The Madisonian. (Canton, Miss.) 1850-1855, 1850-06-27
ADDRESS.

Georgia Florida, Alabama, Ie@aes-
see, Kentucky, louisiana Texas, Ms
sOuri Mississippi and arkansas.
Fellow CITizENs.-Th obedience to
the commands of those we represent,
we have assembled together to confer
with each etherscencerning your rela-a
tion with the general government and
the non-slaveholding States Of the Un>
ion, on the subject Of the institution Of
slavery. We deem it proper to lay
before you as briefly as the subject
permits, tile result of our deiberation
and counsel.
In order that your condition may be
understood, and the conclusions at
which we have arrived be justly appre-
ciated, it is necessary briefly to refer
to few past transactions.
1t is now sixteen years since the inN
stitution Of slavery in the south began
to be agitated in Congress and assailed
by our sister States. Up to that time
the people of the Northern States seem
to have respected the right reserved TO
the Southern States by the constitution
and to have acted under the CONVICTION
that the subject Of slavery being be-
yond the legislation Of Congress, all
agitation with respect to II on the
part ofCongress was equally forbid
den by the constitution. But at this
time a portion of the people of the
North began to aSsail in Congress, the
institution of slavery, to accom-
plish their object ofdraggiug it into the
vortex Of Congressional agitation, they
claimed the right ofpetitloning Con
gress upon all subjects whatsoever
AS a petition is only the first step
in legislation, it wasaclear that right
to petition Legislative body, must be
limited by its powers of legislation
No one can have right to ask of an
other to do that which he has no NOR
al or legal right to do. Nor can any
tribunal have the power to receive and
consider any matter 5eyonls itsi
jurisdiction. The claim therefore to
present petitions to Congress on the
subject of slavery, was considered by
he southern Representatives gener ally
as an attempt indirectly, to assume
Jurisdiction over the subject itself, in
all parts Of the Uuion. The object,
without disguise, was tbe overthrow
Of slavery in the States; but our assail-
ants framed the petitions presented,
chiefly against slavery in the District of
Columbia and our territories, and "a
gaiust what they call the internal slave
trade-that is, the tral smission of
slaves from one southern State to an
other. Conscious Of the fatal tendency
of the agitation of slavery in Congress
to destroy the peace and stability of the
Union, an effort was made, supported
by large portion of the northern rep
nesentatives, to suppress it by rule IN
the house of Representatives, which
provided that all petitions on the sub
ject of slavery. should be neither CON
sdered printed or referred. This rule
was assaied by the people Of the
northern States as violating That clause
of the constitution which prohibits Con-
gress from passing laws 10 prevent the
people from peaceably assembling and
and petitioning for redress of grew
ances. In December, 1914, this rule
fell before the almost unanimous voice
oflhe North; and thus the unlimited
power of introducing and considering
The subject of slavery in Congress, was
asserted, In the mean time the course
of the northern people showed clearly
that the agitation Of slavery in Com
gress was only one Of the means they
relied on TO overthrow this institution
throughout the Union. Newspapers
were set up amongst them, and lee
turers were hired to go abroad to ex>
cite them against slavery in the south
erl States Organizations were form
ed to carry off slaves from the South,
anh to protect them by violence from
recapture. Although the constitution
tequiers that fugitive slaves like flu
gitives from justice, should be render
ed up BY the States to which they may
have fed, the legislatures Of almost
every northern State, faithless to this
treaty stipulation between the States
passed laws designed and calculated
entirely to defeat this provision Of the
constitution, without which the Union
would have never existed, and by these
laws virtually nulifed the act Of l794
passed by Congress to aid its enforce>
ment. Not coAent with the agitation
Of slavery in political circles, the north
ern people forced il also into the re-
ligious associations extending over the
Union, and produced a separation Of
the Methodist and Baptist churches.
The result Of these various methods OF
EF FREN