The organizer., 1850-06-29

Slavery existed in the District 'oI
Columbia when Congress accepted the
cession Of the territory composing il
from the States of Maryland and
Virginia. No one can suppose that
Maryland aud Virginia, slaveholding
States then and slavehoIding States
now, could have designed to give
Congress any power over the insti-
} tuition of Slavery in this territory.
, Independently of the wrong TO the
people of the District to emancipate
: their slaves, it would be an inIolera-
BILE evil to have a District between
f them. where emancipation prevails
by the authority of Congress. Con-
gress. in the bill reported as part
OF the sO-called compromise, now
begins the work of emancipation by
|, declaring that if any slave is brought
ipto the District for sale, he shall be
CELEBRATED and free" IL a slave is
liberated because he is brought into the
District, the next step, to liberate
him because he is IN the District, is
not difficult. The power to emanci-
pate the slave in the District of Co.
lumhia is thus claimed and exercised
by Congress. Many of the ablest
men OF the South have denied that
Congress possess any such power,
whilst all agreed, until lately, that for
Congress to interfere with This insti.
tuition, whilst slavery existed in Mary
land and Virginia, would be gross
breach of EIiIh towards those States,
and an outrage upon the whole
South. How long will that facility
which yields to the prejudice against
the buying and selling of slaves be
able to re sist the greater prejudice |
which exists against the holding of
slaves at all in the district OF Colum-
bia.
For all these sacrifices to the inter
ests and prejudices of the people of
the North the South is rendered the
last measure of the compromise-the
fugitive slave bill as they propose to
amend it, To understand the extent
of the concession the South receives
on this point, we must look to tho
rights The constitution confers.
The farmers of the Constitution
were perfectly aware that the Gene.
raj Government could have but little
power 10 secure to them their fugitive
slaves in the non-slaveholding States.
The whole internal police of State I
must be under the control of the
State, and by this chiefly could slaves /
De recaptured. The Constitution :
therefore,, not relying on the legisla>
ion Of Congress alone, requires that /
! fugitive slave, escaping into a non. a
lavehOlding State, shall be delivered r
lpon claim of party" to whom he $
belongs. Fugitive slaves are put on
he footing of fugitive criminals. and
IRE TO he delivered up by the State k
IL these authorities do
rot enforce the requirements of the a
and aid in the recapture fl
and recovery of fugitive slaves, Y
Congress can do but little to enforce =
hem. The bill providing for the p
cooperation of the few officers of the S
United States Government in a State, ~
$ practically quite insufficient to ac O,
omplish its aim. What can they do o,
n such a State as Prnnsvlvania, TO d
ecover fugitive slavesl Yeti Con- h,
.ress does all that it can do, by legis. Ill
alton, 10 enforce the Constitution. it "a
My does its duty to the South.
here can be no concession or favor
D the South, in giving her only what u
le has a right to have under the "a
onstilution--unless, indeed, the Con. tl'
tuition for her has no existence. hy
he bill then is, in the first place aie
ute inadequate to restore to us our 20
Igitive slaves, and in the second SIS
lace, gives the South nothing but ~
hat she is entitled 10. lf this was NJ
|, there would he nothing in the bill Sc
T which we should concede anything llv
the North. But it is not ALL tie
nder the pretext Of bestowing on us 10
benefit. it perpetrates usurpalion 20
the reserved rights Of the State. VI
provides that a slave may arraign St'
; master. by the authority Of laws Sm
lde by Congress, before the courts doT
tho States and of tie United Bu
aies. to try his right 10 his freedom. DO
Congress can legiSlate At aii be- raj
een the master and slave in State, an
lere can lis power be slayedl Il IN
n abolish slavery in the States. sta
rs a power is assumed in The bill. brl
ich virtually extends the jurisdic. adJ
n Of Congress over slavery in the !