Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1856-09-05


Tstt sJ.s - $500
4 RECORD OF MIR. RucHANAN.s5
/ The enemies of Mr.. Buchanan go bach
La period of forty years, and allege that
bat admeeting in the town of Lancaster,
IPennsylsania, as chairman of a acommiltee
be reported certain resolutions condemn>
ling the extensionsof slavery into any more
free territory, This charge has been
Econtradictsd by sthes Hon. u. u GlanoeS
Jones, of Pennsylvania, IN hisjplacesin the
House Of Representatives, iathe following
manner 4s4- - gs54 sfst sas 3 r =, l.-t
h. g. Now, sirs / am enabled to state. on
unquesIionables authority, that. the deela.
ration that ames1 Buehanan was. chair
man, of the commiIte, which framed thos.
RESOLUTIONS, ;is.,unlounde 4andsuntrue. 4 l
undertake here. in ;my place, to say tothe
House and to the country. that Ms Bu.
ohanans adidesnot 1reportvtthe, resolutions
ivreferred 10 iathat. = he WAS not the
chairman Of 1hes committee by Rhich they
sweres Fepertedssl and sthat ehe never saw
thems until they appeared in print. ''is.,
ssrIt has been; even rnerei efecniall yscons
I,pradicteds bya sresolure, advocacy of soush>
ern rights during "a public service e xtend.
ing through aperiod of, mere thanisfoFty
years. ss.f p >ti-a'sstreg aNs9o
But we pass from the imputations of
anonymous, malice 10 tue indispntableife.
cords of public history.
Mr.. Buchanan asserts tts right of property
In SlaUss On the 7Lh Of January, 1886,
Mr.. Buchanan presented TO the Senate
memorial from Society of Friends in
Pennsylvania, requesting Congress to
abolish slavery and slave trade in the
District Of Columbia. He urged the ne
cessity of all such petitions without de-
bate expressing his decided opinion that
the prayer of the petitions should not be
granted, and said:
II any one principle Of constitutional
law at this day be considered as settled,
it is that Congress had no right, no power,
over the question of slavery in those
States where it exists. The property of the
master in his slave existed in full force
before the federal constitution was adop-
ted. 1t was. subject that then belong
ed, as it still belongs, to the exclusive
jurisdiction Of the southern States. These
States, by the adoption Of the constitution.
never yielded to the general government
any right to interfere with the question.
Il remains. where it was previous TO the
esta ablishment Of the confederacy.
1.-The constitution has In the clearest
terms recognized the right of property in
slaves. II prohibits any State into which
slave may have fed from passing any
law to discharged him from slavery, and
4 ~ |. .t.ll |, lSlt ks1rt ha
authorities of such State to his master !;
nay, more, it makes the existence Of sla.
very the foundation of political power, by
giving to those States within which it ex'
lists representatives in Congress-, not only
in proportion to the whole number Of free
persons, but also in proportion to three.
lifths of the numbers, Of slaves"
He sAows tie consequences Of ABOLITION
After showing that Congress, on the 23i
day Of March, 1890, had SO determined.
and that the Union would be dissolved at
the moment an effort would be seriously
made by the free States in Congress TO
pass such laws, he says:
"What, then, are the circumstances
under which these memorials are now
presented 7? A number Of fanatics led on
by foreign incendiaries, have been scat
teriug arrows, FIRE brands and death
throughout the southern States the ma
tural tendency of their publications is to
produce dissatisfaction and revolt among
the slaves, and 10 'incite their wild pas.
sions TO vengeance. All history, as well
as the present condition of the slaves,
proves that there can be no danger OF q
servile war, but in the meantime what
dreadful scenes may be enacted before
an insurrectiou, which would spare nei>
1 ther age nor sex. could be suppressed ;
what agony Of mind must be suffered. es.
lpecially by the gentler sex. in conse-
quence Of these publications. Many a
mother clasps her infant to her bosnm
wien she retires to rest, under dreadful
apprehensions that she may be aroused
from her slumbers by the savage yells Of
the slaves by whom she is surrounded
These are the works Of the abJlitioHists
| That their motives may be honest, do
not doubt, but their zeal is without
knowledge The history Of the hu
man race presents uumerods examples
Of ignorant enthusiasts, the purity ol
whose intentions cannot be doubted, who
have spread devastation and bloodshed
over tile face of the earth. .''@aS
This being true statement Of the
case as applied to the States where sla.
very exists. what is now asked by these
memoriaIists 2 That in this District 0
ten miles square. district carved out ot
two stayeholdiug States and surrounded
10y then on all sides, slavery should be
abolished. What would be the effects oI
granting their request? You would erecl
a citadel in the very heart of these States