Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1850-03-30

and entirely willing place yos ON equality with us in
his respect Our position tina. neither the North nor the
South, as such, have any rights there at,aII.
But you that propose to prohibit by law your emf
grating to the Territories with yoar property We propose
no such thing We recognise your right in common with
our own 10 emgate TO the Territories with your property
ana there hold and enjoy in subordnaon to the laws you
may hnd in force in the county. Those laws in some re-
sPecis differ from laws Of the various States
'hs Union vay on some points, from the laws of each
other Some species Of property are excluded by law in most
of the States well asTerrories asbeing unwise
contrary TO the principles of sound public policy Por in
stance The banker prohibited om emgrang to Minnesota
oregon or California with his bank. The bank may be
property by the laws of New York but TO be so when
taken into State Territory where banking is prohibited
by the local law So ardent Spirits whskey brandy all the
intoxicating drinks recognised and protected as property
IN most Of the States not all of them but Citizen whe-
ther from the North South take this species of pro-
perty with him and hold, SELL or use il at his plea
sure, in oil the Territories, because it prohibited BY the
local lawn Oregon by the statutes Of the Territory and
the Indian country BY the sets Of Congress- Nor
go there and take and hold his slave for the same reason
These laws and many others involving similar principles are
directed against secon and impair the rights of no State
OF the Union They laws against the introduction SALE
and use OF specific kinds OF property whether brought
the North or the South or from foreign countries.
The next condition prescribed by the Senator from South
carolina as one OF the terms upon which the Union be
preserved and the South continue to remain within it, is
the North will "do her duty by causing the spulaons
atve to fugitive slaves be faithfully fulfilled" Here the
proposition asserte iha is the duty Northern STATES
under the constitution the stipulation relative to
fugitive slaves TO be fulfilled In the early history of the
Government such the opinion and practice of the North
States They enacted laws for this purpose and made il
the duty Of their officers to them But soon
Congress ntered and claimed for itself the power carry
that provision Of the constitution into effect by its own egs-
aion The power thus from the hands of the
State authorities and swallowed up by Congress. con-
necessarily between the laws Of Congress and those
Of the States upon this subject when the Supreme Court
the United States put end the controversy by deciding
that the right and duty of providing for the execution of that
clause Of the constitution in Congress and in the
STATES. The North, in duty bound acquiesced in the de-
cson which stripped them OF the authority and Of course alb
solved them from the responsibility of doing that which the
Senator from South Carolina claims their hands
of the conditions for the preservation of the Union
There sy be defects and doubtless are in existing acts of
Congress upon this subject They should Of course be
died, and must remind the Senator that il much his
duty mine to devise the remedy and of the South well
Of the North to appyt Upon this subject ofthe
der OF ugves from service there be ground for
complaint and undoubtedly u.s. but in my opinion has been
greatly exaggerated We in Illinois find no difficulty in pre-
serving friendly relations with neighbors in Missouri and
Kentucky. We live enough to each other under
stand and appreciate the characters conduct and motives Of
each. Hence comparatively speaking, have difficult
ties. So Of the people Of western Virginia. Maryland, and
Delaware with their neighbors the line One would
naturally suppose that here, all along the line bordering
the free and slave States would be the Of all the excite
ment, vrulence and outrage Of which hear much.
But We hear not word about disunion and Southern
conventions from these people, They and understand
the and extent Of the evil and know how much reality
there is in it, But when we behold Vermont and South
Carolina, New Hampshire and Alabama Connecticut and
Louisiana their suerings utterly ntoerabe And this
for the very best Of They have very little per
sona KNOWLEDGE of each other their habits condition. and
institutions. They liable be imposed upon by any
who is mischievous unpncped enough practice
the imposition, and the pudces of EACH the result OF gno
rance prepare their minds the grossest
der against the oher Hence find that the RACES fu
riously between these extremes whose positions preclude
struggle, or being able to comprehend the merits of the
controversy Il is impossible to get Carolnan
Peend and appreciate the character of the people and ns
tuons of the North, is for aboionist understand
! the true condition of things in the South.
now pass to the consideration of the remaining condition
insisted by the Senator from South Carolina essential
| to the preservation Of the Union:
provide for the insertion Of provision in the consti
tuton by amendment which will restore the South in
substance the she of protecting be-
fore the equilibrium between the sections DESTROYED
the action Of this Government"
And therefore, without reference the merits of the pro-
posed amendments, willing hazard the prediction that
the Northern States will to amendment of the
constitution which shall be presented under threat dissolve
the Union. We not in the habit of making and chang
ing constitutions in that way. Whenever you have any
amendment to propose, will examine carefully and dis
Passionaely, and we approve we vii adopt it. and not
we will reject it. We willing abide by the constitution
as is and perform with fidelity every duty and obligation it
devoves upon We will protect all your rights under the
constitution made by fathers; but when you 60
beyond that and demand your rights under the constitution
as 1t is to be, we know not what you mean.
When the amendment to the constitution alluded to by the
Senator from South Carolina shall be presented in due
form, will be better able judge ots merits Think the
Senator has enough however indicate pretty clearly
the idea be intended to convey As understand him. he
desires such amendment shall spuae that in all time
come there shall be equilibrium between the free and
holding States in other words there shall always be many
slaveho'ding free States in this Union. In my opinion
the adoption and execution of such constitutional provision
would be moral and physical impossblity. In the first
place, is not to be presumed that the people of the free
States would agree such amendment the cons
ution and secondly, they should it would be impossible
that at the time Of the adoption of the constitution there
those twelve six Of them have since abolished slavery This
fact shows that the of freedom has steadily and firmly
advanced, while slavery has receded in the ratio We
all look forward with confidence the when Delaware
Maryland, Virginia Kentucky, and Missouri, and probably
North Carolina and Tenpessee, will adopt gradual system
OF emancipation, under the operation of which those States
must in the process of tpe become Free In the
we have vast territory stretching from the Mississippi to the
Pacific, which rapidly filling up with hardy eneprising,
and industrious population, large enough to form at least
seventeen free States one-ha of which may expect
to see represented in this body during day. Oft ese
calculate that four will be formed of Oregon five out of
late acquisition from Mexico including the present State
Of California two out Of the Territory Of Minnesota and the
residue out Of the country upon the Missouri river including
Nebraska. think am safe n assuming that each of these
will be free Territories and free States, whether Congress
shall prohibit slavery not Now let inquire where are
you to find tue slave territory with which balance these
seventeen free Territories, or any of them Will