Kansas weekly herald., 1854-09-29

L
of those fathers who bequeathed to him as
rich legacy the heroic precedent of sin
gle-hearted devotion to justice and to coun-
spontaneous inspirations of his heart, to de-
clare that which he does not feel and love.
This question of slavery demands of us
in New Hampshire at this time a calm,
searching, comprehensive, fearless, nation
al investigation. We hope it will receive
it during the approaching canvass soon to
commence. We hope our orators, who are
soon to be in the field, will challenge the
opposition to discussions of the subject in all
its bearings. There is no other course in
the present juncture, open to the democ-
racy, consisten mt with manhood, consistent
with self-respect, consistent with the duty
| we owe to our brethern in other states,
consistent with the ascendancy we hold
throughout the union, consistent with the
past history of the great organization to
which we belong, the records of ever ma
turing greatness which mark the bright
rubrics of its past, but to meet this question
of slavery, as we have before, considered it,
and deal with it earnestly, honestly and
justly. 1t is clear that we must in the
coming contest, meet this confederated op-
position single.handed and alone Our
antagonists will be made up of every odd
end OF faction that craft, intellect, or fecu-
lent corruption has ever devised. Some of
them, so very few as hardly to be of notice,
may perhaps be men of honest convictions
but men whose consciences, unfortunate
ly, always lead them to consider it their
duty to deny, misrepresent, falsify, and
IL
are like wrecl,ers upon rock hound coast,
living upon the accidents of the times, Int
always ready "to hint the lie, and pile the
pyramid Of calumny." These men will
forever and continually as they have done
in times past, mis-state the questions in is
sue, ridicule the idea that there is any
ground for serious apprehensions and deny
that the adoption by the non-slayeholding
states, of the propositions embraced in their
platform would result either in evil or dam
ger. They will craftily but arrogantly
point to the condition of the public mind in
our own state, and ask how many men in
| New Hampshire, viii vote to go out Of the
Union, If the Wing and Abolition platform
principles should pass into legal enactments
by Congress. Admit that not one can be
found. But that is not the point The
question, us has before been stated by 9TH
ers, IS whether we of New Hampshire will
so adhere TO the constitution, SO enact and
| maintain laws 10 preserve it and give Vi
tailty to the rights it confers upon all the
people OF all the states, that VIC will not only
remain IN the Union ourselves, but germI
| our bretbe1p of the south TO remain IN 1T
That is the point. Will the people OF New
Hampshire maintain measures necessary
to maintain the constitution, or will they
oppose them. That is the question to be
decided, and from it the opposition must
not be allowed to wriggle or twist, like a
reluctant or untruthfuI witness upon the
stand. There is to be nothing like conces-
sion to the south upon this question of sla-
very, or any other question. The south
will not ask it, and if they did. it would Re
of no use, unless there were reciprocal ad-
vantagcs to be- gained without a sacrifice of
moral principle. All the south now ask,
and all the democratic party propose to give
! them, is their rights nnder the constitution.
Not one iota more, not one jot less.
Now, take the case Of the fugitive slave
law, OF the obligation to return upon claim
persons owing service or labor. Is it right
| under the constitution? Take the case of
Anthony Burns, the fugitive recently de-
livered up in Boston. Had his owner un-
der the constitution a right to recapture his
slave and be protected while so doing?-
The answer is unmistakable The right
Is written down in the constitution so clear
ly and unequivocally that he who runs may
read. The following are the words of the
constitution which we have transcribed -
No person held to service or labor in one
| state, ae'sder the la,rs thereof escaping isto
another, shall, IN consequence of ana loac
or regulation therein, be discharged from
such service or labor, bat shall be delivered
| upon cLain, of the party to rhom such ser
Oice o.: tabor may be dae..
As northern men, we may, and we do
regret, thatthere should be slave to flee,
Or a master to pursue, but our regrets, no
matter how praiseworthy, cannot interfere
with the mandates of the constitution 1t
IS stipulated there, in the plainest language,
that the slave, shall be delivered up and
no sophistry can gloss it. 1t cannot be
erased from the page of the constitution.
by US of New Hampshire, Or of the north.
1t will not answer either, for men to de-
claim In State conventions as was the case
in the last whig convention, against this
particular fugitive slave law, as though they
would ever sanction any law to carry into
effect this obligation of the constitution
They don't propose any other law by which
to accomplish it. They do not mean that
there shall be any law upon the subject.
Now, this fugitive slave law, or some
o1ner Oh hike eff eiency,is of vital importance
to the south. Were it not for some legis-
tlon OF the nnd they would In time be de-
spoiled OF oil their property, and of the
sources OF their enterprise and wealth, the
culture of southern staples. 1t is unnec-
essary to enumerate the nnmberless reasons