The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1836-1851, 1850-06-21

90 abroad to excite them against slavery LII tne
Southern States Organizations wereformedto
carry off slaves from the South, and to protect
item by violence from recapture. Although the
Constitution requires that fugitive slaves, Like
iugtives from justice, should be rendered up BY
the States to which they may have fled, the
legislatures. of almost every Northern State,
faithIess to this treaty stipulation between the
States, passed laws designed and calculated
entirely to defeat this provision of the Consti.
tuition, without which the Union would have
uever existed, and by these laws virtually nul;;
lifted the act of 1894, passed by Congress to
aid its enforcement Not content with the
agitation of slavery in political circles, the
Northern people forced it also into religious
associations extending over the Union, andtp pro-
duced separation of the Methodist and Bap-
fist churches. The result of all these various
methods of assaiing slavery in the Southern
States was, that it BECAME the grand topic Of
interest and discussion in Congress and out Of
Congress, and one of the most important ele-
ments of politics in the Union. Thus an inst,
tuition, belonging to the Southern States exclu;
sIvely, was wrested from their exclusive con-
troll and instead Of that protection which is the
great object OF all governments, and which
the Constitution of the United States guarantees
to all the States and their Institutions, the NORTH
ern States, and Congress under their control,
combined together to assail and destroy slavery
in the South. The SQuther States did nothing
to vindcate their rights and arrest this, course
of things. The Mexican war broke out; aud
instead of that patriotic cooperation OF all seq
tons of the Union which would have taken
place in the better days of the Republic, to
bring it to just and honorable conclusion, in
the very first appropriation bill to carry it on,
the North endeavored to thrust the subject q
slavery. Throughout the war, they kept up
the agitation thus clearly manitesting their de-
termination that the General Governmental
none of its operations, internal or external, shall
be exempted from the introduction OF this dam
gerous subject The war closed with honor;
and an immense territory was added to the
United States. Their previous threats were
realized; and the non-slaveholding States imedi.
ately claimed the right to exclude the people Of
the Southern States from all the territory ac.
quired, and to appropriate it to themselves.
II this pretension arose from a mere lust of
power, it would be hard to bear the superb
ority and mastery it implies: 1t would degrade
the Southern States from being the equals of
the Northern States, to position of colonial
illferiority. But when your exclusion is not
from mere lust o. power, but is only further
step in the progress of things aiming at the abo-
ltion of slavery in the States, by the extension
and multiplication of non-saveholding States
in the Unon the pretension is seen to be as alai:
ming as it is insulting. The Southern States,
in their Legislatures, set forth with great Yppa;
nimity the rights in our territories belonging to
them in common with the Northern States, and
declared their determination to maintain them;
and finding in the Northern States no disposi.
lion to abate their demands, the Convention in
which we are assembled has been brought to.
gether, to take counsel as to the course the
Southern States should pursue, for the main.
tenance of their rights, liberty and honor.
Such is a brief, but imperfect, statement of
past transactions and they force upon us the
question, in what condition do they place the
southern Statesl And first, what is their con-
dition in Congress! The time was when your
Representatives in Congress were neither ofet.
cd, nor would they endure, reproach in your
behalf. But for many years past they have
heard you in Congress habitually reviled by the
most opprobious epithets on account of the in,
stitutios Of slavery. If their spirits are yet uu.
broken, they must be chilled by sense of hu-
initiation arthe insults they daily receive as your
representatives. You are arraigned as criD.
nails Slavery is dragged into every debate,
and Congress has become little else thana grand
instrument in the hands of abotionists to de-
grade and ruin the South. Instead of peace
and protection, aggression and insult Oh the
South characterize its proceedings and counsels.
And wha. is your condition with respect to your
sister States! Where is that respect aud comi.
ty which (due from all nations towards each
other) is more especially due from States bound
together IN contederacy, and which was ouse
displayed in all their Intercourse! Instead Of
respect and sympathy, denunciation and hostil-
lty, on account of your institution of slavery,
have for years past characterizedthe communi-
cations audressedtoy you by the Northern States.
And what is your condition in the Unions The
non.sIaveholding States stand combined, not
only to wrest from you your common property,
but to place upon your front the brand OF inte.
riority You are not to extend, OH account of
your institutions; but they are to increase and
multiply, that the shame and sin OF slavery may,
by their philauthropic agency, be extiuguished
from amongst you. But the worst feature Of
it,nn ~. tbot is mr. Act,