Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1851-12-04

inserted in that instrument an express denial of
certain assumptions, that might filter in the
Imagination of person, jealous Of approaching
tyranny, Among these are the following, to
wit, in article 81.
"The trial of all crimes, except in casees Of
of impeachment, shall be by jury, and such
trial shall be held in the State where the said
crimes shall have been committed" If not In
any State, Congress may by law direct the place
of such trial. Agon, in artisle 7th, of the
amendment
In suits at common law, where the value in
controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the
right of trial by jury shall BIO preserved, and no
fact, tried by jury, shall be otherwise re-exan-
ned in any court Of the United States, than ac-
cording to the rules Of the Common law" The
rules of the common law are applications, in
some form, for a new trial. Article 4th, sec
ton ID:
"The Citizens Of each State shall be entitled
to all privileges and immunities of Citizens in
the several States" In article 4th of the amend
ments;
"The right Of people to be secure In their
persons, houses, papers, and effects, against I'M
reasonable searches and seizures, shall not be
violated, and no warrant shall issue but upon
probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation,
and particularly describing the place to be
searched, and the persons things to be seized.'
In article 9Th of amendments
"No person shall be deprived of life, liberty,
or property, without due process of law" In
article 9th of the amendments
"In all criminal prosecutions, the accused
shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public tri'
al by an impartial jury of the State or District
wherein the crime shall have been committed,
to be confronted with the witnesses against him,
have compulsory process for obtaining his wit
nesses and have the assistance of counsel for
his defence" In article first, section ninth
''The privilege of the writ of Habeas Corpus
shall not be suspended, unless when IN cases of
rebellion, or invasion, the public safety may re-
qure it." Again, article first of the amend
ment, provides, that Congress shall make no law
"abridging the freedom of speech, Or of the
Press, or the right of people peaceably to assem-
BILE and to petition government for redress of
grievances" and, by article 9th of the original
constitution, all officers of the United States and
of tho several States whether legislative, exec
utive, or judicial are to be bound by oath or af-
fymation, to support this constitution. This
oath binds us all as firmly not to carry into ef
feet an unconstitutional law, which is no law,
as to carry into effect one that is constitutional.
Moreover, the trainers of the constitution, having
waded through bloody war, to obtain liberty
for the States and Nation, and, as if fearing that
the people, at some time then future, while lux
uriating upon the great blessing they obtained,
would forget the God who made them, and the
blood and treasure their liberty cost, inserted
in the preamble one essential object of the
constitution itself, to wit.
"To secure the blessings of liberty to them
selves and posterity." Now every honest man,
sworn 10 support this constitution will construe
every sentence it contains favorable to liberty,
if it will bear such construction.
Now, let me ask, who are the traitors Those
who refuse to aid in the execution, or who even
resist the execution, Of an act of Congress,
which they believe, and know to be void, by its
not being warranted by the constitution, and by
its being violation of the rights secured to
the people by the constitution? who can be the
traitors, but those who have trampled under
foot all, or nearly ALL of the foregoing constitu
tional provisions; who have practically reluted
this constitutions who have set up, partly by
legislation, and partly by despotic dictation, a
system of practical duty for the citizens, wholly
unknown to the constitution and entirely des-
tructive of all freedom in elections; who thus,
virtually, command the people wholly to reject
that constitutional notion of supporting liberty,
and bestow all their energies to the support of
slavery, who, in their new despotic system, de-
prive the citizens of the free States of the right
of trial by jury, which is over and over secured
to them by the constitution, who have violated
the constitution, not exactly by suspending the
writ of Habeas Corpus, when there was no re-
bellion or invasion, but by stabbing it under the
fifth rib, and killing it altogether: who have
thus invaded the sovereignty Of the free States,
by what purports to be an act of Congress, au-
thorzing the arrest of their citizens by an illegal
warrant and even without any warrant at all
who, by such act, authorizing the treating per
song thus arrested as criminals, though they
had committed no crime, and, while treating
them as criminals, denying them the right Of
being confronted with the witnesses agains
them, as the constitution requires who deny the
validity of the constitutional test of fitness fo
Office and have established test of such fit
ness. which wholly destroys the freedom of cleo
tons, and demands that sacrifice of conscience
which none butyrants would demand, and nom
but vassals obey who denied the just claims o
California for admission to the Union, man
months, TO force submission 10 their nefariou
pro.slavcry system called compromise Th
facts, alluded to in the above queries, are so be
fore the public that it is rightly presumed, tina
they are known, and read Of all men.
Moreover, they tell US, we shall not discus
the question of slavery! Not discuss the pre-
prety or validity of this, their new system
practical government Not discuss nor agitat
thu question, whether we will be freemen {
slaves Not discuss the question whether W
shall vote as our conscences dictate, or whetht
we shall vote as they may bid US! And this
addressed to Freemen Addressed to America
Freemen Addressed to the descendants
those worthy patriots, who yielded their bot
Z L.