The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-05-27

nestly, honestly, and Justly. From the mouth
Of the st. Johns To the confines Of Florida,
there existed in the year of grace, l775, thr cen
colonies, of English origin, planted at different
times, aud coming from different parts Of Eng
land, bringing with them various habits, and es-
tablishing, each for itself, institutions entirely
yarient from the institutions which they left.
But they were Of English origin The English
language was theirs Shakespeare and Milton
were theirs and the Christian religion was theirs,
and these things constituted them together.
The aggressions Of the parent State compelled
them to set up for independence. They de-
clared Independence, and that immortal ac pro-
nounced on the Fourth of July, TITO, made
them independent That was an act Of Union
by the United States in Congress assembled
But this act Of itself did nothing to establish
over them general government They had ar
tices of confederation before to carry on the
war They had Congress. They had articles
of confederation atterward to prosecute the war
But thus far they were independent, each of the
other. They entered into simple confederacy,
and nothing more. No State was bound by
what il did not itself agree to- This was the
state Of things, gentlemen, at that time.
The war went on---victory perched on the
American eagle---our independence was acknowl-
edged, The States were then united together
under confederacy of very limited powers. 1t
could levy no taxes Ii could not enforce its
own DEGREES. 1t was a confederacy instead of
being united government Experience showed
that this was insufficient aud inefficient. And,
therefore, beginning as far back almost ss the
close of the war; measures were taken for the
formation Of the united governments gov
eminent in the strict sense Of the term--a gov
eminent that could pass laws binding to the
La, nf nd ,,,l,i.b info
those laws by its executive powers, having them
interpreted by Judicial power belonging to the
government Well. gentlemen, this led to the
formation of the Constitution Of the United
States, and the cost was framed on the idea of
a limited government. 1t proposed to leave,
and did leave, the different institutions Of the
several States to themselves 1t did not pro-
pose consolidation. 1t did not 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. 1t proposed only that
for certain purposes, and to a certain extent
there should be united government, and that
that government should have the power of exc
cutting its own laws. All the rest was left to
the several States. And we now come, gentle
men, to the very point of the case. At that time
slavery existed in the Southern States, entaied
upon them in the time of the supremacy of Brit
ish laws over us. There it was twas obnoxi-
GUS to the middle States, and disliked and hon
estly and seriously disliked, as the records of
the country will show, by the Southern States
themselves. Now, how were they to deal with
it! Were the Northern and middle States to ex-
clude from the government those States of the
South which had produced Washington, a
Lawrence, and other distinguished patriots of
that part of the country! Were they to be ex-
Il Id <ha,
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 no such result !;
and of course when the Constitution was framed
and established, and adopted by you, here in
New York, and by your ancestors in New Eng
land, it contained al express provision of securi-
ty to persons who lived in the Southern States
to fugitives who owed them service; that is to
say, the fugitives from service or labor should be
restored to his master, or owner.
Well, that had been the history of the country
from its first settlement. 1t was matter of
common practice to return fugitives 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 apprenticeship at
the North and many apprentices at the North,
taking advantage of circumstances, and of YES
sells sailing to the South, thereby escaped. This
led to clear, express and well defined provi.
sion in the Constitution of the country on the
subject. Now, know that all these things are
common-that they have been stated thousand
times; but in these days of perpetual discon-
tent and Misrepresentation, to state things a
I'll al &. oh Co.
more than thousand persons whose conscien-
ces, one would think, led them to make it
duty, to deny, misrepresent, falsify and cover
up truths. Now, here is The Constitution, fell
low-citizens, and | have taken the pains to
transcribe therefrom these words, so that he
who runs may read: No person held to
service or labor in one State under the laws
thereof, escaping into another, shall in co1se-
quence of any law or regulation therein, be
discharged from such service or labor, but shall
be delivered up on claim of the party to whom
such service or labor may be due" Is there
any mistake about this ? ! will not disgrace
my profession by supposing such a thing.
There is not in or out of an attorneys office in
the county of Erie, or elsewhere, one who
could raise doubt, or a particle Of doubt, about
the meaning of this provision of the Constitu.
ton. He may act as witnesses do, sometimes,
on the stand. He may wriggle and twist, and
say he can't tell ] have seen many such exhi-
billions 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 per-
son." the Constitution says, held to service
or labor in one State, under the law thereof,
escaping into another, shall, in consequence Of
any law or regulation therein, be discharged
from any such service or labor, but shall be de-
livered up on the claim of the party to whom
such service or labor may be due" Why, you
are told by forty conventions in Massachusetts
in Ohio, in New York, in Syracuse, and else
where, that if a coored man came here, he came
as freeman. That is, non sequitur. If he
came as fugitive from labor, the Constitution
says he is not freeman, and that he shall be
delivered up to his owners who are entitled to
his service.
Now, gentlemen, that is the Constitution of
the United States. Gentlemen, do we, or do
we not, mean to execute that part of the Consti-
tuition as well as the rest of i'll suppose there