New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-06-05
A NEW ABOLITION SOCIETY.

A Society has recently betn iormed called ~
ABOLITION SOCIETY or NEw-YoRK CRY AxD
VICINITY 1t invites the attention Of the pub
lie to the following Treatise on the CoSsrrrU-
TroNAL DUTY or THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
TO ABOLISH AMERICAN SLAVERY, hoping that Il
will be widely circulated
| DUTY OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
| TO ABOLISH SLAVERY.
Tie Abolition Society Of New-Yorx City and visin-
ity at lis organization Issued Address TO the peo-
pie of the United Setes in exposition of its principles
and tees, and inviting the friends Of liberty in thoir
several localities TO organize similar soccties In ad-
diiion TO Ills the Executive Committee have nov
thought il adv sable 10 make brief exposition Of thar
Constitution together with condensed outline Of Tho
course of argument by which its peculiar positions are
sustained
THE NAME or rHR SOCIETY.
Slarerv Societies have been chiefly occupied In
exposing tire nature the character and the effects u
Slavery and urging the duty and saiesy OF immeiiais
and unconditional emancipation. 1hss Society takes
tie nane Of Abolifios Society as more properly in
ioetiye of it's specifc design 10 procare the boissos
of SlavCr the sur preston by civil government, ana
particularly by the Federal Government OF the ori-
NAL lrec'icc of siGrehotd'ng.
WHAT II INFANT ny THE ILIEGALfrr OF SLAVERY.
When we say hat Slavery IL illegal, we moan nos
merely that IL u morally wrong, wicked or sinful in
the sight of God but that it is likewise unlawful ~
the established yTRcfes OF hFmGH tErrsprsdeSce, Juss
as murder areon robbery theft ana assault and bat
terv are un nwfu and that there is no valid law
Tor the than there is for the other. We mean thes
saveloling is illegal as other criminal practices are
illegal We affirm that there IL no legislation in any
OF tie States that makes it legal. We mainssa that,
even without any legislation against Slavery, IL Is Mo-
the right ano duty the Couris of Justice 20 hberats
any slave who may bring suit for his or her freedom
WHY SLAVERY Is ILLEGAL.
We affirm its iegality two general grounds
Frs, Slavery cannot possibly b. cgalized. Second,
Ii II could be- Il nerer has been and IL not legal
iz.d in this country. The ground trst mentioned y
tlar OF a universal and immutablc priHeTpe; the
second is that of history aud VI existing local fact.
First .Slorery cannot possibly b. legal zed. 10
its very nature it is incapable OF Equalization lhe
stsndaid wricrs on common law affirm the impoes,-
hiy of legalizing Slavery even by positive munich
pal law They declarethe right TO liberty TO be ina-
euGbe. and that statutes against fundamental inorda-
ity ere void.i
Tie nature Of civil government and Of civil law.
defined hy all standard writers on those subjectA
proves il impossible to egalzc slayery' ITO SECURE
mans inalienable rights, governments are Instituted
"emong men," And consequently they can nave no
lawful authority TO violate the rights which they exist
only to protect The protection Of humon rights neoes-
saIily involves the prohibition and suppression OF
slaycLolding. Having no legal authority to violate
mems natural rights, governments can delegate NC
sucb authority TO Others The powers Of oivh
government aro limited. But they would DO an
limited il they could have the en'hority ana
the power TO legalize the enslavcment OF thor subjects
All the declarations made land they have
ahouuded in all civilized nations and ages) thss
all men are created equal, that ali men arc
entitled to personal liberty, and that Govern
rents for the protection OF righs,s are 40 many
declarations that Slavery is incapable OF legazation
All the venerated definitions of lar go TO the Same
point "Whaicver is Just" snys Cicero, is also the
'tue lar nor can this true law be abrogaed by any
"written enoctmenis." Municipal law, says Black
stone sis properly defined TO be rule of civil Conduct
"presclibed 10y the supreme power IN state com
mandipg what is right and PROHIBITING ni,.ag what
"the authority Of any society stamped upon moru
"duty" And according to Jacobs Law Dictionary.
"Law" is "the rule and bond OF mems actionss
or il Is rule for the well government OF civil so-
"cetv 10 give to epery man that which doth BELONG
to him."
In short the entire cicncc of civil government and
civil law will have to be revised and reyouuonzoo
before slavery can be made legal .
SECOND: But lift were possible to egalize slavery,
is historically certain that 1t never has been iogahzeo
in this county. No statutes have been enacted tnas
could have legalized itnone that have oven pretended
to do So To this point have the testimony OF the
prominent savehclding statesmen aud Jurisls Of
| America.
| Judge Matthews OF louisiana Senator Mason, Of
| Virginia, Mr.. Baylis, Representative In Congross
fIom the State,o Senator Douglas OF Illinois,
| Mr.. Toomhs OF Georgia. Gen. Strnfeow OF Mis-
! souii with The Hon. >. c. Brooks and John McQueon
of South Carolina, William Smith of Virginia, and
| Thomus l.. Clingman of North Carolina.s Mcmbess
| OF Congress,) aud Southern editors generally, affirm
that Slavery grew up in the American Colonies with
Out any positive enactments creating or authorizing II
that nothing of that character Is known to the legis-
laOn OF tins COuntry-althougn stbiuieb nhvo Doou
| framed e. eulatc what was assumed TO nave nad
previous legal existence. And yet 1t Is admitted bY
the Southern Counts that Slavery is contrary to natural
right and to common law and only exist by the force
| OF local municipal, positive law. On ths ground,
| tie Soutbem Courts have liberated slaves who had
been carried by consent Of their masters beyond the
limits OF the local jurisdiction where they had beea
| held as slaves The Supreme Court Of the United
States On tie cese of Pngg Pennsylvania, 10 Pc
tors declared that " the state OF Slavery 70 mere
"nunicipal regulation, founded upon aud limited 70
"the verge of the territorial law Putting theee
two statements together, the mater-of-fact iegslhy
of American Slavery is seen at glance.
HISTORICAL OUTLINE.
The whole history OF Slavery and Of the sInve-trsde
! in England end her American Colonies shows that
Slavery has never been logallzcd.
The % PERMIT Of Queen Elizabeth to John Haw'
kips TO cary Africans 10 the Colonies, forbade their
traIsy ort6ton without their own free consent but
| he took tLom away by brute force and therefore
| in violation Of the conditions OF the permit under
! which lie pretended to act.'' All tho subseqasm
acts of parliament regulating the trade 10
" Africa particularly the act Of 20 George H.
chiefly relied upon by the slave traders forbade IN
der heavy penaies, Tho carrying away Of Africans By
any act OF fraud, force, or yiolenee.'n but inc
whole history of the traffic proves 1t to have been pros
couod in open and direct violation OF these prohpi-
tious So that the matter-offact Afncan slave ushe
| never was egalizcd. This proved by william
Pm ia the British Parliament and this led TO the abo-
| liion Of the slave trade.H
| When the slaves were landed in the Colonies ana
rod to the planters there were no Enghsh or copn
statutes authorizing the procedure had tnc,e ooon
any they would have been OF no vaid orce, yeeeu1S
contrary 10 the British Constitution and the Engiisn
| common law. This appears from the decision OF Lor!
Chief Justice Mansfield, who on this ground noe asea
the slave Somerset and declared Slavery illegal In Ed
gland in the year 772, four years before our Decar
never enforced in the Colonies, legally binding
VI on them, Granville Sharpe publicly maintained.