Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1850-10-11
THE WILMINGTON JOURNAL.
The Impending Danger-A Practical PropO.ltIon.

The impending Danger-A Practical Proposition.
Let us call the attention of our readers for short
time to the fifth article of the present constitution OF
the United States, which runs thus
The Congress- whenever two-thrds of both Houses shall
tuition or on the application Legislatures twotds
of the several States shall call convention for proposing
amendments which, in either case shall be valid to all
tents and purposes part of this constitution when ratified
P sao ~ % tbsf tb
or mode Of MITIGATION may be proposed by the Congress
the year thousand eight hundred and eight shalt any
affect the first and fourth clauses in the ninth section
of the first article and that State without its consent
shall he deprived of its equal suffrage the Senate s.
Constitution, Art. 5.
It will be seen that this same fifth article in pre-
scribing the mode of amending the constitution in
vests twothirds of the members of both houses with
the power of proposing any and all amendments OF
changes in the constitution whatsoever, with only
the exceptions provided against in the concluding
clauses of the article, viz that the importation of
negroes shall not be prohibited before 18OS-that
direct taxes shall be laid in proportion to federal
numbers-and that no State, without its consent
shall be deprived of its equal suffrage in the Senate
With these exceptions twothirds of the members of
both houses have right to propose and threefourths
OF the States to raty, any amendments Whatsoever,
oven to the establishment of monarchy the abo-
htion of slavery The only restrictions upon this
unlimited power of amendment, are, We have al
ready observed the provisions in regard to direct
taxes and Senatorial suffrage. The limitation in re-
gard to the importation of slaves expired moro than
forty years ago
There are very few indeed, even at the North who
will dare openly to claim any right of interference
with the institution of slavery in the States The
time has not yet come for that Every man, even at
the North, who makes any pretentions to common
and does not desire to be looked upon crazy
or fanatic is willing to admit that such interfer-
ence would be manfestly unconstitutional But
what is unconstitutional to-day may be constitution
al tomorrow. The number of slave States is lessen
ing, and the number of non-slavehoding States in
creasng every session of Congress- and it would re-
qurc no great effort of prescence to oresee the time
when, as events now progress the number of men,
bers from non-slavcholding States will double that
from slaveholding States. The Northern, or nom
slavehOldng section will then have the power under
the 9Th article of the Constitutions to propose the alb
clifton of slavery amendment to the Constitu-
ton. To ratfy such amendment would require
concurrence of the Legislatures of threefourhs of
the States. That this consideration is calculated
to exert influence upon the admission of States is
too plain proposition to need illustration. The
anti-slavcry influence predominating in Congress,
would have direct interest in multiplying the num-
Der of free States admitted and at the same time
throwing obstacles in the way slave States seek
ing admission This is the most direct danger to be
apprehended from the multiplication of non-slave-
holding States. Having once obtained decided
and keeping in view an amendment
of tho Constitution, such have already alluded
to, that preponderance may be exerted so as to in
crease itself by the multiplication of free States to
such extent to give validity to any antisavery
amendment which they might choose to embody in
the Constitution for this article, have already
said, imposes sort of restriction with the excep-
ton of the cases specified
The remedy for this state of things, and the best
of guarding against its ultimate consequences
is specific amendment of the Constitution, placing
the subject of slavery and the slave trade between
the States upon the same footing with Senatorial
and providing that no law of Con-
gress nor any amendment of the Constitution shall
be made abolishing slavery. in any way interior
ing with the subject while one State chooses
to retain it. This would take away from the free
sellers the hope of ultimately obtaining control of
the subject through the Constitution: any amend
ment of it and would, in great measure deprive
them of all motive for tamperng and meddling with
it in the District of Columbia and the Territories in
so far as it is we'll known that the attempt made to
exclude slavery from the Territories are only so ma
ny blows indirectly aimed at it in the States. Be-
Sides there would be such motive for the multi
plicaton of free soil States since prcponderance
in numbers could give them control of the subject.
AS matters now stand, we feel confident that this
amendment could be carried through. 1t is plainly
reasonable, and what every northern man will at
least pretend to assent to- and it should be pressed
forward Immediately. proposition nearly to the
same effect was introduced by Mr.. VENABLE during
the late session of Congress, but in the noise anc
confusion of the struggle it passed over After
few years, it is very doubtful whether not sucf
thing could be so easily done. Strike while thu
iron is hot
In addition to the motives for immediate action al
ready presented, there is another founded upon
sidcrations of present policy. The time is rapidl
approaching when the next Presidential election vii
form the all-absorbing topic in political circles an
when the support of the South will be eagerly sough
after and bid for IT, under such circumstances, tn
South will only unite in demanding such amendmen
the price of its support it will instantly be
ded, and of the greatest dangers to countr
be thereby removed
Our Representative.
Since the publication of our last number, we hav
enjoyed the pleasure of meeting with our worth
representative from this District Mr. AsHE, who hs
returned to midst, after the very protracted
sion of Congress which has just closed. MIR. ASH