The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1857-11-28

co iaT IS the eHcoEsement, Oy fTesluent
BUCHANAN, OF the action ofthe recent Kansas
constitutional convention is inferred from the
tone OF the Washinton Union on the subject,
we certainly have right to object to the.in-
ference. If the editorial lucutratious of the
Union are TO Ibe taken as correct expositions
of the views of the President on the various
political questions of the day, then the
President is guilty of more political stu!ti-
hcation and regeneration than any states
man of his rank that we ever heard Of.
We make these observations particularly in
view OF the recent article in the Uni0r, in
wichh the absurd doctrine is boldly put forth
nor the first time on the part of any ac-
knowledged respectable democratic organ
in the country that the constitution pro-
tects slave property in any portion of the
U. 5. wherever the owner Of such property
may choose to carry it. Thus, according
/ to this political wiseacre, If citzrn of
South Carolina should choose to migrate
with his slaves to Illinois, any constitution
al provision or law in Illinois which would
conflict with his holding such property,
would be contrary to the constitution of the
U. s., and therefore void
The clause in the constitution of the U.
5. upon which the editor of the Union pre-
Gates this absurd doctrine, is that which
says that "the citizens Of each state shall
be entitled to all the privileges and iminu-
i Of cTts .l,N
/ From this clause he dcduces the corollary
that Every citizen of one state coming in
to another state has, therefore, a right to the
protection Of his person, and that property
which is recognized as as such by the con-
stitgtiOn of the Z. s, any law of state to
the contrary notwithstanding. To argue
against such a doctrine would be like argu-
ing that day succeeds night. The merest
political tyro in the country knows what
the clause in the constitution above quoted
means It's intention was simply to make
4 citizen of the L. s. a citizen Of every
state of the Union. Thus a man moving
from Massachusetts, to Virginia need not be
naturalized and wrought over to become 4
citizen in the latter state, but he certainly
30 more carries the law which prohibits
him from holding slaves in Massachusetts,
with him to Virginia, than i Virginian
would carry the law OF his state, which au-
thoriZes HIM to hold slaves with HIM by mi
grating to Massachusetts,. The abominable
heresy Of the Union strikes at the root of
state equality and state sovereignty, and ig-
nores the stcreOtyed resolution Of every
democratic national convention for the last
forty years, that each state has under the
constitution the right to regulate its domestic
concerns in its own way. What sort of gre
gulating our domestic concerns in our own
way" would that be, if in spite eff our con-
stitutional prohibition against slavery in II
linois, the whole South might come into our
State with their slaves?
As We could quote column upon column
from the Presidents Inaugural, from the
Sil,iman letter, and from dozens of his
speeches in which the exact reverse OF the
doctrine of the Union is maintained, we
take it for granted that the Union is no ex-
pOLelL OF his views, ana therefore no INFER
ence can justly be drawn in reference to the
Presidents Kansas views from the course of
the Union.
VIM. y. Harris, the editor Of the Wash
iugton Union, is candidate for Public
Printer. lie halls from The State OF Mis-
souri,, from which state also halls Mr. Phelps,
prominent candidate for speaker Of the
House. Wn :. Harris knows that Con-
gress will not elect Speaker and Public
Printer from the same State. He has there
fore shaped his course to head off Mr.. Phelps,
snd this he ,.opes 20 accomplish by mean
Sucking 10 tie most ultra views Of the
South, counting, by such course, upon
perfect union of the southern members up
on himself, phalsnx which he believes
will be able to carry Linn through. There
are, however, fif;y-four democratic members
of Congress from tie free States, and we
DO not believe that one OF them viii dare TO
risk his political existence by endorsing the
outrageous heresies Of the Union by voting
to make its editor public printer.