Southern standard. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 1851-1856, 1851-05-10
The FOur Aces.
Auburn. April 9Th, 1851.

be unable to attend the conVentoh' mas oooh ~
ceived.
While Offering the pressure of duties here TOO
long deferred as an apology for non attendance
rro9 Won to assure the committee in whose behalf
Won act. of nv profound sense OF their courtesy
and kindness 1t would be an honor to be invited
tn address the people of Massachusetts, on any SUB
iect. but it might well satisfy generous ambition
to be called upon to speak to that great and en-
lightened Common wealth, on question OF hu-
man rights and civil liberty
| confess, sir, that have earnestly desired not
to mingle in the popular discussions of the meas
ures of the last Congress. The issue necessarily
involves the claims of their advocates and adyer-
saries in the public councils, to the confidence OF
the country. Some of those advocates have enter
ed the popular arena, eliminating those from Whom
they had differed while others have endeavored,
by extraordinary MEANS either to control discus
SION or to suppress it altogether, and thus they
have shown themselves disqualified by prejudice or
interest for practising that lmpartlaty and candor
which the occasion demanded.
| am unwilling even to seem to imply, by relter-
ating arguments already before the public, either
any distrust of the position of those with whom
stood in Congress- Impotence for that favorable
popular verdict which | believe to be near, and
know to be ultimately certain.
Nevertheless, there can be no improperly IN my
declaring, when thus questioned, the opinions
the Fugitive slave law shall come up for review, IN
the national Legislature. | think the act slngu-
larly unwse because it is an attempt by purely
federative government to extend the economy OF
slave States throughout States which repudlate
slavery as moral, social and political evil. Any
despotic government would awaken from its pro-
| foundest SAUNDERS by such an attempt.
The attempt by this government has aroused
constitutional resistance which will not cease until
the effort shall be relinquished He who teaches
another faith than this whether self deceived or
not misleads. | think, also, that the attempt was
unnecessarv;-th political ends-merely political
ends and not real evils, resulting from the escape
of slaves, constituted the prevailing motives to the
enactment.
think also, that the details of the measure are
ndefensible that the denial to the alleged fugitive
of trial of his alleged obligation to labor, and OF
his escape from it, by a court, and nothing less
than court of Justice, constitutOnally organized,
and proceeding according to the course of the com
mon law within the State where he is claimed, is
papably in derogation of the Constitution, that
the rules of evidence which the law prescrbes are
oppressive of the weak and defenceless, and that
Christendom might be searched in vain for paral-
lei to the provisions which make escape from bon
dage crime by law retroactive in its effect, and
? without limitations of time to favor the presump-
ton of freedom, which under rigorous penalties
and which offer unmistaken inducements to false
claims and false judgments. Finally, whatever
changes of opinions others may have undergone,
retain my earliest convictions that the constitution
al provisions which the law purports to be foun
ded, is merely compact between the States; anG
that the Congress of the United States have nc
n jurisdiction of the subject.
Z! Nor is the law, which is obnoxious common
e ded to my favor by its connection with what arc
called the other measures of compromise Com
i promise implies a minglng of truth and error
: right and wrong One of those affiliated meas
ures denied the admission of New Mexico because
she had determined to come in free State, anC
remanded her. with permission to come back in the
: habiliments of slavery. Another distinctly intima
: ted to the Mormons the consent of Congress tha
they should, if they could, plant slave State il
t the very recesses of the continent A third abol
V ished public slave mart in the city of Washing
ton without abating either the extent or the dura
ton of slavery in the District of Columbia.
\ fourth obtained peace on humating terms from
= one of the youngest and feeblest members of tn,
{ confederacy, in an attitude of sedition. While ;
: fifth only reluctantly admitted California as fire,
o State, when she had refused to contaminate her
d self with slavery. Which one of these measures
l. has supertiuous merit, to be received in exenua
l. ton of the Fugitive slave law? But we are told
that bad as these measures were, they were tn
# best that could be obtained On the contrary
q there were always votes enough for the admission
of California The Thirty first Congress nigh
have admitted her, and left the other questions t.
u another Congress, which instructed by the people
e might have done better, and certainly could no
l. have done worse.
l. Nor do find the Fugitive slave law growing il
IS my favor on the ground of the already falsifet
IS promise of all end of the agitation of slavery il
i the Republic an agitation which, whether benefi
n cent or otherwise, is as nseparable from our DO
% ltlcal organization, as the winds and clouds ar
Il from the atmosphere that encrcles the earth
L have weighed, moreover, the argument tina
some portion of the people in some of the State
e have made, the perpetuity of the Fugitive slav
o law condition of declarations of LOYALTY t
20 the Union. That loyalty is duty resulting from
L the Constitution and is equally DUE whether tn
measures of administration are satisfactory or un
e satisfactory. regret that anything should hav
d happened to encourage belief that LOYALTY coul
J. be accepted on conditions, and especially on tn
condition of forbearng to repeal repealable stat
ute But since 1t is SO, can only say that we, OF
whom the recent action of the government bears
as 1T seems to US, SO unustly, are in the Union fo
richer, for poorer, for BETTER for worse, whether
power or powerless, without condition. reservation
qualification, or limitation, for ever and ave; tina
k we are IN the Union not because we are Statistic,
5, with the administration, but whether satisfied O
@ not; not all by means of compromises or under
standings, but by virtue of the Constitution. am
that all other parties are in the Union on the SAM
e TERMS tor the same tenure, and by virtue of tn
it same obligation, and SO they will find their case t.
a De when they offer to plead violations of extr
constitutional conditions to justify secession What
ever is lrrepeaiable in any of the acts of the lat
Nnv1rrn