Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1852-09-21

S6te TOT SCOtl-fenn6ylSanla mas never SS1 SoS'
her vote against military Candidate-stIck up
man in uniform, put epauletts upon his shoulders
and plume in his cap, and dub him General
and all Pennsylvania will follow al his heels. :
This is the language of taunt and sarcasm, In
which the Wings have INDUCED, which have led
your JOllnstons and your Stevens TO propose Tor
your acceptance for the office OF President oi the
United States The Commander in Chief Of your
Regular Army. Now that General Scott does
possess real, solid substantial, distinguished mill.
tary merit, is not To be questioned by me. And
1t is only subject OF my mos; profound regret
that such exalted military fame should be seIzed
upon by unprincipled demagOgues and knaVes as
the means 10 advance their own selfish and mis-
ChieVOus purposes But it is for you, my Fellow
Citizens, 10 teach these blind advocates of gun.
powder availability, that they have miscalculated
OuI'lntelligence and firmness. That you can dis
tinguish between military attainments and civil
qualifications and give to each their appropriate
And thai il rejecting and rePudiating
Lie " ms OF Winfield Scout for the Presidency,
1ffouudsdi be lnlIapp Is, with the foul mi.
asma of 6o|iyln3 You % 90, not because you're
l1e t1, ecaiss you love
Rome and Hef Institutions more.
w hat has given TO the Democratic Party its
present commanding power and in6Eence in this
ConiedeTaey2 What must ever mike 1t the pre-
dominant party, SO long as it cODtlnues faithful
TO the principles upon which it was originally
and by the two Muhlenbnrgs-por mobile iratrum
Rush, Dallas, Leiper, Lie6 and others, OF Your
State ? Your enemies ascrIbe lis power 10 causes
not very fattering TO hHman nature, nor very
honorable 10 American intelligence and patriot
ism. But examine its history from 1898 TO the
present hour, and yod find that the true secret of
its strength is to be found in its sacred observance
of the lmilatiOns-the guaranties-the letter
and spirit of our Great Federal Compact. do
not mean TO say that within that period there have
not been departures-very wide departures-.!rom
the true latitude and longitude OF constitutional
Interpretation. But / do mean to say that the
Dem Ocratc party have sought TO make the Con-
stitution the polar star, by which the Vessel Of
State should be steered through the stormy ocean
of PolitiCs-and while the winds OF faction, aud
the occasional mutiny Of portion OF the crew,
have sometimes diverted it from the true line OF
its direction, it has mol been long before it has
corrected its log, and placed the old ship, in the
language of Mr.. Jefferson, on the true Repub-
lican tack"
Is; That such State should remain sovereign
and supreme in all matters relating TO its own
local interests, and should he the sole and eXClu-
sive Judge of its own domestic Institutions.
But there was another principle agreed upon,
no less important than the first-and ii was this,
that inasmuch as our slaves might readily es-
cape into the free States, power should exist
somewhere, that would enable us to reclaim
them. This power might have been left to tho
States, in which the fugitive sought an asylum,
and certainly every principle OF good neighooT-
hood, Of lraternal sympathy, and of international
courtesy would have required and justified its
erCise by the State. But it was deemed most
eXpedient TO devolve that authority upon the Ma
tiOnal Government, because its jurisdiction was
Co-eXtensiYe with the limits of the whole Union;
because it was government in which the South
could be represented, and upon which 1t could
rely for faithful enforcement OF The provision,
and because it thereby relieved the anti-savery
feeling of any particular State from any respon-
sibility in the matter.
Now, Of the vast and overshadowing impor-
lance of this provision of the Federal compact TO
the SOulh no rejecting man can entertain
doubt. Ii is not the mere money value Of the
slaves who escape into the free States, which
has aroused the united action of the South on
this question. II is the fact well known to US,
that If such provision did not exist in the Con-
slirution, and was not faithfully enforced, that
spirit of insubUrdination would very probably be
infused into our slave population, that would
lead to the most fearful and tragic consequences.
Let no man then suppose that when the South
assumes the position which she has done on this
question, that she is governed by any mere con-
sideratUn of dollars and cents she is acting un-
der the solemn conviction that upon the faithful
execution of this plain and express guarantee of
the Constitution, depend her domestic tTanquli-
ty and peace. And we are forced TO regard all
men in the free States, who stimulates Opposi-
tion to the fugitive slave law, and who seek TO
Illustrate and nulliiy its provisions, as rot mere
ly violating an express obligation of the COnstu-
ton, but as seeking 10 enact that " Drama Of
BI0od,'' which Governor Johnston, in his earlier
and better days. charged to be the purpose Ofthose
who sought TO embarrass the legal rights OF the
STAKEHOLDER. We are compelled 10 regard all
such persons enemies TO the South, and as
enemies to the Union. Cheers.l
We ofthe South are in the habit of regarding
the position of parties in the North, upon The iu
gitive slave law, as presenting an iHtaliOle test
of Constitutional orthOdoXy-and why? Be-
cause it is plainly written provision OF the Con-
sIitution-Cear, distinct, positve-admitling Of
no evasion oil equiVoCatIOn, and the man who
would nuIify that provision, would strike down
the whole instrument whenever it suited his Pur-
pose. Again, because the Supreme Court of the
United States has solemnly announced that the
Act of 1898 was delusive, and inefficient for the
objects contemplated by the Constitution, and
that We were entitled to full aud adequate re-
medy from the National Government. Now, /
maintain that any party that would throw itself
in direct opposition To the plain requirements Of
the Constitution of the United States, and in op-
position to the solemn adjudication ut the high
est judicial tribunal in the land and do for the
purpose of wagng reckless and unPrinciPled
warfare against our peace and happiness, cannot
be expected to command much of our respect
and confidence, and ought not TO command The
respect and confidence of any portion of the
cOuntry.
Let us. then, for moment look at The course
of the two parties upon this great and vital
question.
In the Senate of the United States not one sin
gle Northern Wing Senator could be got TO vote
for the passage OF the bill.
In the House of Representatives, it received
the vote OF one solitary Wing member from the
Northwestern States.
But this would lead me into too extensive
field OF the inquiry. My object is 10 examine the
courses of parties in this State, and to that will
for the present restrict myself
You had two Senators in Congress-Daniel
Sturgeon and James Cooper-the first, Demo-
crat the second, Wing. Sturgeon, the Demo
crat, voted for the bill; Cooper, the Wing,
against it.
state of things was exhibited. Ofyour twenty
four members, every Wing whose vote was re-
corded-and ten are SO recOrded-was found in
opposition TO the bill. Every Democrat whose
vote stands recorded, is found in support of the
bill.