Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1856-01-09
NO. VII.

faUaInSt either Invasion or Sio'euSSI
, all other local interests Of the several States
: Each State expressly stipulated, as well Tor IT.
selfas for each and all of It's citizens, and every
citizen of each State became soIemnly bound by
his alIcgiancc to the constitution, that any person
held to service or labor in one State, escaping in
to another. should not, in consequence OF any law
Or regulation thereof be discharged from such
service or abo, but shonld be delivered upon claim
of the party u whom such service or iaoor misn'
be due by the laws Of his State.
Thus, and thus only, by the reciprocal guar
anty of all the rights of every State against In
terierence on the part of another was the present
form Of government established by our fathers and
transmitted to US; and by no other means is It
possible for it to exist If one State ceases to
respect the rights of another, and obtruslyely IN
termeddles with its local inierests-if portion
of the States assume to impose their institutions
on the others, or refuse to fulfil their obligations
to lhem-we ere no longer united friendly States,
but distracted hostile ones, with little capacity
left of common advantage, but abundant means Ut
reciprocal injury and mischief.
Practically, it is mmaterial whether agg.es-
sive interference between the States, or deliber-
ate refusal on The part of any one of them to COM
ply with constitutional obligations, arise from er-
roaecus conviction or blind prejudice, whether 1t
be perpelrated b. direction or indlrectlon. In ell
ther case, it is full Of threat and danger to the
durability Of the Union.
CONSTITUTIONAL RELATIONS TO SLAVERY.
Placed in the Office of Chief Magistrate as the
executive agent of the whole country, bound to
take care that the laws be faithfully executed,a and
specially enioined ov the constitution to give in
formation to Congress On tho state OF the Union, It
would be palpabe neglcct CT duty on my part to
pass over 9 subject like this, which, beyond
all things at the present time, vitality concerns
individual and public security.
II has bsen matter of painful regret to see
States, conspicuous for their services in founding
this republic. and equally sharing its advanta-
ges. disregard their constitutional obligations to it.
Although conscious of thei. inability TO heal ad-
miited and papable social sVi.s Of their own, and
which are completely within their jurisdiction,
they engage in the offensive and hopeless UNDER
taking of reforming tie domestic Institutions OF
other States wholly beyond their control and au-
thority. In the vain pursuit OF ends, by them
entirely unattainable, and which they may not
legally attempt to compass, they peril the very
existence of the concttution and all the countless
benefits which il has conferred. While the peo-
pIe of the southern States conne their attention
to their own afairs, not presuming oficiously to
intermedd!e with the social institutions of the
northern States, too many of The inhabitants ofthe
latter are permanently organized in associations to
indict injury On the former, by wrongful acts,
which would be cause OF war as between foreign
powers, and only fail to be such in our system,be-
cause perpetraied under cover OF the Union.
Is il possible to present this subject as truth
and the occasion require, without noticing the re-
i,erated, but grouudless allegation, that the South
has pecsistenty asserted claims an. obtained ad-
yantages in the practical administration of the
general government, 10 the prejudice Of the North,
and in which the latter he. acqresced. That's,
the States which either promote or tolerate at
tacks on the rights Of persons and of property in
other States, to disguise their own injustice, pre-
tend or imagine, and constantly aver, that they,
whose constitutional rights are thus systematcal-
ly assaed, arc themselves tne s..gressors. At
the presen. time, this imputed aggression, resting,
as il does. only in the vague dec!amatory charges
of political aritators, resolves itself into misappre
hension, or m!sinterpfetstion, CT the principles aud
facts Of the political organization OF the new Ter
ritories Of the United States.
What is the voice of history2 When the ord
nance, which provided for the government OF the
territory northweG: OF the river Ohio, and for its
eventual sub division into new States, was adop-
ted in toe Congress of the confederation, it is
not TO be supposed that the question of future rel
alive power. as between the States which retain
ed and those which did not retain, numerous
coored population escaped notice. or tailed to be
considered. And ye. the concession OF that vast
territory 10 the interests and opinions OF the north
ern States, territory now the seat OF five among
the largest members of the Union, was, in great
measure. the act of the State of Virginia and OF
the South.
When Louisiana was acquired by the United
States, it was an acquisition not less 10 the Noltn
than TO the South; for while it was important 10
the country at the mouth Of the river Mississippi
TO become the emporium of the one conntry above
it, so also it was even more important W tne
whole Uunon tc have that emporium; and ale
thongh the new province, by reason Of its imPer-
feet settlement, was mainly regarded as on the
Gulf Of Mexico, yet, in TACT. it extended to the
opp,site boundaries Of the United States, with tar
greater breadth above than below, and was IN
territory, as in everything else. equally at least
an accession TO the northern States. Ii Is mere
deluson and prejudice, therefore, TO speak OF Lou
,iana as ACQUISITION in the special interest OF the
South
The oatriotic and just men who participated IN
that act were influenced by motives far above all
sectional ealouses. 1t was in truth the great
event. which, By completing for us the possession
of the valley of the Mississippi, with commercial
access to the Gulf Of Mexico, impaired unity and
STRENGTH TO the whole confederation, and attached
tooethar by ndissolube ties the East and the
West as we'll as the North and the South.
AZ to Florida. that was but the transfer by
sn,n tn the United States Of territory on the east
side Of the river Mississippi, in exchange for large
territory. which the United States transferred to
Snain on the west side Of that river, as the en-
tire Diplomatic history OF the transaction serves 70
demonstrate. Moreover, IL was an acquisition de-
manded by the commercial interests and the secu-
rlty of the whole Union.
In the meantime the people Of the United
States had grown up to proper Consciousness OF
their strength, and in brief contest with France,
and in second serious war with great Britain,
they had shaken off all which remained of undue
reverence for Europe, and emerged from the at
mosnnere Of those trans atlantic influences which
surrounded the infant republic, and had begun to
turn their attention to the full and systematic de-
yeopment of the internal resources Ut the Union.
Among the evanescent controversies OF that
period the most conspicuous was the question OF
regulation by Congress Of the social condition OF
the future States to be founded IN the territory OK
Louisiana.
The ordinance for the government Of the terri
tory northwest Of the river OHIO had contained d
provision, which prohibited the use Of servile la
bor therein, subject to the condition of the extra
ditions of fuytives from service due in any other
part Of the United States. Subsequently to the
adoption of the constitution, this provision ceased
to remain as law for its operation as such was
absolutely superseded by the constitution. But
the recollection of the fact excited the zeal of So
cial propagandism in some sections Of the confed-
Grafton and. when second State. that Of Mis-
souri,. came to be formed in the territory Of Lou
siana proposition was made to extend to the lat
ter territory the restriction originally applied to
the country situated between the rivers Ohio and
Nissiseinni