The Evansville daily journal., 1856-01-04


neither to undertake. nor permit any encroach-
ment upon or intermeddling with another's
reserved rights.
Where it was deemed expedient, particular
rights of the States were expressly guaranteed
nv the constitution, but in all things beside,
! these rights we're guarded by the limitation Of
the mowers granted, and by express reserva-
ton, of all powers not granted, in the compact
of union Thus, the great power of taxation
was limited to purposes of common defense and
, general welfare, excluding objects apPertalninS
to the local legislation of the several States;
and those purposes of general welfare and
common defense were afterwards Defined by
specific enumeration, as being matters only OF
CO. relation between the States themselves or
between them and foreign governments, which,
because of their common and general nature,
could not be left to the separate control ofeach
State ...-
| Ofthe circumstances oflocal condition, in
terest. and rights in which portion of the
States, constituting one great section of the
most important was the popularity ofa larger
relative colored populztian in the southern
thahin the northern States. ~
4 population of this class; held in subjee-
ton, existed in nearly all the States, but was
more numerous and of more serious concern
ment in the South than in the North, On ac-
count Unnatural difference of climate and pro-
Iduction; and it was foreseen that for the same
reasons, while this population would diminisilt
AMI, sooner or later, cease to exist in some
States, it might increase in others. The pc
Ecular character and magnitude of this question
Of local rights, notif material relations only,
but still more in social ones, caused it to eff
ter into the special stipulations ofthe constitt-
4 ton. st
/ Hence, while the general government, as
we'll by the enumerated powers granted to 1t,
as by those not enumerated, and therefore
E refused to it, was forbidden to touch this mat
ter in the sense ofastack or offence. it was pla
Iced under the general safeguard of the Union,
in the sense of defence against either invasion
or domestic violence, like all other local in
terest ofthe several Strtes. Each State ex-
pressly stipulated, as well for itself as for each
E and all of its citizens, and every citizen, of
each State became solemnly hound by his
allegiance to the constitution, that any
person. held to service or labor in one State,
escaping into another, should not, in con-
sequence of.any law or regulation thereof,
, be discharged from such service or labor,
but should be delivered up on claim of Il 9
party to whom such service or labor might be
due by the laws of his State.
Thus and thus only, by the reciprocal
! guaranty of all the rights Of every State
the present form Of government established by
, our fathers and transmitted to us; and by TO
, other means is it possible for it to exist. If
one State ceases to respect the rights of anoth-
: er and obtrusively intermeddes, with its To-
cal interests, ,--ifa portion Of the States assume
, to impose their institutions on the others, or
: refuse to fulfill their obligations to them.--we
, are no longer united friendly States, but dis
tracted hostile ones, with little capacity left
Of common advantage, but. abundant means of
reciprocal injury and mischief. sivs
Practically, it is immateral whether ag
gressive interference between the States, or
deliberate refusal on the part of any one Of
them to comply with constitutional obligations,
! arise from erroneous conviction or blind preju-
dice, whether it be perpetrated by direction or
indirecton. In either case, it is full of threat
and of danger to the durability of the Union.
CONSTITUTIONAL. RELATIONS OF SLAVERY.
Placed in the office of Chief Magistrate az
the executive agent of the whole country,
; bound to take care that the laws be faithfully
+ executed, and especially enjoined by the con-
. stitution to give information to Congress on
! the state of the Union it would be palpable
neglect of duty on my part to pass over a sub
iect like this which, beyond all things at the
present time, vitually concerns individual and
public security ssssf s-a-
It has been matter of painful regret to sec
States conspicuous for their services in found
ling this Republic, and equally sharing its ad-
yantages disregard their constitutional obliga-
tions tosit. Although conscious of their ina
bility to heal admitted and palpable social evils
of their own which are completely within
their jurisdiction, they engage in the offensive
and hopeless undertaking of reforming the do
mestic institutions of other States wholly be-
Il yond their control and authority. In the vain
4 pursuit of ends by them entirely unattainable,
and which they may not legally attempt to
compass, they peril the very existence Of the
constitution, and all the countless benefits
which it hss i..s conferred While the people Of
Iof the Southern States confne their attention
/. to their own affairs not presumlng ofhclousiy
4 to intermeddle with the social institutions OF
the Northern States; too many OF the Innaoi-
thants of the latter are permanently organized
in associations to infiict injury on the former
by wrongful acts, which would be cause Of war
as between foreign powers. and only fail to be-
lsnch in our system, because perpetrated under
/ cover of the Union. ans7asla7s -ssle
1t is impossible to present this subject as
truth and the occasion require without noti-
cling the reiterated, but groundless allegation
that the South has persistently asserted SiafhiE
and obtained advantages in the practical adj
minlstration of the general government, to the
prejudice of the North, and in which the latter
has acquiesced. That is, the States which
either promote or tolerate attacks on the rights
of persons and Of property in other States, to
disguise their own injustice pretend or mag
agine and constantly aver, that they whose con-
stitutional rights are thus systematically as
sailed are themselves the aggressors. At the
present time this imputed aggression, resting