Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1857-07-16
AMERICAN MASS MEETING.

Charles county, held in Port Tobacco, on
Tuesday, the 18th inst DR.. 3. R. WILLS
was appointed President, H. A. MOORE,
Vice President, and GEO. W. CARPENTER
and JOHN H. FREEMAN, Secretaries.
On motion of T. A. NIillar, three gentle
men from each district were appointed for
the purpose of designating delegates ty re-
present the county in the Convention, to be
held in Baltimore, for the purpose of nomi-
mating candidate for Governor; and to
meet the Convention, whenever and where
ever it may be held, for the purpose of
nominating candidate for Congress, if any
is held.
Whereupon, the Chair appointed the fol-
lowing gentlemen IT. A. Millar, T. I.
Speake, JOS Price, DR.. S. W. Dent, Jos.
N. Harrison, Samuel T. Swami, Thos. R.
Haley, VIM NJ Smallwood, Francia Ro-
hey, Fl. II. Freeman, and Robert Brayfeld,
said committee
The committee reported the names Of T.
A. Millar, Jos. N. Harrison, and I. R.
Haley, as delegates to the Gubernatorial
Convention and Geo. ". Carpinter, John
H. Freeman, John W. Hawkins, as'dele-
gates to the Congressional Conventions
On motion, Geo. W. CARPENTER, Dr. Peter
W. Hawkins, and R. S. Reeder, were APP
pointed alternates to the Gubernatorial Con-
vention.
On motion, r. S. Reeder, T. A. Millar,
Thos. r. HALEY and Fl. FL. Freeman were
appointed a committee to draft resolutions;
who reported the following, which were
unanimously adopted:
WHEREAS the political agitation of the question
of Slavery has been productive, to the people of
the United States. of great diversity of opinion and
hostility in their social relations, has well nigh
broken asunder the social, religious and political
bonds which bind us together free people, has
already caused civil war and bloodshed, has almost
obIiteraed that identity of American feeling, prin
ciple and purpose which made US one people; and
Whereas there is no authority given to either the
State or Federal Governments over that subject
through the Constitutions, by virtue of which they
the said governments exist and are clothed with
their authority; and whereas, it is question ex-
clusiyely ofindividual, and not Of governmental,
property. Therefore,
l. Resolved, That the Congress of the United
States has no connection with, or control over.
of representation, and in the arrest of fugitives
from service or labor, and the exercise of both
these powers is an agency of limited and de-
fined extent.
2. Resotued, That Congress, in exercising these
two powers, is only an agent to apply the means
of the capture of the fugitive from service in the
one case, land in the other to apporton represen-
taton according to three-fifths of that institution,
and in this latter the institution, to the extent
of the -fths, IS the creator and constituent
of Congress, its creature and representative and
in this, the true aspect of the case, the power to
lcontrol and govern is in the three-ffths, ~ crea
tor and constituent. and not in Congress- thS crea
ture and representative and the doetrint that
Congress, the creature. can abolish contr6l the
| three-ifths is absurd, slavsh, subversve OF the
principles of our free government, and basphem-
Gus.
g. RESOLVED, That the Constitution of the United
States is an instrument of limited defined and
specified powers, and that no authority not found
in it can be exercised without palpable usrpation,
and that consequently, except in the case above
enumerated, Congress has and can have no control
over the question of slavery, and it is usurpation
and unconstitutional in that body to debate the
question.
A. Resolved, That inasmuch as Congress is both
the creature and constituent of the institution of
slavery to limited and defined extent, when that
body has undertaken to legisIate upon or debate
sttution by disrobeing itself Of its official authority
and assuming the position of private individual
and usurper, outside and lrsdisregard of the pro-
visions of that instrument.
S. Resolved, That inasmuch as slavery. as pri-
vate and individual property, antidated the Con-
situations, State and Federal, and those instru-
ments confer no power whatever over the subject,
the true, legitimate and constitutional position Of
az civil officers and candidates for civil office is
silence on that subject.
6. RESOLVED, That slavery, being individual and
private property alone, and the State Constitution
guaranteeing tSe protection only and not the con-
troll of that subject, the majority of the people of
State have TO power to abolish the institution.
And whereas, slavery is Individual and private
property alone; and whereas, The enforcement OF
the free principle of separation OF Church and
State has separated the civil and ecclesiastical
governments in this country, ana the STATE oon-
situations guarantees the protection o. me- Hoerty
and property, supremely and without limit, ana
consequently the ecclesiastical governments OF
our country are wholly deprived of any and all
control over and connection with the rights of
property or of things: Therefore,
T. Resolved, That it is unconstitutional, and ut
terly at war with the genius of our government,
for any ecclesiastical government, or. any of its
officers, to debate the question of slavery, and for
any Of those governments or its officers to act up
on the question of slavery, is fragrant violation of
the Constitutions, State and Federal, and pal |
pable and dangerous usurpaton upon the civil au-
thority.
8. Resolred, That inasmuch as the ecclesiasti-
cal governments of this country have no authority
or control whatever over the rights of property.
and slavery is property, the true, Legitimate and
constitutional positions of those governments on
the subject of slavery is silence; and whenever |
they or their officers essay to debate or act upon
the subject Of slavery, they.have disrobed them
- kL-su oEo Iol orfho and RI
the position of private individuals and usurpers.
and are without the provisions of their constitu-
ton, the Bible.
9. Resolved, That the question of slavery, being !
individual property, is, both regiousy and poll
tically, silent thought.