Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1855-06-16
THE KNOW NOTHING CONVENTION.

The Convention OF the secret order sitting
in the city is terribly troubled with the sla-
very uuestim. Yesterday the 81 Commit
tee, by vote of II TO Ia, reported as fol-
lows:
Resolved. That the American party, hav-
ing arisen upon the ruins and in spite of op-
position of the Whig and Democratic parties,
cannot be held in any manner responsible Tor
the obnoxious acts or violated pledges OF Ell
ther: that the systematic agitation OF the
slavery question by those parties has elevated
sectional hostility into a positive element oil
political power, and brought our institutions
into peril 1t has therefore become the I'M
peratve duty of the American party to inter-
pose. for the purpose of giving peace to the
country and perpetuity to the Union. mat
rs experience has shown it is impossible 10
reconcile opinions so extreme as those whlch
separate the disputants, as there can be no
dishon)r in submitting to the laws, the Ma
tional Council has deemed it the best guar
antee of common justice and OF future peace
to abide and maintain the existing laws upon
the subject of slavery, as a final and conclu-
sve settlement of that subject in spirit and
in substance.
Resolved, That regarding it the highest du-
ty to avow these opinions upon q subject so
it is hereby declared, as the sense of his Ma
tonal Council, that Congress possesses nc
power under the Constitution to legsIate up
on the subject Of Slavery in the States, or to
exclude any State from admission into the
Union because her Constitution does or does
not recognize the institution of slavery as a
part Of her social system; and expressly pre-
| termitting any expressions of opinion upon
the power of Congress to establish or prohibit
| Slavery in any territory. 1t is the sense oil
this National Council that Congress ought
not to legislate upon the subject of Slavery
within the territories of the United States
and that any interference of Congress with
Slavery as it exists in the District Of Colum
bia would be violation Of tho spirit and in
tention Of the compact by which the State oI
Maryland ceded the District to the United
States, and a breach of the national faith.
Minority Report.-rhe minority resolution
was as follows: Resolved, That the repeal o.
the Missouri Compromise was an intractor
of the plighted faith of the Nation, and that
it should be restored, and that if efforts tC
that effect shall fail, Congress should refuse
to admit any State tolerating Slavery which
shall be formed out of any portion of the ter
ritory from which that institution was eXclu
ded by that Compromise.
Ihe minority resolutions were signed 10y
the representatives of Pennsylvania, Ohio
! Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode
Island, Vermont Indiana, Wisconsin, Michi
gan. lllinois-twelve in all. Delaware ant
New Jersey also endorsed the first clause
New Y ork, alone, of the Free States, wen
for the majority resolutions, and united will
Minnesota and the District Of Columbia, en-
ablcd the South to carry the Majority repor
in committee.
In discussing the resolutions, Gov. Gardin
er declared that neither'he nor his State, no
a majority Of the free States, would abide b,
the resolutions first reported The part
could not carry a village in Massachusett
upon them. He charged the New Yorl
Delegation with deserving the North. Th
resolutions Of the majority will undoubtedl
pass.