The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1851-06-04


Union by the United States in Congress assem- |
bed. But this act, ofitself, did nothing to estab
lish them general COVE rnment They had
articles of confederation before to carry the war.
They had Congress. They had articles of con- |
federation afterwards to prosecute the war But |
They entered into simple confederacy, and moth
ing more. No State was bound by what it did |
not itself agree to. That the state of things,
gentlemen, at that time. The war went on-vic- |
tory perched on the American eagle-our indepen- |
dence was acknowledged The States were then |
united together under confederacy of very limited
powers. 1t could levy no taxes 1t could not en-
force its DEGREES. 1t was confederacy, in
stead OF being united government Experience
showed that this insufficient and inefficient.
And therefore, beginning as far back almost as the
close OF the war measures taken for the for
nation of the united Governments Government
in the strict sense Of the 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 interpreted by a
judicial power belonging to the Government.
Well, gentlemen, this led to the formation of the
Constitution of the United States and the Const.
tuition framed on the idea Of limited Govern.
ment. 1t proposed to leave and did leave the diff
ferent institutions of the several States to them
selves. 1t did not propose consolidation. 1t did
not propose that the laws Of Virginia should be the
laws of New York, or that the laws of NewYork
should be the laws Of Massachusetts. Ii proposed
only that Tor certain purposes, and to certain ex
tent, there should be united Government, 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, gentle
men, to the very point of the case. At that time
slavery existed in the Southern States entailed
upon them in the time Of the supremacy of British
laws over us. There it was. Ii was obnoxious to
the Middle States, and disked and honestly and
seriously disliked as the records of the country
lpbo hx,t Tho tboru State thoroo
Now, how were they to deal with it? Were the
Northern and Middle States to exclude from the
Government those States of the South which had
produced Washington Laurens and other dis
tngushed patriots OF that part oil the country?
Were they to be excluded from the new Govern
ment, because they tolerated the institution of
Slavery? Your fathers and my fathers did not
think so. They did not see that it 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
such result, and of course when the Constitution
was framed and established, and adopted by you
here in NewYork, and by your ancestors in New
England, 1t contained an express provision Of secu-
rlty to the persons who lived in the Southern States
of fugitives who owed them service-that is to
say, the fugitive from service labor, should be
restored to his master Well, that had
been the history Of the country from its first settle.
ment. 1t was matter of common practice to re-
turn fugtives before the Constitution was formed
Fugitive slaves from Virginia to Massachusetts,
were restored by the people OF Massachusetts. At
that day there was great system of apprentice
ship at the North, and many apprentices at the
North, taking advantage OF circumstances and OF
vessels sailing to the South, thereby escaped
That led to clear express, and well defined pro-
vision in the Constitution of the country the
subject. Now, | know that all these things are
common-that they have been stated thousand
times but, in these days of perpetual discomfort
and Misrepresentation, to state things thousand
times is not enough for there than a
thousand persons whose consciences, one would
think, led them to make it duty to deny, misre-
present. falsfy and cover up truths. Now, here is
the Constitution, feow-citlzens and have taken
the pains to transcribe thererom these words, so
| that he who runs may read: "No person held to
service labor in State, under the laws there
OF, escaping into another, shall, in consequence Of
any law or regulation therein, be discharged from
such service labor, but shall be delivered up
claim of the party, to whom such service lab IT
| may be due" Is there any mistake about that
| Is there any forty shilling attorney here? No.
| will not disgrace my profession by supposng such
a thing There is not in out of attorney g
office in the county of Erie, or elsewhere, one who
could raise doubt, or particle o doubt, about
the meaning of this provision of the Constitution.
| He may act as witnesses do, sometimes, on the
stand. He may wrgge and twist and say he
can't tell have seen many such exhibitions in
| my time, on the part Of Witnesses to falsfy and
betray, and deny the faith But there is no man
who can read these words of the Constitution Of
the United States, and say they are not clear and
imperative. "No person." the Constitution says
"held to service or labor in one State, under the
laws thereof escaping into another, SHALL in con
| sequence of any law regulation therein, be dis
charged from any such service or labor, but shal
be delivered up on the claim of the party to whom
such service or labor may be due"
Why, you are told by forty conventions in Mas
sachusetts, in Ohio, in NewYork, in Syracuse, all.
elsewhere, that if colored man came here, h,
came freeman that is a non sequitur. If hs
came as fugitive from labor, the Constitution
says he is not freeman, and that he shall be de
livered up to his owners, who entitled to his
| vice. Now, gentlemen, that is the Constitution o
the United States. Gentlemen, do We, or do WI
not mean to execute that part of the Constitution
as well as the rest of it | suppose there are be
fore me here members Of Congress. | suppos,
there are here members of the State Legislature
or executive officers under the State Government
| suppose there are Judicial magistrates Of New
York, executive officers assessors, supervisors, jus
tees of the peace, and constables, before me. Al
low me to say, gentlemen, that there is not-tha
there cannot be, any one Of these officers in thi
assemblage, or elsewhere, who has not according
to the form of his obligation, bound himself by hi
solemn oath, before his God, to support the Con
, stituton. They have taken their oaths, on tn
, Holy Evangel,sts of Almighty God, by upife
, hands, as the case may be, or by a solemn asseve
| and all of them-there is not man who holds, NJ
is there any man who can hold, any office in tn
| gift of the United States, or in this State,
S | any other State, who does not become bound, b
| the solemn obligation of an oath before God. tina
u | he will support the Constitution of the Unite
r States. Well, is he to tamper with that Is
# to falter? Gentlemen, our political duties are I
r | much matters of conscience any other duties
, our sacred domestic ties, our most endearing soc'
It relations, more the subject for conscieno,
il consideration and conscientious discharge, than Il
:? duties we enter into under the Constitution Of tn
,s United States. The bonds of political brothe
}. hood are the bonds which hold us together fro
Of Maine to Georgia. Now, gentlemen, that is tt
Of main story Of the Constitution OF the United Stat
+. on the question Of slavery. Gentlemen, conten
" and have always contended, that after the adopo
u, | of the Constitution, any measure OF The Gover
4. ment calculated to bring slave territory into Il
lie United States, was beyond the power Of the Go
Id stituton, and against its provisions. That is
Of opinion, and it has always been my opinion 1t
ut very consistent, thought to be SO, for the sar
OF purpose, in Jeferson's time to attach Louisiana
v, the United States. A treaty with France W
10 made for that purpose. But Jeffersons opinion
IN | that moment was, that an alteration Of the Cons
OF tuition was necessary to enable it to be done.
ot considering what will not repeat, that OPT
~ ion was abandoned, and Louisiana was admit
or BY law, without any provision or alteration in
of Constisution. At that time, was too young
nd hold any office, or take any share in the politi
OF affairs of the country. Louisiana was admitted
nd slave State, and became entitled to her repres
or | tation in Congress on the principle of mixed
sis. Florida was afterwards admitted. Then, I
it, [ was out of Congress /; had been in it once
l. | had nothing to do with the Florida treaty or
in admission Of Florida.
nph nuoI haiti