Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1857-01-31
SALEM CoLUMBIANA JANUARY 81, 1857


reeol,,c commerce and the power to regulate i'm
niles the mower to prohibit; but the Constitution
also nroyides that Congress shall have tho power
To make nll ncedrul rules and regulations respect
inc the territory Of the United States" The pow
er Of Congress to,legislate in respect OF each ol
th0se sumects-commerce and the lerrltories-ls
the same, geaerd! and ehcfuStre. Inc Woiu "teHJa'
expressed in the ono grant Of power, is implied in
the other Only that legislation which Is HeeItUt
is contemplated hy tho Constitution in either or
any case: only that legislation which Is necQW
should lie toloratedby the people
If the President be correct, it follows that these
powers in Congress are hut trust powersto be eXer
csed so as not to infringe but maintain thus atcg'
ed imprescriptiblo right Of each and all OF the
States as States This was the opinion OF Mr..
Calhoun, Gom whom manifestly the President has
taken his political faith. That illustrious Senator
(Mr. Calhoun said: at was they (the several
Statcs) who constituted the Government as thelr
or trustee and intrusted it with pow.
ers to be exercised for their benefit Calhoun $
Works, vol. /. r. 1917 If it be true then, that
the States as States have each this impeSc'Qft0te
right to traffic in slaves, not only 'ctMm but also
withom their respective limits, and that the Ma
tiDnal Government is but their trustee to enforce
it, in my judgement, South Carolina has the con
sttutional right to demand the repeal OF your stat
ute which prohibits the slave trade upon the seas
and nunlSneS 1t with death, rs hTHiLih Hll "
mand the repeal of yonr statute Of 1890, which
prohibited the slave traffic in the Territories. But
these enactments rest for their validity upon the
same general power in Congress; and tho extra
territorial right Of the several States to trahc In
slaves, if it exist is sacred upon the seas as up
on the land. 1t logically results, therefore, upon
the Presidents showing that the statute restrlc-
ton upon the slave trade upon the seas Is viola
tive of great principle of our institutions, the I'M
prcscriptble right Of equality OF the several states.
How comes it that the President does not de-
uOunce this unequal exercise OF the trust power
of the Government over the foreign commerce oi
the States, as IAN endeavor to force the ideas oil
commercial policy entertained in particular States
upon allied independent Sntes| Ono would m
fer from this language of the President, that we
had no Constitutional Government; that we still
lived under the Confederation; that the commerce
of this great country upon the land and the sea
wa not under the exclusive control of n National
Government, but was subject to the sovereignty
and conflicting regulations OF thrty-one allied In
dependent States.
"hen NrS'na,h ~ 90, appointed her comm s':on !
ers, and instructed them TO meet sucn cou'hlssicl
ers' as the other States OF the Union shouiu uppo'
&c take INTO consideration the Taoe anu coD"'t' -
Oh the ohlteu States she TOOK 'he nrst StonV etep
toward the lormatlon OF tndt more Pe,ieV' N"toi
anu lree-Wrltten Nohsutu'lon' uhue, WHY" "T
SIr, thaV CONSTITUTION, was or"itueu u "i'u ii:
eu py 'he people OF inc oh'eu 1'u'es' "
Jusuce' 10 ProViue lor the eoih'nou ue'Sn9e, ~
promote tae general Wehare 10 lnsure non'es.'' e'
immunity ~ plo,eo. w j?tost I'D
iie'oo' anu " 'eouio 'no Jpih .I:!yi, o,,,
IoV 10 iol!h here otte"o ~ Sas.o ~ ~,
WIZ "n W. 80; roonont;ve in
o"S: 5c ~" "''''i anu "'' ~ -
i'ou'o'iOhS'
put says the PTesident' the states are eqIai'
Tbe several States are eoual in respect of ali the
,rao+ md oesor,;oI r;gbts of n free commonwealth
IN resnect Of ali rgbts sanctioned bv the Consti.
tution and consonant with it's spirt: thew each and
nh ,ndor tha Cnnst;trtinn Loye tho richt IN do
,rhotoyor a :, E,ce Stote a,ov of y;oLt 36" exceot
tbnt thew NAV nat exercise 1nv of the mowers
rontad 5v Tho Constitution exclusively to the Gen
erol Eorernr,ent RntJ hovo vot to learn that
onv Stote formed under orG I,y yirtuo Of the Con.
.tiJutinn NAV of r;oLt ensloye it's own children,
and coll .hc~; lilo cat,le in tho sbamhlesI The
Constitution does not nrovide for the erection and
admission into the Union of such States, nor does
il admit tbc existence or such n tyranny within
tho Territor;es where lis iurisdiction is exclusive
The States saw are enual under the Constitution
in tho ribt within tbeir resnective limits 10 estab.
Iisb inst;ce to nronote tho General welfare. and
to secure to each and eyory rersn therein the alb
solute enjoyment of the rights OF human nature,
which are as lmperishabio as the human soul ana
rs universal as the human race. but the states
are unequal in the right to do wrong II may be
allowed the paradox-in the privilege 10 tramplt
upon the lnborn rights OF humanity ana 10 Noiate
,i ,i,"t p'omu o, ahoti rano;ra his dne Tho or
nj Stotcs not rnJor tbo Constitution NOR .'hy
60 ~ ,ho Const;tnt;on - h,t indenerdent of Il
rotoinod w. tben,solres monoroIv in the borrid
- ~ Slanorr ui,h;n ,bo;r rssnect;ye limit.
ona oleo i; ,bo siovo traIHo frr ,renty venrs anon
lna no t;9G "i9I sa saas .,'' ''''''
''' - o. '''
This reservation of privileges by the original
States-this inequality between them and the new
States formed utder and only by force OF the CON
stitution-s written upon the lace or that IN
strnment, and declared by the National Lesisia-
ton in she erection and admission oi new states
The constitutional provision Tor three-hith repre-
sentation, based upon slave popeiat'oh, ana niso
the provision Tor the recapture OF slaves escaping
from one state INTO another mp"ed an exclusion
OF the GENERA! Government irom an interference
Tor the a0oHuon OF slavery "i'hih Tue 09Itus
no ,TH o nf tbe General Govern.