The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-11-23
The Union Meeting In Philadelphi..

The Union Meeting I'm Philadelphia.
The Philadelphia papers came to us last
evening with full account of the great Union
meeting, held at the hall Of the Chinese Mu-
scum on Thursday evening. We regret that it
Is not in our power to publish the entire pro-
ceedings this morning; but we present sketch
of the organization and the earlier speeches of
the evening, with the letters of Mr.. Clay and
MIR. WEBSTER, In reply to the invitations adj
dressed to them respectively by the Committee
of Arrangements. We hope that similar meet
ings will be held every where in the Northern
States They tend tore animate national and pa
triotic spirit. They revive and strengthen re-
gard for Constitutional obligations They tes-
tity to the South that fanaticism is not in the
ascendant every where to the North of Mason
and Dixon's line; but that the power exists
and the disposition to enforce all the right.
uphold all the Institutions, and maintain all the
guarantees contemplated by the trainers of the
Constitution The time is at hand when the
Northern people will be called upon to decide
whether they will adhere to that Constitution,
and abide in good faith by all its provisions;
or, by an effort to preserve SO much of it as
suits them, and to nullify OF evade such parts
as are not to their liking, they will dishonor
themselves, give cause of just offence to the
Southern States, and exasperate existing diff
culties and dissensions into civil war
We may as well look at things as they are,
and reason upon them, not from our hopes. or
wishes, or prejudices, but in the lights of his
tory and experience. The Constitution pro-
vides for the surrender of fugitives from labor;
and law has bsen passed to give effect to
that provision. In this regard the Constitution
is supposed to be unpopular in the non slave
holding States. 1t is, perhaps, not strange
that concession which has been made to Sc
cure advantages supposed to be equivalent
should become matter of complaint and irri-
tation when the advantages are obtained and
the consideration of the concession is lost sight
of in the lapse Of time. The non-slaveholdinp
States agreed, for the sake of the benefits which
they expected to derive from the Union. that
fugitives from labor should be surrendered ON
the claim of their masters. This was the bar
a
that is not the question. Itmay be that the
men Of the present generation would not agree
to 1t if the bargain were to be made over
again-but that is not the question The point,
and the only point is this--shal we nullfy the
Constitution, or abide by it2 There is no mid
die ground. Or, as it is stated by Mr.. CLAY,
in his letter to the Philadelphia Committee
'The question before the nation is Git would be
folly TO blind or disguise it) whether agita-
9 ton against slavery shall put down the Union.
or the Union shall be preserved, and tina, apita-
ton be put down. There is no other alterna-
tive" Men will be compelled to take sides with
the Abolitionists and Nullifers, who would over
throw the Constitution on account Of what thew
deem an Objectionable provision; or with the
friends of the Constitution, who are willing 10
stand by their compact, fulfil their obligations.
and work out the great problem of Republican
Government on its original elements and condi-
tions. Turn and twist this matter as we
may-embarrass it with conscientious scruples
and Free-soil dogmas to any extent-and at
last it is resolved into the simple question of
the notification or the support of the Constitu-
ton,
We have carefully examined all the objec-
tons that have been made to the Fugitive
Slave law by clerical agitators and by politi-
cal agitators, of all parties and denominations,
and the burthen of them all is, simply, that
the slave must be surrendered. The objec-
tons, therefore, are objections to the original
compact--to the Constitution itself, The Abo-
lltionsts alone, then, are consistent, for they
take the ground boldly that the evil which
they seek to remedy is inherent in the Const-
tuition, and that they, therefore, must accom-
plish the object, in the words of the Massa
chusetts Anti-Slayery Society, Cover the ruins
of the American Church and the AMERICAN
STATE" They openly avow this doctrine. be-
cause they know that it is only by a subversion
of the Constitution and the Union that their end
can be attained. We believe that the men
who are agtating the repeal Of the Fugitive
Slave Law are playing directly into their
hands; stimulating, aiding, and abetting trea-
sonable designs against the Republic There
fore we believe that good men and patriotic
men of all parties should draw the line distinct
ly between themselves and these mischievous
agitators. We believe that public sentiment
calls for this separation, and that it is in rapid
progress. The Aboitionists have played out
their game, and it has proved losing one.
The national and conservative spirit of the
American People has been reused, and is strong
enough and resolute enough to preserve the
Constitution, by compelling those who ENJOY its
advantages to discharge the duties and live up