The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1851-06-19

victory perched on the American eagle
our independence was acknowledged
The States were then united together up-
der confederacy Of very limited powers.
It could levy no taxes. It could not en-
force its own decrees. 1t was confeder.
acy, instead Of being united government.
Experience showed that this was insullici
ent and inefficient.
And therefore, beginning as far back nj
most as the close Of the war, measures were
taken for the formation Of the united gov
ernment--n government in the strict sense
ofthe term--a government that could pass
laws binding upon the citizens Of all the
States, and which could enforce those laws
by its executive powers, having them 10.
terpreted by Judicial power belonging to
the government. Well, gentlemen, this
led to tho formation Of the Constitution Of
the United States, and the Constitution
was framed on the idea Of limited govern
ment. 1t proposed to leave, and did leave,
the different institutions Of the several
States to themselves. 1t did not propose
consolidation. 1t did no. propose that the
laws of Virginia should be laws Of New
York, or that the laws Of New York should
be the laws Of Massachusetts. Il proposed
only that for certain purposes, and to GER
tain extent, there should be united gov
ernment, and that that government should
have the power Of executing its own laws.
All the rest was left to the several States.
We now come, gentlemen, to the very
point ia the case. At that time, slavery
existed in the Southern States, entailed
upon them in the time of the supremacy
Of the British laws over US. There it was.
II was obnoxious to the Middle States, and
dislkcd; and honestly and seriously dis
liked, as the records Of the country will
show, by the Southern States themselves.
Now, how were they to deal with it?--
We're the Northern and Middle States to
exclude from the government those States
Of the South which had produced Wash
ngton, a Laurens, and other distinguished
patriots Of that part oflhc country? We're
they 10 be excluded from the new govern
ment because they tolerated the institution
Of savery' Your fathers and my fathers
did not think so They did not sec that il
would be Of the best advantage to the
slaves Of the Southern States to cut off the
South from all connection with the North.
Their views Of humanity led to no such re-
suit, and Of course when the constitution
was framed and established, and adopted
by you here in New York, and by your
ancestors in New England, it contained an
express provision Of security to tho persons
who lived in the Southern States, Of fugi-
tivcs who owed them scrvice-that is to
say, the fugitive from service or labor should
be restored to his master OF owner.
Well that had boen the history Of the
country from its first settlement. II was o
matter Of common practice to return fugi-
tives, before the constitution was formcd.--
Fugitive slaves from Virginia to Massa-
chusetts were restored by the people Of
Massachusetts. AT that day there was a
great system ofapprenticeship at the North
and many apprentices at the North, taking
advantage Of circumsta noes, and Of vessels
sailing TO the South, thereby escaped
That led TO clear, express, and defined
provision in the Constitution ofthe country
on the subject Now, know that al these
things arc common-that they have been
stated thousand times: but, in these days
Of discomfort and misrepresentation, to state
things thousand times 10 not enough; for
there are more than thousand persons
whose couscicnces, one would think, led
them to make it duty TO deny, misrepre-
sent, falsify and cover up truths. Now,
hero is the constitution, fellow-citizens, and
| have taken the pains to transcribe there
from these words, SO that he who runs may
read: .'No person held to service or labor
in ono State under the laws thereof escsp-
ing into another, shall, in consequence Of
any law or regulation therein, be discharged
from such service or labor, but shall be do.
liyered up on claim Of the party to whom
such service or labor may be DUE" ls
there any mistake about that? Is there
any forty shilling attorney here? No. ]
will not disgrace my profession by suppos-
ing such thing. There 10 not IN or out Of
an attorneys Office in the county Of Eric,
or elsewhere, one who could raise doubt,
or particle Of doubt, about the meaning
Of this provision Of the constitution. lie
may act as witnesses do, sometimes, on the
stand. He may wriggle and twist, and say
he can't tell. have seen many such ex-
Lbitions in my time, on the part Of wit
nesses, to falsify, and betray, and deny the
faith. But there is no man who can read
these words Of tho Constitution OF tbs Uni
ted States, and say they are not clear and
imperative. "No person" the Constitution
SAYS, SHIELD to service or labor in one State,
undor the laws thereof, escaping into an
other, shall, in consequence Of any law or
regulation therein, be discharged from any
such service or labor, but shall be delivered
up on the claim ofthe party to whom such
service or labor may be DUE"
Why, you are told by forty conventions
in Massachusetts, in Ohio, 10 New York, in
Syracuse aud elsewhere, that il . colorod
man came here, he came 40 a freeman; that
is q non sequifor. 1.-The came as fugitive
from labor, the Constitution says no 10 not
a freeman, and that he shall be delivered
up to bis owners, who are entitled TO bis
service. Now, gentlemen, that il the con
stitution ofthe United States. Gentlemen,
do we, or do we not, mean to execute that
part OF the Constitution as wei! as the resi-