The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1856-12-12

I"W~hlp with the aVbWed ana actlVt enemies
OF the Constitution. Ardentiy attached 60
liberty in the abstract, they do not stop to
consider practically how the objects they
would attain can lie accomplished, nor to re-
feet that, even If the evil were as great as
they deem it. they have no remedy to apply,
and that it can be only aggravated bv their
violence and unconstitutional action. A
question. which is one of the most difficult
of all the problems of social institutions,
political economy and craftsmanship, they
treat with unreasoning intrmperancr of
thoughtand language. Extremes beget rx
trrmrs. Violent nliark from the North finds
its inevitable consequence in the growth oi n
spirit of angry defiance at the South. Thus,
in the progress Of events we had reached
that contamination, which the voice OF :hp
people has now $" pointedy rehnked, "i
the attempt, of II porton of the States, by u
4. cinnal orgnnz ton in movement, 10 nsurp
the control of the Government of the United
States. ..
confidently believe that the great body
OF ttnse. who incunsidrralriy tonk this fat
slrp, are sincerely attached Ia the Constu.
ton and the Union. They would, upon de
liberation, shrink with unuff' ct"d horror
| ITDlli any CtUSCIUHS UCl w N'Nhh''' W W.
war. But they have entered into a path,
which leads nowhere unless 1t be to evil
war aud disunon, and which has no other
possible outlet. They have proceeded thus
far in that direction in consequence OF the
successive stages of their progress having
consisted of series of secondary ISSUES,
each of which prntess to be confined with
constitutional and peaceful limits, but whlc''
in attempt indirectly what few men were will
ing to do directly, that is, to act aggressive
ly against the constitutional rights OF nearly
one halt Of the thirty-one States.
| In the long series Of acts of Indirect ag-
gression, the first was the strenuous nglla-
li0rl, hv citizens of the Nnrtnern States, in
Congress ami out of il, of the question oi
negro rannncip ,lon in the Sonihrn St'tes.
The srcnrd step in this path Of evil con
sisted Of acls of the people of The Northern
States, aud iR several inst noes "f their gov
prnm ut, aimed 10 lacit L. the escape oi
| persons held to service in the Southern
States. and to prevent their extradltlon when
reel lined according tn law and in virtue oi
express provisions of the constitution. u"
promote this object, legislative enactmenlS
and other me .ns were adopted To take away
| ~ htlfHl Il1HiSs NllNli 'llC N'ho'''"''' ~
snlrnrly guaranteed.
In order to nnIliy the then existing act Of
Congress concerning the eXtradltlnh OF lngl-
tivcs rom service, laws wrr" enacted IN
many States, forbidng their Officers under
the s,'verest penaIti, =, to participate IN the
execution OF any act Of Congress Whatever.
| In this way tha, system of harmonious CO.
operation between The authorities OF the
| United States and OF the several States, for
the maintenance of their common instltu-
tiuns, which existed in the early years of the
! Republic. Was destroyed; conflicts ni iJnrlsdc-
lion came to 9e frrquent; nd Congress
found itself compelled, Tor the support OF the
Constitution, and the vndication ol ltspnwer,
To auth irisr the appointment of new officers
charged with the execution o: lis acts, ns II
they and the officers ol the States Vere the
ministers, respectively, of foreign govern
ments in state uf mutual hostility, rather
| than fpllOw-magistrateS OF II common c"un-
| try, peacefully subsistlng under the proter-
| ton of one well constituted Union. Thus
here, also, aggre ssi"h WAS followed by fe-
action aud the attacks upon the Constitution
ut this point did but serve to raise up new
barriers for its defence aud security.
The third stag of this unhappy section
al con,roverAy was in conueXion with the
organization of territorial governments, aud
the admission of new States into the Union.
When it WIS proposed to admit the Stale "i
Maine, by sep ration of territory from that ol
Massachusetts, and the State OF Missouri,
formed oi IL portion OF the teri tory ceded
by France to the Uaitrd States representa-
lves in Congress obi 'ctcd to the admission
ut the latter, unless with conditions suited to
particular views, Of public policy. The i'm
position of snch Il condition was success
fully resisted Bat, ut the same period, the
question was presented OF imposing re-
slrrti0ns upon the residue Of the territory
ccdrd by France. That question was, for
the time, disposed of by the adoption of
geographical line Of limitation.
In the connection it should not be forgot
ten that France, OF her own accord, resolved,
for considerations of the most tarslghted
sngucity, to cede louisiana to the United
States, and that accession was accepted by
the United States, the latter expressly EN-
gagged that "lhe inhabitants of the cedrd ter
riory shall he incorporated in the Union o
the United States, aud admitted IS soon
rs possible, according to the princip rs oI the
Federal Constitution, to the enjoyment of
all The rights, advantages, and immuniI;cs of
citizens OF the u. States, and in the mean-
time, they shalt hp IN ,inlninrd aud protect
ed in the tree euj'ym'nt of their liberty
prOperty and the religion which they pro-
iess"-that * To say, while 1t remains III
trrlnria condition, its inhabitants are main
tanned aud projected in the !lee enjoyment
of their liberty and property with rlght
then to pass into the condition of States on
n footing as perfect equality with the orig
nal States.
Tue enactment, which established the re.
striclive geographical Tines, was acquiesced III
rather than approved by the States "i the
Union. Ii stnod on the statute bo k, how
ever, for a number of years; and the people OF
the respective States ucqulesced IN the re-
actment oI the principle us applied to the
State Of Texas; and il was proposed to ae-
quirscr in its further application to the terri
tory acuuired bv the United States from
Mexico. But ;his proposition was success
fully r. si,trd by the representative from the
Northern Sutrs, uhn, regardless Of the stat
ute line, insisted upon applying restriction l"
the new territory generally, whether lylng
north ~ south Of il, thereby repeating u ~
Legislative compromise, aud, on III" part "i tllr
North, prrsistrnily violating the compact u
culnpact there was. Thereup"n thseh ctu'nl
ceased ln have binding virtue IN any S'nSr'
neither M respects the North or the South:
aud 81 in effect il was treated on the orclslon
of the admission of the State of California,
and the org nization of the Territories ot
New Mckee, Utah aud Washington.
Such WIS the state of this question when