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

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Nor is this ALL The non.slaveholdiug States
will be brought to the western boundary of
Missouri and Arkansas, along their whole extent
and will bound Texas on her whole northern
and western frontier. Thus the Southern
States will be hemmed in by the non.slave.
holding States on their whole western border
policy which they have declared essential
to the end of abolishing slavery in the Soutaern
States. What can compensate the South for
such enormous wrong and spolation.
But this is not the end of your concessions by
this report. We must not yield to the interests,
but to the prejudices OF the Northern people,
Slavery existed in the District of Columbia when
Congress accepted the cesson of the territory COM
posing it from the States of Maryland and Vir-
ginia. No one can suppose that Maryland and
Virginia, slavehoding States then and savehold-
ing States now, could have designed to giSe Con-
gress any power over the institution of slavery in
this territory. independently of the wrong to the
people Of the District to emancipate their slaves,
it would be an intolerable evil to have district
between them, where emancipation prevails by
reported as part of the. so-caled compromise,
now begins the work of emancipation by declar-
ing that if any slave is brought into the District
for sale,- he shall be "lberated and Free" If a
slave is libera because he is brought into dis
trict, the next step, to berate him because he IS
in the district, is not difficult The power to eman-
cpate the slaves in the Distric. of Columbia is
thus claimed aud exercised by Congress. Many
of the ablest men of the South have denied that
Congress possesses any such power, whilst all
agreed, until lately that for Congress to interfere
with this institution, whilst slavery existed in Ma
ryland and Virginia, would be a gross breach of
faith towards those States, and an outrage upon
the whole South. How long will that facility
which yields to the prejudice against the buying
and selling Of slaves be able to resist the greater
prejudice which exists against the holding Of
slaves at all in the District of Columbia!
For all these sacrifices to the interests and pre-
judices of the people of the North, the South is
rendered the last measure ofthe compromiSe-the
fugitive slave bill as they propose to amend it,
10 understand the extent OF the concession the
South receives on this point, we must look TO the
rights the constitution confers.
The trainers of the constitution were perfectly
aware that the General Government could have
but little power to secure to them their fugitive
slaves in the non-slaveholding States. The whole
internal police of State must be under the con-
troll Of the State, and by this chiefly could slaves
be re.captured, The constitution therefore, not
relying on the legislation of Congress alone, re-
qures that fugitive slave, escaping into non
slaveholding State, shall be delivered upon claim
of the party" to whom he belongs. Fugitive
slaves are put on the footing OF fugitive criminals,
and are to be delivered up by the State authori-
ties. If these authorities do not enforce the re-
qurements Of the constitution, and aid In the re-
capture and recovery of fugitive slaves, Congress
can do but little to enforce them The bill proyi
ding for the cooperation OF the few officers of the
United States Government in State, is practi-
cally quite insufficient to accomplish its aim
What can they do in such State as Pennsylva-
mia to recover fugitive slaves? Yet if Congress
does all that it can do by Legislation to enforce the
constitution, it only does its duty to the South.
There can be no concession or favor to the South,
in giving her only what she has a right to have
under the constitution-un:ess, indeed, the consli-
tuition for her has no existence. The bill then, s,
in the first place. quite inadequate to restore to us
our fugitive slaves, and in the second place, gives
the South nothing but what she is entitled TO-. II
this was oil, there would be nothing in the bill for
which we should concede anything to the North.
But It Is not ALL Under the preteXt of b"stowing
on us benefit, 1t perpetrates usurpation on the
reserved rights of the States. 1t provides that
slave may arraign his master, by the authority Of
laws made by Congress, before the courts of the
States and the United States, to try his right o
his freedom. If Congress can legislate at all be-
tween the master and slave in State, where can
its power be stayed? 1t can abolish slavery in the
States. Thus power is assumed in the bill
which virtually extends the jurisdiction of Con-
gress over slavery in the States. And this is
benefit to the South! Under a guise of benefit,
the bill is useless as n remedy-and worse than
useless in its usurpations Such are the various
measures which constitute the compromise.
We do not believe that those in the South who,
at an early day, expressed willingness to sup
port it, had well considered its import even con-
supporting it without material amend
We fully appreciate and duly honor the
motives of those who would restore tranquility to
the country, nor shall we impugn in any form
those who have assisted to frame or who have
yielded support to the measures. Why the
States do not support these |
measures we are unable to understand, unless it
be that a naughty fanatcism, inflated with sue
cess, disdans accomplishing it's objects by indrec-
ton. If these measures, however, were really a
in which the South had equal gains
with the North, it would be of doubtful expedien-
cy for the South 10 propose it. Three times in
Congress, during|th controversy, the South has
the Missouri compromise, which has
been three times rejected by the North. Twice
she has proposed compromise by which she
to leave it to the courts Of the United
States to determine her rights. Instead Of requir
ing sternly their recognition by Congress. fifteen
sovereign States have consented to be carried in
to the courts Of the country, and there to submit
their sovereign rights in territory belonging to
them to their final arbitrament. Their humia-
tiop did mt win tho resnecf mr. confidenca Of the