The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1857-11-11

nd that it is principle which, if extended Il
nd carried out, is fraught with danger to
he best interests Of humanity and liberty
II this hemisphere,
1t is no answer to me to say that there IS
nothing in the letter Of the Constitution OF
he United States, that there is nothing IN
.he letter Of the Constitution of Massachu-
,etts, forbidding Massachusetts, to say that
INV man who exercises the Office Of United
States Commissioner shall not, at the same
time, hold any State Office. BY the letter
Of the Constitution Of Massachusetts, she
might disfranchise every United States OH
GER; she might provide that postmaster,
district attorney, or a marshal shall be for
hidden to vote in State elections. She might,
if she choose, as far as the letter Of the law
is concerned, put this brand OF exclusion
upon every functionary of the United States
Government; nor does the letter OF the
Constitution Of the United States forbid it.
If am asked WHY no such restrictions were
put into the Constitution Of the United
States, nv answer is, for the same reason
that the old Grecian law-giver omitted to
provide for the crime Of parricide ne
thought it impossible that it should ever be
-.
committed.
Go back to the time when the Constitution
was made, when those iliustrious men who
had Just passed through the glories and
dangers Of the Revolution, and had their
hearts melted together by the inspiring re-
collections of that great struggle, met to-
gether to form Constitution for the COM
mon good Of the whole, and suppose for a
moment that some one had proposed to in
sert clause forbidding any State to dis
franchise, or visit with any penalty the
functionares of the United States for, the
lawful discharge Of their national dulles,
would not the universal response have bSen
that such thing was impossble--that II
was insulting to the patriotism OF the States
/ Would it not have been as unreasonable as
the insertion in marriage settlement Of .
clause making provision for the contingency
Of divorce: II was not done.
But there is spirit Of the Constitution al
well as a letter. and by that spirit OF the
Constitution Massachusetts is bound to re.
peal the personal liberty bill, and every citi.
zen of Massachusetts is bound TO sustain by
his vote the Chief Magistrate who refuses t.
remove United States officer for the Lawful
discharge of the duties devolyed upon hin
by the law of the United States.
Fellow-citiZens, hold in my hand re
markable article from the July number o
the Westminster Review, published in Eng
land, on the Manifest Destiny of tn,
American Union lin many respects ;
most noticeable production. The conclusion
to which the writer comes is summed III
briefly in these words: We believe il !
radical reconstruction Is not immedlatei,
agreed upon there must be dissolution
the Union; the slave States being subject z
the curse Of a military despotism and th'
periIs Of seryile war; The writer come
TO this conclusion not unnaturally. III
takes it for granted that the elements whicl
20 nearly produced the election OF Col. Ere
mont last autumn are permanent elements
! and that they are still in force and on IN,
increase. l need not say TO you that sucl
is not the case, and that the signs OF tn
times to-day, especially the news iron
Pennsylvania, Ohio and Minnesota, shov
that the natural reaction is following tn
, extraordinary excitement, almost cOnyul
sions Of feeling, by which the country wa
moved last autumn.
But my main purpose in calling your at
!; tention to this article was TO read singl
passage touching this State of Massachusett.
/ Il is in these words: " Massachusetts,, III
j intellectual and moral leader Of the State
J Of the Federation, il at this moment actual
not in the Union" Loud laughter.
! remember, in SCOTS novel Of "fh
Antiquary," that Mr. Dousterswiyel, Ger
man necromance5, after having been sound
beaten, az lie well deserved, remarked |
one ii the characters that he had been mur
dered, robbed, and put in peril Of his u
j that very night; TO which his friend replied
: very pertinently, Mr.. Dousterswiycl, yo
{ speak blithely for murdered man,
t Laughter.l look around upon your face
0 and il seems TO me that YOU look blithell
5 considering you are out Of the Union!
{ suppose YOU have ali been 70 the post ofic
, to-day and taken letters out Of Uncle Sam
a bag. The Circuit Court is 10 session, an
G the docket is to be called next Monday.
G any Of YOU violate the laws Of the Unite
]. states, nv friends Mr.. Woodbury. and VI
Freeman will be after YOU very quickl,
/ And vet we are ont 81 the Union!
! But, after all, there j. some show Of trli
7 in this writer's conclusion. inasmuch as |
1 saws that the reason why Massachusetts
. not IN the Union j. that her personal libpri
1 law il IN direct conflict with the FEEDER
j. law regarding fugitive slaves. Though y
{ are actually IN the Union, to that extent v
{ are untrue to the spirit of the Union. u
!. u amend this. Let every good patriot an
e every good citizen give his support 20 III
: man and 20 that system Of measures whit
o shall cause Us not only to be, but seem tob
IN the Union, even 90 one who looks at |
n IRON the other side Of the ocean. Let Ma
e sachusetts no longer stand sulky and poutir
d in the corner while her sisters are dancir
Is around the fag.s;af of the Union, beeaul
d she don't quite like the tune TIE fiddler
3 playing; bnt lei her come forward with