The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1852-07-08
For the National Era
STATE RIGHTS.

For the National Era
STATE RIGHTS.
The particular clause Of the Constitution
which relates to the rendition of persons held
to service or labor who may escape from one
State to another and the decision of courts under
this clause have been so much the subject of
discussion of late that other and more impor-
tant clauses of the Constitution seem to have
been neglected. Among these il that most
essential clause reserving all powers not grant
cd to the General Government to the States
themselves. Had this clause been duly consid-
ed, and the doctrine of State Rights insisted
upon and upheld at the North with the same
vgor that il has always been at the South. the
Fugitive Slave Law never uld have been
enacted. In this particular ~ the South
relaxed their vigilance. ms ii - a measure
supposed to be favorable to their interests. and
law insisted upon as an additional bond 70
the Union; but never Was "A greater mistake
made at the South than tins never was n more
fatal blow given to the Union, never was there
an act passed tending 50 strongly to consolde.
| ton as this. a few Southern statesmen have
foreseen this result and with much sagacty.
and with an independence 10 be commended,
have declared their opinion of this tendency, il
| not OF Its unconstitutionalty. Ii the General
Government can 40 far crush State Rights and
override State Laws so as to destroy in man
ner their most cherished institutions and priv
ieges at the North, why may it not be pre-
cedent for doing the same thing at the South,
whenever power changes hands, If the Gen
| eral Government is made an instrument for
the protection, extension, and support Of slave
ry, so as even to carry its oppressive acts to the
very hearth-stone of every man Mt the North
why may not the same power be used to sweep
every vestige of slavery from the land and in
wade those States where it has always been
considered n local curse or blessing, but with
which the General Government could not in
| tcrfere
A precedent has now been widely establish
| ed for tho interference of the General Govern
ment for slavery. Why not against it7 Why
not for liberty 2! A feeling is everywhere
spreading in New England of hostility TO this
| invasion of State Rights this violation Of all
our dearest sympathies, our sense of justice, and
our most cherished religious convictions This
hostility will not break out into rebellion
against unjust law, it may not even seek to
remedy the wrong under the plea of State
Rights, for this jealousy of State Rights has al
ways been comparatively weak ut the North
where the tendency has always been towards
consolidation; and this Fugitive Slave Law
has wonderfully strengthened this feeling.
1t seems now as if we had no State Govern
ment, or that it is weak and puny, overshadowed
completely by the General Government either
for good or evil If for evil, consolidation has
brought it upon us. Consolidation must, there
fore, be the remedy. We bde our time, If
the General Government is so potent for evil
it must be equally potent for good IL it re-
CARDS not the clauses Of the Constitution TO
protect and support liberty, why should it, in
the right hands regard the clauses, or the un-
derstanding to continue slavery? It cannot be
said now ut the North, that we have nothing to
do with slavery neither can this plea be made
hereafter by those who support slavery. If the
United States can cOnstitutionally pay the ex-
penses Of returning fngitives to bondage by n
summary process, why cannot the same power
be exercised to set all slaves free by paying
their value, or such price rs may be thought
| ft-and this accomplished by summary pro
cess! lfthis was the law, doubtless there would
be more resistance to law ut the South than mt
the North but would the South have right
TO say there was no precedent for it-that it
was an invasion of State Rights, SCI If might
makes right in one, case why not in the other
To all this, it rs said by the South, the clause
in the Constitution relating to the escape of
construed to mean slaves and il the States
do not fulfill their obligations, the United States
must do it, but it il said to be a bad rule that
will not work both ways The South are con-
stantly violating that portion of the Constitu-
ton which declares n citizen of one State 20 be
entitled to all the rights and privileges Of cit
izen when in another State. This In not de-
MED, but the excuse given by tho South il, that
the Imprisonment of free oOlored citizens is n
necessity above law But why is it necessity
more than freedom from the fines and impris-
onment Of Northern citizens for refusing to do
what the respectable class Of Shareholders re-
fuse o. do themselves Is slavery a necessity,
and liberty n nOu-essentalf All laws are more
or less violated, and obligations frequently neg
looted
IL the North have not fulfilled their ohliga-
tons to the South. neither have the South to
the North If the North had the power,
would il therefore be wise to direct all tho
force and power of the General Government
against the South to compel them, on pain Of
fines and imprisonment, to fulfil their oblga-
tons, and thus place an immense and decided
ly unconstitutional power in the hands of the
Government? Yet this is what the South,
aided by Northern office-scekers and petty poll
ticians, have done-an act tending more to con-
sOlidatIOn than any tnat was ever passed.
Better, far better, would it have been for the
South, land time will prove it, to have borne
with the loss of few slaves, than to have
given such power and allowed such prcce-
dents to the General Government. God grant
these precedents may never be turned against
them, but that some plan, however distant its
operation, may be devised, to turn the current,
which is setting towards anarchy and confu-
sion, into the channels Of peace and conf
dence-a cordial cooperation for the removal
or amclioration Of these evils We fear, how
ever, the will does not exist; for where there
in a will, there il q way.
II is not difficult 10 devise plan which will
benefit master and slave, and which will give
the latter eventual freedom, and yet both be-
fore and afterwards will yield greater in-
come TO the landowners than IL he is retained
in slavery; but it will destroy the political as
tendency of the South, except SO far US indi-
vidual talent and craftsmanship confer power
and here is the stumbling. block upon which
will be broken the Liberty and Union Of the
country. The motto of Rule or Ruin is not
the motto Of the South; on the contrary, the
demon of Disunon and Secession has been
we'll rebuked but such is the tendency Of az
fairs in this country The bands which bind
us together are in constant state OF tension,