New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-01-07
LOGIC MOUNTED ON a LIE.


selEemancipated colonies in making themselves
a Union of confederated States, agreed that
every State should elect and determine its own To-
cal institutions including Slavery, with the excep-
tion that those which should elect free soil aud
free labor should in the case of slaves alleged to
have escaped from other States into their territory
allow Slavery to override Freedom forever, then
there might be some pertinence and force in Presi-
dent Pierce's immense onslaught on what he would
have us think the wicked prOpagandism OF free Inc
stitutions But the foul assumption is lie as well
as an absurdity. Not only were the people who
made the Constitution not the fools to make any
compact of the sort but actually and historically
they did MT do it. The unfanatical pen of James
Madison and the reporters of the various popular
Conventions that adopted the Constitution have re-
corded enough to make this fact certain and in
dubitabIe, in spite of ages of contrary assumption
BY Pro-Slavery statesmen, judges and Presidents
The history of that marvellous clause which the
slaye-power and its parasites have interpreted into
a constitutional obligation putting it out OF the
power of any sovereign State to protect its own
citizens against an allegation of Slavery made in
of any truthful man to gainsay syllable OF it,
Nothing about the recovery of fugitive slaves had
been thought of till the Slavery compromises OF the
Constitution were all settled in the Constitutional
Convention. AT that late period, when everybody
else was tired of the Slavery discussion or satisfied
with its result, Messrs Butler and Pinckney of
South Carolina because they wished to have some
thing in the Constitution to recognize the right of
property in slaves proposed append to the clause
relating to the rendition of fugitiyes from justice
that fugitive slaves and servants should be deiv-
cred up like criminals. Turn TO Madison's record,
and mark that the conjunction used was and, not
or. Thus, coupled with the fugitive slaves was
another class Of fugitiyes who were not slaves.
These were doubtless included because at that time
they were considerably numerous, and their flu
gacity gave so much trouble that laws for their
recovery existed on the statute books OF every one
of the Colonies-we believe without exception
laws which were frequently enforced on behalf of
owners in other Jurisdictions whereas the slaves
seem hardly TO have caught the fever of running
from one State TO another till long after, for the
very good reason that at that time there were no
Free States TO run TO. The fugatiOn Of slaves was
not then practical question and the South Caro-
linians coupled servants with them to give favor to
their attempt to commit the Constitution to the
abstract doctrine of the right Of property in human
flesh. 1t gained no favor, but was thrown back in
their faces rather Indignantly BY Messrs. Sherman
and Wilson. They withdrew the proposition,
and the mover afterwsrd brought forward the
clause for the rendition Of persons held
TO service or labOr-a clause which did
not describe slaves, and which no one at that day
who was not told that ii meant slaves would have
suspected of any application but TO indented or
legally bound servants, such as then still well
known under the names Of redemptioners palatines,
and the like. This clause was adopted with little
objection, no discussion, and only slight amend
ment chiefly designed to prevent it from giving any
color of support TO Slavery. Doubtless the mover
meant and the Convention understood that itwoull
be practically applicable to slaves, should an ever
escape from one State to another But the majority
intended. Madison being witness that the iargngg'
OF tie Constitution should be entirely innocent OF