M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1856-01-24

lneHeftnce win lis exiStence IN Tue
States. Onisise Of State mas .s,hey al
lowed itnO shelter WithinStsss lin
iIs. thev lr;, &, 10 be The exclusive dis
positionol Ssies immediately concerned.
No iacti, better established by the
Iecurds Of the psss, shan The prevalence
during the earlier period of our history,
OF an almost universal expectation that
SiAystE, eIriudsd. by poSitice prOhibi
lieu. ifam sl no liunil srriiory. would
'srsduliy bat osr'sinlN, and at 10 distant
dsv. undrr he operation Of ihs 0fiaci-
plSS ci he Dr,istsIiou q, Independence
lsi lat"- a. ,0e s,Iion OS the STATE sU'
StOu s-S, St>,pT.st holly from even
S,sge oiftt C-cu thr iOJrmos, chsm'
ylors y' ii-r a. Urfe Ci,iIras ci slave
Sgst,s su,t urc-r'sr 'hs bi.hrsJ stations
iu az >,s.- sus NsDuu,i Governments
b. l7s4, Immediately sI,er the par.
us. a1i tImeI' ar the cnudlo. between
the CLAIMS a. tve Union and the pre-.
tensions o the States IA respect 10 the
termon between the AlIeghanies and
the Mississippi, through the cession,
b, Virginia. oi the territory northwest
OF The Onio. JEFFERsoN proposed to
provide forever against the eNienIion OF
slavery, b, positive prohibition OF It's
existance alter 1900, in any territory
ceded or to be cedtd. or in any State to
Lr created out o. such territory. This
proposed prohibition received the votes
OF slxlscp ou. oltwenty three delegates
and OF six out OF nine States in the
Congress oI the Confederation. 1t iall-
I'd to become a law BY reason OF that
provision ofthe Articles oi Conledera'
ton which made the concurrence oil at
least seven StlteS necessary 10 an attir'
native decision OF any question. The
great majority in It's tAvor indicates,
howe, er, tie prevalent sentiment oil the
time.
lrree years later the Ordinance Ot
1887, impressed upon the soll OF the
territory northwest ol the Ohio an In
delible prohibition OF Slavery. That
Ordinance was adopted by the unanl'
nous votes OF all the States in Con.
gress. Ii covered every inch Of terrto>
~ subject to the exclusive regulation
oil the General Government.
In The same year the National Con-
stilulion was framed. Mr.. Madison
declared it wrong to admit in the Con-
slitulioh the idea that there could be
property in man" No such word as
Slave or Slavery found place in any
OF ITS provisions All recognition OF
the rigbtfuIness Of sla'ehoIding, and
oil national sanction Of the practice,
was carefully excluded from the instru-
ment. In every clause which has been,
or can he construed as referring to Sla.
very, it is regarded as the creature Of
State legislation Tor its exlstance and
continuance. There is no trace in the
Constitution itself, or IN the debates OF
its farmers, OF any expectation tor ap>
prehension oil the institution or main>
lenance OF Slavery by national law, or
in national territory. No ole anticlpa>
ted its execution beyond the Limits oil
existing States. But the people required
additional secureity. When. therefore,
Virginia, suggested all amendment OF
the Constitution, that mo freeman
ought to de deprived oil his life, IIber>
ty or properly, but by the law OF the
laud," Congress refused 10 sanction
this restriced guarnty, but proposed,
for the adoptron of the States, an a
mcndment, embracing comprehen'
sive and express interdict against al
invasion ol personal rights by the
Genera Government. That lnteldict
made part OF the Constitution by TIE
consent at 'hp State. is in these WORDS
"No person " " shall he deprived
OF he, ilber;i to property without due
process Of law" So long as this pro-
vision remains unaItered, il is not easy
TO see how slavery can be constitution.
ally introduced any where or contin-
ued anv where by National legislation
or in National territory.
This brief statement will suffice to
show what Was the policy aud what
wsS the anticipation of the founders oI
this Republic in respect to Slavery
Their policy was one Of repression. linn
itsliou, discoursgement; they anticiqa.
ted with confidence the suspicious re
suit of universal freedom. Persistent al
herance to their policy would uoub'Ieso
hsve realized their unticipations.
lreed not say 20 YOU that this policy
has nos been adhered to; nor need trace
the gradual process by which the Con
sliiuiion has been wrssted from its OF
iginsl purposes. and the Government
has been converted into sn instrument
for the mainlensnce and extension Of
Sleytry.
By cessions from original States, and
by treaties with foreign Governments,
vast territories have been ecquired in
all Of which the original policy ol the
Government required prohibition. bur
10 none Of which was prohibition actual.
ly applied, until resistance to the fur
iher increase OF Slavery aud the Slave
power in the Republic By the admission
Of Missouri as Slave State, led to the
great contest between the EItensionisl,
and the Restrictionisis. which. in 1920
terminated in the adjustment generally
hnown as the Missouri Compromise.
The tPrmI OF that comptOmise were
Ahasa thai Missouri shnnlh he ad mill