Southern shield., 1855-08-25

stitutions of nearly all the States by the de cisions of the most eminent judicial authorities; and by the consent of the people of America, is considered an element of our political sys- tem; and as the Holy Bible is at once the source of Christianity, and the depository and fountain of all civil and religious freedom, we oppose every attempt to exclude it from the schools thus established in the States. XII.--The American party having arisen upon the ruins and in spite of the opposition of the Whig and Democratic parties, cannot be held in any manner responsible for the ob- noxious acts or violated pledges of either And the systematic agitation of the Slavery question by those parties having elevated sec tional hostility into positive element ot po- litical power, and brought our institutions ln- to peril, it has therefore become the imperative duty of the American party to interpo5e for the purpose of giving peace to the country and perpetuity to the Union. And as experience has shown it impossible to reconcile opinions 50 extreme as those which seperate the dis putants. and as there can be no dishOnOr Tn Submitting to the laws, the National Council has deemed it the best gurantee of common instice and of future peace, to abide by and maintain the existing laws upon the subject Iof Slavery. as final and conclusive settle ment of that subject, in spirit and in substance
 And regarding it the highest duty to avow their opinions upon a subject so important, Tn distinct and unequiyOcal terms, it is hereby Ideclared as the sense of this National Council that Congress possesses no power, under the Constitution, to legislate upon the subject of Slavery in the States where it does or may eX- st, or to exclude any State from admission lntO the Union, because its Constitution does or does not recognize the institution of Slave rv as a part of its social system; and expressly lpretermiting any expression of opinion upon lthe power of Congress to establish or prohibit Slavery in any Territory, it iS the sense the | National Council that Congress ought not to legisate upon the subject of Slavery within 1 the Territories of the United States and that any interference by Congress with Slavery as 1 1t exists in the District of Columbia, would be a violation of the spirit and intention of the compact by which the Stataof Maryland ceded the District to the United States, and breach of the National faith.
 XIII-The policy ofthe Government Of the United States, in its relations with foreign governments, is to exact justice from the strongest, and do justice to the weakest: re- straining, by all the power of the government, all its citizens from interference with the in- ternaI concerns of nations with whom we are at peace.
 This National Council declares that all the principles of the Order shall be hence forward everywhere openly avowed; and that each member shall be at liberty to make known the existence of the Order, and the fact that he himself is a member; and it recommends that there De no concealment of the places of meeting of subordinate councils.
 E. E. RTLETT, of Ky,
 President of National Council. c. D. DEsHLER, of \. J.,
 Corresponding Secretary.
 JAMES NJ. STEPHENS, of Md,
 Recording Secret0ry.