The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1851-01-14

the scale in which they are placed by the federal consl
tuition The observation attributed 10 Mr.. Madison. thar
he did not want the terms employed in that instrument
that declared the right hold property in human beings.
il made at ALL only The ground that slavery was
subject of State authority and need be euprsssiy
sat forth in the federal constitution for that con-
stitulion was made for free a. well slave
holding States, and he only anxious TO have the
protective provisions clear enough attain the end pro-
posed This view was approved and the constitution
as we find it, was the result Of this wise counsel The
imputatioD of " fraud" Mr. Madison and Mr.. Pinek
ney because they went to the respective State conyen
tons Of Virginia and South Carolina and there, for the
first te started the preence that these clauses included
slavery is blown to the winds by simple reference TO
dates to the language itself, and to the foregoing
extracts from the Federalist. The preteM Of Mr.
Spooner u.s. that if the North had known the fact that
slavery was by the clauses applied TO it. they
would not have adopted the instrument Let us look to
the dates South Carolina adopted the constitution on the
2ad of May, l7ss, Virginia the Goth OF June, l7ss
New Hampshire. New York, and Rhode Island all
adopted the constitution after both of these events
and during the debates in the respective conventions II
was we'll known what the arguments employed were in
each of the other States The active and wa,chful
was kept up by those opposed to lis adoption to
suggest its opponents in all the other States the grounds
of objection This argument would not have escaped But
the conclusive all this farago of ignorance and
presumption is, that the constitution itself contained
its Interpretation, and gave 10 the slave States
representation in Congress for Mrssf of all their
slaves Every that voted for its adoption saw
and knew this; il was so plainly written that =" each
who ran could read" The whole country knew that the
provision restraining legislation relative the migration
Importation of persons prior to 1908 related to aues
for the introduction OF them was then abolished and
there attempt TO do before. Why not this
attempt made if il not known to everybody that the
constitution prohibited it from being practicable The
act of 1893 well known to have been passed, in
its present shape at the instance of the southern States
to enable them to reclaim fugitive slaves. Few cases
arose under it in early tmes-for there Garrisons
Fred Douglases, Chaplns Spooners in those days.
and fugitives seldom seduced stolen away, and
if they were, could be readily obtained, there
little no fanaticsm to prevent it, The southern states
men. however, foresaw the evils of the future. and
wisely guarded against them The referred in the
I'd volume of Dallass Reports did within the act
of 1898 originated under the laws OF Pennsy and
neither counsel court ignorant of their duty
as to quote law that had no, the slightest bearing
the case. Had Mr. Spooner been the Judge, he would
probably have acted otherwise.
We now dismiss Mr. Spooner andhis abolition dis
coveries in constitutional law We do not suppose that
either he or his coads,ors could be convinced of then
ignorance and error They belong to that class which
the Bible assures " wise in their own conceit"
and we therefore surrender them their compacent
enjoyment But, inasmuch they seem to be meditang
some new crusade in behalf of the slaves, we have
thought it not amss cast few crumbs OF ccm-
for, to those chicks of the law" whom especially
this podgous argument OF Mr. Spooner is dedicated and
who are called upon 10 take aries with his adherents
The stands thus The federal constitution the several
Congresses OF the United States since 1882 the Su
preme Court the respective Supreme Courts OF nearly
every free State in the Union. side; Mr. Ly-
sander Spooner Garrison Fred Doug lass and all the rest
of that ik the other. We presume there is little diff
Guilty deciding which end Of the that thus balanced
will be likely KICK the bean. The higher-law apostles
must take heed lest Mr.. Spooner and his brother multi
fers bear away the palm The people OF the North are
now constituted tue tribunal to determine these questions
rnmphan,y propounded, and certain to insure Mr.
Spooners immortality. Our readers will perhaps think
that we have wasted ammunition small game"--and
indeed fear ourselves that have been only baggng
tom tits " but, when better game is scarce, these
are preferable the kites and buzzards that flock about
the same rookery We have had frequent occasions of
late 10 rustic this abolition aviary in Boston, and 10
learn the variety OF its species Of uncean birds" We
have started few. however that are worth the hunters
toll