Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1856-02-14
WASHINGTON d. G. THURSDAY AFTERNOON FEBRUARY a. 1856

of party, and free from any influence or direction
or denominationai or partisan character
And, inasmuch as Christianity, by the Constitu-
tons of nearly all the States by the decisions Of
the most eminent judicial authorities; and by the
consent OF the people OF America is considered an
element OF our political system; and, as the Holy
Bible is at once the source of Christianity and the
depository and fountain of all civil and religious
freedom, we oppose every attempt to exclude il
from the schools thus established IN the States
4lI.--The American party having arisen upon
the ruins and in spite of the opposition of the Whg
and Democratic parties, cannot be In any manner
responsible for the obnoxious acts of violated
pledges Of either. And the systematic agitation
ofthe slavery question by those parties having ell
evated sectional hostility into positive element
Of political power, and brought our institutions
into peril, it has therefore become the imperative
duty of the American party to intArpose for the
purpose Of giving peace to the country and per.
petuity to the Union. And as experience ha.
shown it impossible to reconcile opinions 80 ex-
treme as those which separate the disputants, and
as there can be no dishonor In submitting to the
laws, the National Council has deemed ii the best
guarantee of common justice and of future peace
to abide by and maintain the existing laws upon
the subject of slavery, as final and conclusive
settlement OF that subject, in spirit and in sub
stance.
And regarding it the highest duty to avow their
opinions upon subject so important, in distinct
and unequivocal terms it is hereby declared as the
sense of this National Council that Congress pos
sesses no power, under the Constitution, to legis-
late upon the subject of Slavery in the States
where it does or may exist to exclude any State
from admission into the Union, because its Consti-
tuition does or does not recognise the institution
Of Slavery as part of its social system and ex-
pressly pretermitting any expression of opinion
upon the power of Congress to establish or pro-
hibit Slavery in any Territory it is the sense OF
the National Council that Congress ought not to
legislate upon the subject of Slavery within the
Territories of the United States and that any in
reference by Congress with Slavery as 1t exists in
the District of Columbia, would be violation oI
the spirit and intention of the compact by which
the State of Maryland ceded the District to the
United States, and breach of the National faith
XIIL-The policy of the Government of the
United States In its relations with foreign govern
ments, is to exact justice from the strongest and
do justice to the weakest restraining, by all the
power OF the government all its citizens from in.
reference with the internal concerns of nations
with whom we are at peace.
XlV.--This National Council declares that oil
the principles of the Order shall be hencefofward
everywhere openly avowed and that each mem
Der shall be at liberty to make known the existence
OF the Order, and the fact that he himself is mem
Der, and it recommends that there be no conceal
ment OF the places Of meeting Of subordinate coun
ellis.
E. B. BARTLETT, of Kentucky,
President Of National Council
@. d. DEsHLER, of New Jersey,
Corresponding Secretary.
JAMES nj. STEPHENS, Of MARYLAND.
Recording Secretary.