmg is certain,
that if they should exercise ibi, power. there
is no authority vested IN Congress. or aay
other b"dy, 10 dispute or Sc, /, aside.
The impnrlan, subject which nov ngi,a,es
the people Of this couniry is tina, of iug,i,e
slaves, aud the &C, passed by Congress, a.
their last scssiun, gi,in, the owner facilities
to claim bis fugitive slaves. This act is. n
t,s spirit and principles. constitutional. Jadi
einu., aud salu,ary. u bears upon tho fuce
Of the impress Of haste in legislation. II is
smbiguous in seine parts, and somc minor
provisions may be exceplionsbe, but IFS COT.
diual features are just and right. IL csnno,
he expected that q whole system can be
struck out al q single heat. Amendments,
developed by rrac'icsi operation, ~iil aug.
gesi themselves, and viii OF course be adopted.
The thud paragraph Of the ID section Of
the 4'h stticle of the constitution Of the un
ted States provides that M person held To
service of labor in ono State, under the laws
thereof, escaping into another, shsli, IN con
sequence of any law or regulation therein, bc
discharged from such seTvic. or labor, but
shall be deilycied up on claim OF the parry TO
whpm such service or labor may be due"
II has been generally supposed that The
introduction of This clause iuto the coastiu.
ton was a matter uf compromise. Ii the
term compromise should imply any tquiya.
lent OF reluctance in lis adoption, II is incor.
fecly used. A reference to the minutes ol
the convention, (psge 3o6,l sll show that
on the 29ih Of August, 1851. this provision
vas moved and seconded, and passed nnoni
m'u,iy in the nGrmaf:re, without amendment
The wi.esi aud best os men that this coun
Try ever produced IN iis primitive purify
gave il their sanction. II is the product o!
the in,-ileci aud patriotism of Madison, Ham,
HbVv Jay, uVu tHtF
and I'll sanctioned by The authority Of Ffank
l,n and Washington.
Colempotsneuu.ly with the adoption oI
the constitution, the dilr'ren, legislatures pro
po.ed a f,od Of amendments. The free
snes were amoog The fmemosi IN the vatie
y aud m,nu,epcss of their suggestions, bu
not a single mutmur Nas uttered by any STATE
sga'nst this provision.
Tho provision may be defended wiihou, {
recurrence 10 the authority of these iIlos,ri
Gus nsmss. II cxscts 30 more from the Il e'
oiaies than one independent nation is bount
10 render 10 another. II a slave ices from
one country and finds refuge IN another, ,h'
State from which The slave has runaway ha
afight to demand the delivery up of the fu
gi''se, and, If refused, has the fieh, 10 us'
iofce 10 arrest il. This doctrine is recog
nsed by Vsttel in his treaiises on ,hr Law
Nations, b. H., chap. ", page l60, AM
oy Mr. Wheslon ia the trcatises on the Ele
mcnts of international Law, (part iv.. chap
L., page 33S-'l0) But the principle doe
no depend a;one upon elementary writers
!. has tho sanction Of the highest authority
ne treaty of Ghenl--sigoed the Gath o
December, lsl4-provlded that all terrific
~ places. and possessions should be res'ore
without delay. |, became a matter Of dis
pure whether these ierms included a clar
upon Great Britain to deliver up America
saves carried away by the British force
from tho United States during tho war.
was subsequently, left to the srbitrament {
'he Emperor Of Russia and on the 22d :
April. 1879 the E,noeror decided that IN
onised Sta'es were co,lled TO a jus, indemn
nca''on for all slaves carried sway by III
British during the war. Tho eovernmer
o' Gfeat Britaia ratified this decision, an
PAID tho money 10 the American government