The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1850-04-27
For the Free Trader
Slavery III the District of Coiumhin.


After what has been said, on this subject, il, would
seem that no person could contention moment
that slavery had nry sort OF legal support
IN the United States; and certainly in the District
ofCoIumbia There Is rot constitution IN any q
the states that makes provision for slavery. or Al
least a.efa was not, I'll after the adoption Of the
United state Constitution, and then it was iur-
ever too late for III. trtesrodo anyihina lcugay on
the subject, They had no power 10 do auyd..ns,
not allowed by the constitution o. ;he land Thsis
declared TO Be the supreme law of .Ae land, anything
in the constitutions or laws Of the states 10 the con
tray Notwithstanding. But, Us some persons uuy
believe nitc, all, th1i The constitution docs in some
way courtenaacr slavery and should hc so under
stood, let this point be now considered, and the
rules laid down by the supreme court 10 he observed
ncoustrueing this and al. other lea gal instruments
ore the following
/ ! when woulsare susceptible oftwo meanings
one consistent, The other inconsistent with natural
right, that meaning shall be taken which Is consist
ent with natural rgSt; unless other parts of the IN.
s.Gument oyerrue that Interpretation.
=. Ihatno language, except that which is per-
emptory and no implication except one ihnt is IN
ewta5,e, shall be- held 10 aulhoIizc, or sanction any
thing contrary 10 natural right
That no cNtlaleous or historical evidence
shn. be admitted TO fix on as'Uutr an unlus, or M
moral meaning, when the words themselves are
I susc p,ab,e OF an innocent meaning; aud IN con-
strung the constitution, the intention Of the msu-
mrnt must prevail and this intention must he col
ccicd from ITS words that there must be understood
IN that sense in which they are generally used by
those rwhom the instrument was intended"
I Wish these rules before US let US attend to the
language Of the constitution; and here we find
three articles which Shareholders claim rs supporting
their system ot slavery and neither Of them haye
The word d",,aye" or slavery" in them and why not
ii.hcy were intended TO sustain the system! There
lsmnui'rs,lya design in leaving these words on, Of
the instrument. and tina, d.1lmu.t operate against
slavery and show Tint tie instrument was not in.
tended 10 support the system. Now. Jet US exam
N.c the articles and see l hry may naturally imply
something else, Art " sec >. " "Nopcrson held TO
service or labor in one state by the laws thereof es
Gaping into another, shall, IN consequence Of any
law or regulation therein be- discharged from such
service OF labor, but sha. Je delivered up, on
on claim Of the party TO whom such service
or labor may BE- due" Are slaves persons ;
Notify their laws These make them the property
of another to NIL in'"nts and purposes whatsoever
The slave can be noihin, havn nothing, and hold
nothing, but what belongs to his master. Aie such
counaturcs held to service by law Do they owc
service to their masters Never They are not capa-
bIe Of getting in debt to thcr masters so as legally
to owe them service. Does your cattle owe you
service by law Certainly not! There can be no
law on the subject either to make your cattle under
legal obligation TO labor for YOU, or to make human
cattle under legal obligations to labor tor their mas
crs. To whom then can this article consistently
refer | answer, then, to those persons who are a
bic to become legally indebted to others, or consu
tonally bound to service for term Of years
Another article which the slave holder claims, is
the following; Art sec. >. Representatives and
dlycctt0Xes, sha be apportioncd among the several
states, which may be included within this Union ac.
cording to their respective numbers, which shall be
determined by adding to the whole number of free
persons, including those bound to service for term
OF years, three iths Of all olh'rpersonS" Now the
argument for slavery from this article restson the
word "lrCe, IN connection with the phrase, "a o.
her persons Free here, they say, is correla.
tive Of slave But ,hit is not always true Ii may
be, and sometimes is, corrclatve Of alicn and ac
cordlng to the rules Of Interpretation laid down,
which oi,hcsc presents tire true meaning oflhis ar.
tao, ...
Certainly the la,ter--ifby adopting the former /,
would, npar,, give any support to slavery, for this
would suppose that j, sustained injustice; hut the
later would not. Nothing can be made out then
from the word free, in support Of slavery. And to
wha, does the phrase, all other persons, amour, in
the nrgtmcntl No, much certainly. Though /,
would include slaves IL there wer any, 50 also it
would include paufers, vogabonds, anl conyicts III
prison, and all other worthless characters, wi,hou,
encouraging their continuance rs such This arii.
Gle then gives no suppor, to slavery The third arti
clcis this The migration or importation Of such
persons a. any OF the Staics, ncw existing, shah