The southern press., 1851-04-05
Another Friend OF the Union.

The following address Of e. ID. CLAY. an
nounces the growing prevalence Of the love of
the Union. He il US much devoted to it as Mr.
WEBsrER, Mr. SEwARD, and the editor Of the
Union:
TO THE rREEMEN OF KENTUCKY.
Compromise" Fugitirs Slare Lasc--
Emancipation
know of no power under the Constitution
Of the United States by which any such thing
as "compromiso" can be made. ! know no
power by which our Legislature can make a law
binding onal future legislatures, unless where
rights, or privileges, or immunities are vacated
in indyidualA or corporations, or States, in con-
sideration of an equivalent. There is no power
in the Legislature in other cases to control the
action of future legislatures The whole is an
usurpation, whereby individuals presume to be
superior to the Constitution. Laws made in
accordance with the Constitution ought to stand
or fall on their merits, and be altered or abol-
ished according to the exgencies of circum-
stances and times.
Laws, made in violation Of the Constitution,
are null and void, when 80 declared by the pro-
per courts and, until so declared, should be
executed by all good men,
The Fugitive slave law is regarded as uncon-
gress to pass laws upon the subject Of fugitive
slaves at all. Sec. 2, clause 3, u s. G. is:
|"No person held to service or labor in one
State under laws thereto, escaping into another,
shall, in consequence Of any law or regulation
therein, be discharged from such service or Ia
Dor; but shall be delivered up on claim Of the
party to whom such service or labor may be
due" Sec. specifically names all the powers
granted to Congress, and gives such additional
power as is necessary to carry into execution the
powers named. Now in all those l8 clauses
there is not the slightest allusion to fugitive
slaves Article 10 of amendments is: The
powers not delegated to the United States by
the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the
States, are reserved to the States respectively or
to the people" Hence there is no power over
slaves in the Constitution whatever. james
Madison and Roger, Sherman, the leaders Of the
liberal party, were "not willing to allow that
man could hold property in men," while the
friends of slavery, on the other hand, were
equally opposed to any power over slaves being
vested in the national legislature.
The power to suppress Instructions, it is true,
touches slavery but even that would hot have
been granted, had it not been necessary to the
existence of all governments
The power over fugitives from service, then,
is one Of those powers "prohibited to the States
entirely negative and binding on the States in
their sovereign capacity All that the claimant
of slave can ask of the States is that none be
allowed to obstruct the capture of the slave,
and all the national government can do, is to all
low her courts to give redress in case Of such
obstruction, and in this opinion, it seems that
Daniel Webster concurred up to his late speech
in the Senate of the United States.
The attempt to compel the freemen of the
North to become slave-catchers, and the non-
shareholders of the South and North, to bear
the expense of bringing back slaves, is not a
power vested in the United States The Ian
gunge is that they be "deliueredu up,"-,,ot brough
back.
What right has Congress to compel us to pay
for the return of the slave, more than to force
the owners of slaves to pay for the return of q
stray horse!
On the minor objections to the law-such q,
refusing trial by jury and testimony in self de
tense, even where the alleged fugitive is free
man-the unequal'contest Of State sovereignty
| where jurisdiction is transferred to the side O
the slave States-the questionable right Of Con
gress to give the power over the liberties o
freemen to commissioners. who are not ain
ferior courts" under the Constitntion-I shall
not speak only venture to say that the clause
which gives bribe of double salary to declare
against the liberty of the defendant claimed as
! a slave, whould disgrace any code Of law--tht
magnitude of its injustice being only overlooked
in the accumulated wrongs and usurpatons o.
slavery
The issue, then, which is attempted to be put
\ BY eminent persons and parties. to the people
of Kentucky-to dissolve the Union in cas-,
such law is repealed am ready to meet now
and at all times. The passage of an unjust Of
unconstitutional law shall not drive me from my
allegiance and submission TO the American
Union, far less shall The repeal Of such lao fore
me into treason and cirii rar! am not onl,
for the Union-repeal or no repeal---but for tn,
Union, slavery or no slavery.
While have thus Ear frankly avowed my sen
timents upon this incidental question, now de
clare for the benefit of all emancipationists wbt
have airy heart in the cause, that they need no
be deferred from joining the party, on accoun
of my uliras," for while in discussion, shal
range through all topics, which may add forc'
to argument, or light to just conclusions
shall so far as | am concerned, make The basi
Of the party, the single issue of emancipation
upon the soil, by the insertion into the Consti
tuition, clause, thai after a fired day, all person
born in Kentucky shall be free.
And upon that point, hope to be heard, OF
the stump, in every county in the State
ask liberal editors Of all parties to give thi
an insertion in their papers, for which | will b.
ready, on demand, to pay.
claim the honor of being ever loyal citzeI
of the Commonwealth.
c. NJ. CLAY.
,9y- The New York Legislators, who seen