Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1857-04-10
SOUTHERN RIGHTS EXPLAINED AND DE-

SUI IiEhN hlNHIN LNIlAlNlN AM IN
PENDED.
Statesmen arc respectful Of southern rights
and ready to defend them when occasion re-
quires. But it is doubted whether thoy ever
explain them and defend them in the same
connection. Mr.. Collamer in his speech
in the L. S. Senate, April %, 1856, said there
was nothing in the constitution that would
lead a man to dream of the existence Of sla-
very. How then can slavery be defended as
constitutional Easily enough. Where
there is a will there is way. and the courts
and statesmen understand it. Hear Mr..
Collamor from the above speech
" Il is known TO men of legal experience
that there is such thing as what is called
contcmporancous construction
BY " contemporaneous construction Mr..
C.. means construction founded in history.
Now, hear him again
" hardly know of any one branch Of our
constitution where / consider contompora-
neous construction so important as in regard
to the subject of slavery. and especially in
relation to the rights and interests Of those
states who claim and hold slaves. To them
contemporoneous construction is, think, a
matter of the deepest mp0rdace.'
Ii might be objected to Mr.. Collamer's view
that there is a rule which requires the mean
ing of an instrument to be ascortained from
ts words, and lorbids all resort to contem-
porancous construction, except in cases OF
obscurity: that another rule requires @ q
constitution to be construed in accordance
with its design as stated in the preamble; and
finally, that various other rules are all in Ia
vor of liberty But it is known to many
that all rules against slavery are required tc
stand out of the way. We have the authori-
ty. OF the upeme court for discarding then
and adopting that rule Which is of the deep
est importance 20 the rights and interests
of the Slave States.
Now. for the character of these rights and
interests; Mr.. c., in his late speech of Dec
9, explained them admirably in opposing tn,
extension of slavery. This he did by quoting
Southern authorities. We will present only
his quotation from the speech of Mr.. Faulk-
nor, delivered in the legislature of Virgini'
in 1882:
Slavery, 1t is admitted is an cvil--it j,
an institution which presses hsavily against
the best interests Of the State. 1t banisho'
free white labor-it oxtorminates the mechan-
ic the artisan, the manufacturer. 1t deprive.
them OF occupation. 1t deprives them o
bread. Ii converts the energy of commu-
nifty into indolcuce--its power into imbccilit,
Its efficiency into weakness. Sir being
thus injurious. have we not right to demand
its determination Shall society suffer that
the STAKEHOLDER may continue to gather hi,
crop of human flesh What is his mere PEE
cuniary claim compared with the great inter
est of the common veal Must the country
anguish. droop, die. that the STAKEHOLDER may
flourish Shall all interests he subseryicnt tu
one All rights subordinate to those of the
Stakeholder; Has not the mechanic--have
not the middle classes their rights--rights
incompatible with the existence Of slavery.
BY the above extract and others like it, Mr..
c. shows that southern rights means the
right of few slave holders, not a tenth part
of the southern population. to maintain an
interest destructive of the interests of all the
rest Of the people, and seeking to defeat all
the objects of the constitution. What would
the wondering world have thought, if he had
put his description and defense of southern
rights together in the same speech re-
oice that such rights and interests can
lot be sustained by the Constitution, without
going out Of it in pursuit Of some plea for its
)erversion.
Queries.
/. Who are the best friends of the South
they who insist that the constitution should
be administered just as it reads. or they who
support southern rights by contemporaneous
2. " ncu we swear 80 fsufr,Or, Une cun-
stitution, do We swear to defeat its objects,
as stated in the preamble, by contcmporano-
Gus construction: !. 5.