The southern press., 1851-06-28

OF lie, liberty, or property wlthout que process
of law.r. All power to authoftea ~ sSstsin
slavery. Is thas carefully withheld from ths
national government These simple facts indi-
cate the principles upon which final and per
lnanst settlement can be effected. There must
be 1layery without State limits and within
excl ~&iye national jurisdiction, and no legiAIs-
|Ien by CongrsAs for ths extradition Of fngitives
Dm service Within State limits slavery must
1)e left to the disposition Of State lsgisistion
When these simple and obvious principles shall
be recognized and applied, the slavery question
will be settled The whole subject of slavery
and the extradition Of fugityes will be left
where the Constitution left it--with the States
The general government viii maintain The
natural rights Of every person within its ex-
elusive jurisdiction, and take Charge only of
those matters OF general concern that the Con-
stitution has confided to its care. This. re-
repeat is, in my judgment, the only practicable
settle rent of the slavery question in conformity
with the principles Of the Constitution.
There is, indeed, another mode Of settlement
which would also be final. mean emaDcipa-
ton by the authority of the general government,
coupled with compensation 10 masters, and. per-
haps, expatriaton and colonization Of the slaves
This would involve the assumption of undele-
gated power by Congress--the creation Of an
oppressive tariff and credit systems; and can,
therefore, meet the appreciation Of no man to
whom the principles of Democracy nre dear.
The constitutional settlement to which have
adverted, would not, of course, secure the per-
manent continuance of slavery. On the con-
trary, its final extinction would be effected
through State legislation as speedily as upon
the other plan through national legislation. The
plan of emancipation, compensation and coloni-
zaton, will doubtless be the plan of capital and
conservatism The plan of restriction within
State limits and leaving the whole subject to
State disposition, is tho plan upon which our
fathers intended that the final extinction of sIa-
very should be accomplished. II is the plan of
the Constitution and Democracy. Upon the
former plan, the extinction Of slavery will be in
deed effected; but the labor Of the country will
be burdened with an enormous debt, and suffer
all the evils which tariff systems and banking
systems--the offspring of debt-briDg in their
train. Upon the latter plan, the same great OBJ
ect will be accomplished peacefully, constitu-
tionaly, by the voluntary action of the several
States without the imposition of any extra bur-
dens npon labor
1t is vain to think Of snppressing agitation
until a final settlement shall be effected upon
one or the other of these plans. 1t is Gods
will that nl men shall be free. Mans will must
conform to Gods will You may as well at
tempt to arrest Niagara it thunders in ts fall,
as to attempt to arrest the current of opinion.
You may as well attempt to arrest the sun az be
ascends from the horizon to the zenith, as to ar
rest human progress to its destined consumma-
ton in equality and happiness incompatible with
slavery.
The departure Of the government from the
principles of the Constitution, in it's action upon
slavery, has given rise to great diversity OF opin-
ion in relation to the merits OF slavery itself.
There are those who once condemned the insii-
stitution who now justify it on principle These
assert that States in which slavery exists enjoy
the best form Of society that slavery is the hap
pest relation of labor to capital, and the most
stable foundation of free Institutions. lately
read an article in the Southern Press, the organ
Of the Southern rights party in Washington,
which stated that Jefferson and other statesmen
of his day, did indeed indulge the expectation Of
the advent of period when equality and justice,
virtue and truth, should prevail among men.
" But this bright Dream" said the writer, /" is no
more" Is this indeed SO Is this the final re-
suit to which the political philosophy Of slavery
conducts us Were our fathers visionary dxeam-
ers when they pledged their lives, their liberty,
and their sacred honor, to the vindication Of
equal rights, and of the doctrine that govern
ments are instituted among men to maintaiQ~pd
defend them Did Washington indulge dj I'm
"a bright dream which would vanish upon
awaking-when he led our fathers to the bat.
Ties of the revolution and fertilized so many
fields with the blood Of the martyrs of liberty?
pendence,--the victims Observation-Disclosures
"a dream? Upon you, men Of northwestern
Ohio, it rests to vindicate their memory from
this reproach.
There are others who recognize slavery as an
evil, but regard it as necessary ev--as part
of what they call the great system Of servitude,
to be mitiga ed as far may be, without dis
turbance of any existing interests; but to be en-
dured and tolerated rather than such disturb
ance Such is the idea of capital of money, of
conservatism. 1t will never grapple with the
great evil with any resolute purpose of over
coming it.
There are others still, who yet maintain the
opinions which Jefferson incucated. They have
a practical belief that all men were created
equal that they were endowed by their Creator
with inalienabe rights to life, liberty, and the
pursuit of happiness that the security and de-
fence of these rights are the sole, legitimate
ends of human government; that it ia the right
and the duty of the people to form, reform and
administer government for the attainment of
n vote is responsible for the government which
he helps to create and sustain. These hold,
with Jefferson, that slavery is incompatible with
the fundamental ideas Of liberty and justice. and
look 10 the time. and labor to hasten the time.
when, by the legitimate action Of the State and
national governments, this great evil OF slavery
will be finally eradicated.
But we are met with the menace that if we
act upon this subject the Union will be dissolved
This is an old cry and very stale cry. 1t
should alarm no sensible man. ] have seen no
symptoms of dissolution Of the Union. | have
heard angry debate | have seen some bad blood
in Congress; but, outside of Washington, |
have seen no disposition among the people to
effect or permit dissolution of the Union. II
there anybody here who wants to dissolve it,
Do you know of anybody anywhere who really
wishes to dissolve it--perbaps should say ont
of South Carolina Fellow citizens, when tho
dissolution of this Union comes, it will not be
without observation. When real danger ap-