Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1855-06-29
The National Council.

Temperance and similar societies. Ac-
cord lngly we copy below such part Of
the doings of the National Council as
will be likely to be interesting.
Friday. June Sth, the officers Of the
National Council for the next year were
chosen. f. b. Bartlett, of Kentucky,
was chosen President on the sixth ballot
Governor Gardner had 49 votes on the
third ballot.
A committee on platform was appoint.
ed consisting ofThomas II Ford, of Ohio
Coliax, OF Indiana; Foster, OF Mass. !;
Colby, of New Hampshire; Johnston, OF
Penn; Lyons, OF New York; Haugh,on
North Carolina, and one from each OF the
other States. This committee reported
the following resolutions on the subject Of
slavery as par, of the platform Of the
new party
Rtsolrtd: Tina, the American party
having arisen on the ruins and IN spite
Of the opposition OF the Wing and Demo.
cratic parties, canno, be held in any
manner responsible for the obnoxious acts
OF violated pledges of either; tina, the
systematic agitation Of the slavery ques.
ton by those parties, has elevated sec
tional hostility into positive element Of
political power and broush, our ins,i,u.
lions into peril; il has therefore become
the imperative duty Of the American
party TO interfere, for the purpose Of CIV.
ing peace to the country and perpetuiy
10 the tnion, that as experience has
shown it impossible TO reconcile opinions
so ex,reame as those which scpara ate she
disputants, and as there can be no d,shonor
in submitting to the laws, the National
Council has deemed i, the bes, guarantee
Of common lustice and OF future peace
10 ABIDE by and maintain the existing
laws upon the subjuc, OF slavery, as fl
nal and conclusive settlement OF that sub.
ject, in spiri, and in substance.
Reso'red, Tha, regarding i, the high.
IS, duty TO asow these opinions upon a
subject 50 important in distinct and un-
equivocal terms, i, is hereby declared as
the sense OF this National Council. that
! Congress possesses no power under the
Constitution, TO leg'slate upon the sub
Jet OF slavery In the States or TO exclude
any State from admission into the Union
because its constitution does not recog.
nlze the institution of SLAYER, as part OF
lis social system, and expressly prefer
hitting any expression OF opinion upon
the power OF Congress to establish or
prohibi, slavery in any Territory, it is
the sense Of this National Council that
Congress ought no, 10 lesislate upon the
subject of slavery within the Territories
the United States, and that any inter
ference Of Congress with slavery as it
exists in the D,stric, OF Columbia would
be violation oil the spirit and intention
Of the compact by which the STATE OF
Maryland coded the district to the T.
nited States, aud a breach of the nation
al faith
The resolution Of the minority was as
follows
! Resolred. Tha, the repeal Of the
Missourl Compromise was OH lniracllon
OF the plighted 'ai,h OF the Nation, and
that II should be restored, and il effort,
to tina, end shall fall, Congress should
refuse to admit any State toleratrng
slavery which shall be formed ou, of any
portion of the territory from which lha,
institution was excluded by lha, Cum
promise.
Mr.. Mallory, of New York, when the
ma loriy resolutions were brought in,
thought they needed no discussion. lie
found on, his mistake very soon. Gardn,
er, Of Massachusetts. took up the gaunt.
let. lie declared that neither he nor his
State, nor majority Of the free States
would abide by the resolutins frs, Hpor.
ed. The party could 10. carry IA village
OF Massachusetts upon them. lie charg'
ed the New York delegation with desert
ing the North, and Of even going so
far as TO compla in to the South tina, they
we're conc eding 100 much 10 the North
Gov. Gardner made bold and earnest
speech, protesting against the resolution
of the moIori,y.
Gov Fletcher, OF Vermont. Mr.. Gle
ment, of Delaware, and others. made ex.
celen, speeches against tins majority
report. The resolutions were adopted
by the committee, by l7toli. Previous.
ly another set Of resolutions had been
adopted BY the committee, which, il any
thing, were more Objectionable still
They proposed to forbid the discussion "l
the Slavery question. in or out of lis
Councils, in any Of its fofms, by the
Am erican Party. This was adopted by
the committee yeas 10, nays IA. An.
other Of this series proposed that the
Constitution and Laws of the General
Government should be rigidly o5eyed and
enforced, and was intended to apply
particularly the Fugitive Slave Law