Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1850-06-04
THE ~PoSIrIosg OF THE sOUTEI AND
CFTRSELYE s

4 bO 'iNCSItOA HgSAetN 80 49,
tended right, in tho: Federai Government TO cpr-
tail or abridge the Fights Ct sovereign States !n-
dividnally or collectively sT legtsatIng upon me
subject Of slavery. If itscan be done through
this means, may st :Dot be; done tilrough a theu-
sand others, and tlEs place what were ~lnteHced
to be sovereign States, completely at the mercy
of the General GOvernmEnt? This isEthe view
of the controversy Shat we have. IaboFed.io PC
sent TO our readers; and whether we have done
so successfully or cot it is for them 10 determine.
1t is well known. 10 eVeryiman who has. read the
Constitution of The United States that this con-
federation of Ours is a government OF delegated,
Cnot Iimited,) p9rars an:lthe powers not dele
gated to the Fcdntal Government are expressly
reserved to the States or TO the people thereof
respectively. 1t ifollows i~herefofe that for Con-
gress to exercise powers not delegated, or which
are not necessary and proper to carry into effect
the delegated powers, must invade the sovereign
ty Of the States And Triangle up2n the rights oil
tie people thereof. The power i no where given
TO Congress to Interfere with the rights of pro-
perty, as between man and man nor is the ex-
ercise OF such aTtower necessary and proper to
carry out any delegated power.f There is ano-
Their proposition equally clear, which is, that the
territory and other property of the United States
belong to all the States as joint proPrietors, and
the people thereof espectiycly. It follows then
that each proprietor has an equal right TO PartI-
cipate in the enjoyment Of that property in what-
ever manuer he elRy sec proper, SUBJECT TO such
restrictions only ms all have the rIght'o impose
One of such restrictions may be that each person
must pay one dotiNr and a quarter reF acre for
the quantity Of !uad he may wiSh 10 appropriate
to his own use. Suppose that this person m light
desire to cultivate his quantity Of land with slaves
Of the African race would it Eo competent for
Congress to prevent his doing so? We lave
seen that there is 10 power in Ihc General Gov
eminent 10 interfere with the RICH property /;
for Congress TO St so, thca, woaldo direct IN
reference with tae rights of property. in tl:is in
dividuaI, as they are plainly recognised in the
Constitution ofLlIi- United States. The evil low
ever would not be confined 10 tie individual. 1t
would be a dir Gt:atlack. upon the rights of eYery
Shareholder in tie Union. Nay-we go farther.
1t would be an attack upon the rights of every
property holder .in the Onion for if a man be
| prevented from g1cing to a territory with his slave
property, he can he restrained from taking any
other species a ~lpFopertJ there awe affecting
the rights 10 s!ay> property can only opcrata up
on the slavelold;Eg States or the people thereof.
Such laws them would be not only ar infringe
ment of the rights of the States, but would at
once destroy their equality by subjccting the
sIaveholding St5ins to u dcprigation OF the right
to the enjoyment Of a kind Of property peculiar to
them, which VIC have shown is unequiv0cally
guaranteed by Ike Federal Constitution, but by
which the non: siavcholiing States would not be
affected. Every e~xertion WHICH we have made
has been with a view to arrest, so far as our fee
BILE voice might. BE needed, the passing OF such
laws and we reiigiously believe that this should
be the course of5every man in the Union. We
feel certain That no man in he South. at least,
disscnts from the. positions whish we have here
laid down. Many we know ha vc been too timid,
or too time serving in their policy TO take openly
the proper stcps-to defend our rights from the ac-
tual assaults made upon the'"' and assaults bold
ly threatened. Il has been mainly through the
influence of the latter class referred 10, that the
project OF a Southern Convention has been vir-
tually defeated. The originating Of the Nash.
vile Convention, we must say, however, never
had our entire appreciation. But the object Of it,
we have no hesitation IN saying, was patriotic
because, if for na other reason, the proposition TO
hold it came (ren the minds q patriots. Those,
therefore, who have ascTibcd to the projectors and
advocates of that Convention purposes Of dis
union, have uttered as base a caIumlAy as could
we'll be conceived and thcy deserved TO be rank
ed amongst abn'itionists and other political de.
mons by which eur body polite is so much in.
tested. The reason Why we did moi approve the
originating Of litc Nashville Convention, is, that
it was a step, about the policy of which, men
amopg whom-t!,erc was no difference of senti.
ment as to what our rights Mere, might well diff
fer and time has proved that our fears were Blu,
too well fGunSed. il conta st has grown NJ
amongst ourselves as. to the means, and in The
heat of it we have lost sight OF the object to be
effected. But after the proposition TO hold a
Southern Convention had been formally made by
a sister State and sanctioned by other States, we
went for carrying it Oil; in as imposing a manner
as Notwithstanding, as We did, that lis object
was to unite tao South more closely in favor Of
the rights OF the States, in defence Of Southern
rights and tie equality Of the States. If we could
have been thas. unitee, and presented an unbro.
ken front in. demand o; o%ur3just rights there is
not a man north OF Mason and Dixon's line that
would have Ebeen willing to assume the response.
bility Of denying TO us complete and uncondition.
al: protectio8 oEthem. ThiSis all we ever claim.
ed-this is fH we want. Bit we look now upon
the Nashville gonveGtion,as3a virtual failure, and
it: has beenI owing ID our own divisions. The
North view il in the same light. add nos stand
ready to eItoTt from our divisions what thew
would hardly have had the emerity even: to pro-
pose to US tsppited. Had a Southern Convention
never been proposed or had it, after beiag pro.
posed, beens carried through without dissasnsions,
and had we remained p~erfesstly united, We verify
believe that every Objectionable feature in the
compromise measures, now before the Senate,