Star of the Kanawha Valley. [volume] (Buffalo, Va. [W. Va.]) 1855-1856, 1855-11-28
Powerful Letter from the Hon. llA. wise
10 fiIs National Democratic Meeting ~
.NewEiOrk.
.OLSY NEAR OSAEcocK,
Thursday, Octobcrsl0. 1906 4

YOURS OF the IUtn, pOsEHhui heu Wy foss',
Esnd regret that ii il not in my power to
accept -FOUR invitation to attend and ad.
dress 4 mass meeting Of the National
Democratic party Of the City and County
1 Of New York, ut the Metropolitan Thea
tire, on Monday the 22d Inst. The slt''a.
ton ofmy fimily j. such that ! cannot
Ileaye home before the 22d instant, and
could not, from the date Of receiving your
letter. reach New York by that day IN
person; butt give YOU feryent. and
would gladly make it an effectual, re-
| spons".
Ihayd carefully examined the platform
which YOU inclosed Of your late Cpnvcn-
1 ton. held at Weiting Hill intho City q
symcusd, August %. 1885, and II hail
the National Democracy Of New York ~
brethren worthy. 10 be accredited in faith
and accepted IN fellowship by every Pat.
riot in thc land. You are national. mot in
tho sensc,of consolidation, but in thn con-
stitutional sense; you are national as op.
posed to exclusive and sectional; and YOU
are national not like the party Of "ebony
AMI topaz, = not like the "light-housrs IN
the skies Of the younger Adams intl 828,
nor like TIE "fusion Of confusion party
| in these days Of late "isms;" not "Nation-
al Republican," but you are National
Dcmocras4c." You assert your devotion
70 the Constitution; IN theory and prac-
ticc, the resolutions Of the Democratic
National Conventions Of l848 and 1910,
and You OBEY the lesson5of the fathers BY
recurring 10 frugality and economy, and
10 "the fundamental principles Of free
government" in the administration ofpub-
lie affairs. In all these ! heartily concur,
and unite sill further with you upon the
doctrine ofEState Rights and strict sron-
s,ruction Of the Constitution as applied 70
all questions, and particularly to domestic
State questions, and the principle Of non.
| intervention by Congress, 80 rs not 70 de-
privc S,ates Of their sovereign rights, in
tdividuals ofitheir private rights, and the
people ofthd Territories Of their just and
political powers. ,~~.
The Constitution, and not any tempo
rary aud temporizing compromises statue,
is the true and only standard Of national
right: The Constitution in its striet
sense. and n9taccording to the latitudina.
rian construction ola loose federal majbr-
fly: the Constitution, which leaves MI
powers not expressly granted where it
found them. The reserved rights of the
sovereign States: the Constitution. which
created certain federal relations and riglf,s
of private, citizens. among the most i'm
portant Of which is equality between cifi.
zcns Of the respective States on the corr
mon grounds of federal jurisdiction; per.
feet comfy between the citizens Of Stale
and State, and common property between
them and the national domain and domiu-
ion; the Constitution is the law of our
confcderacy. 1t is no rcspcctcr of pei
sons; it holds nll alike, and equally undGr
its protcctingf guardianship wherever il
applies. II prizes not into your prisa@
possession, nefinto mine. 1t knows ndt
whether yeuo wG6Rc species Of property
or another. 1t recognizes us only az
citizens Of equal State sovereignties,
who are confederated under It's shield, and
III provides protection for whatever right
belongs to either of US on ground which
belongs to both. The mere municipal aud
thority, the Congress cannot deprive
States and their citizens Of this equality
this comfy. and this common property
of the Cehfederacy.
lfy6u may 90 to the common Terrific
IryI~ith what Isl rightfully yours in New
York, may meet you there with whatcy-
cr is lawfully mine in Virginia. Con.
grcss may not say that ! shall not migrate
with slave property aud hold it there; for
If they may say that, they may, in like
manner, say thai you shall not go there
with horses and household goods, and
hold them; and if they declare against the
right of either, they may invade inaliena-
bic rights, and enact laws not within the
competency Of legislation.
The sovereign act Of defining what
shall and what shall not DO tenable prop.
erty by the citizen, can be determined on
| ly by the conventional power of the peo-
| pie, forming organic lava Constitution
changing a Territory into q State. Until
the new State comes into being, no power
upon earth can lawfully deprive you OF
your horses and household goods, or me
Of my slave in Kansas, unless the private
property be taken for public use with lust
compensation And, gentlemen, YOU
soy truly 'that the peace and quiet Of the
country demand that il should be left to
the people Of the Territories to determine
for themselves what their Constitution
Of Government shall be, not only in re.
spect to slavery, but every other local
question. Tho public peace is ondan.
gercd by this distributing subject" II
is practical right and threatens to be one
Of force. Force has already been exertcd
son the border" and in the face Of this
danger there is al organized "Fusion"
which must If persisted incompel 4 resort
to arms in order to dissolve evil spirits
combined TO repealthe ''Kansas Nebraska
bill, and to re-establish the Missouri Pro.
hibition."
| Prior to 1880 the Constitution
reigned supreme on this subject. Il was
then invaded by a repcalable, partial, Sec
tional statute, called the Missouri Com.
promise. It was then tho first separation
Of the State-it FIRST sectioned the country
like a survey Of the public lands-it first
said to the people the dividing language 81
L III - = q IL II