True American. [volume] (Steubenville [Ohio]) 1855-1861, 1857-02-04

seas is viOlative of a great principle of
our institutions, the imprescriptible right
of equality Of The several States.
How comes it that the President does
not at once denounce this unequal exer.
else Of the trust power of tie Government
over the foreign commerce of The States,
as IAN endeavor to force the ideas of com.
mercial policy entertained in particular
States upon allied independent States 2"
One would infer, from this language of
the President, that we bad no constitu-
tlonal Government that we still lived
under the Confederation ; that the com
merce OF this, great country upon. .lhe land
and the sea was not under the elusive
control of a National Government, but
was subject to the sovereignty, and con.
flcting regulations of thirty one allied
independent States.
| scout all such dogmas. rejoice to.
day in the assurance, that, despite the
Presidents false statements and false log
ic, we have a National Government, fully
empowered by the Constitution TO regu.
lale exclusively The commerce Of the'coun-
try with all foreign States, between The
several States OF The Union, and through.
out the national Territories. Every
American citizen knows that The CONNER.
cial embarrassmenls of she country, after
the establishmep, Of independence, aris-
ing out OF the conflicting commercial reg
ulallons of The States under the Cunled
Grafton, contributed, more than any other
cause, to the lormalion.of The Constitu.
llOu.
Who will forget the noble action of
Virginia in 1852 Virginia, the mother
Of dead heroes, and dead patriots, and
dead statesman, but, thank God the
mother also Of a living Republic and a
living constitution When Virginia, in
1886, appointed her commissioners. in
slrueling them 10 meet such commission
ers as the other States OF The Union
should appoint :" 10 take into considera-
ton the trade and commerce of the Uni
ted States" she took the first great slep
towards the formation of tuat more per
feet union, and free written Constitution,
under which we live. Sir, that Consti.
tuition Was ordained and established by
the people of the United States, to estab
lish justice to provide for the common
defense topromote The general welfare;
to insure domestic tranquility to protect
industry 10 regulate commerce. and to
secure the blessings Of liberty, and not 10
form mere alliance of independent
States" with an equality of rIgh. as
States, to enSlaue men within and with.
out their respective Jurisdictions.
But, says the President, The States are
equal, and have each and all as States
equality of rights. The several States
are equal in respect of all the great and
essential rights Of flee common wealth,
in respect of all rights sanctioned by the
Constitution and consonant with its
spirit; they each and all, under the
Constitution, have the righ, TO do what
ever Free State may ofngM do, "
except that they may not exercise any of
the powers grained by the Constitution
exclusively 10 the General Government.
But | haye.yet to learn, that any Stale,
formed under and by virtue Of the Con-
stlution, may Of right enslave lis own
children, and sell them like cattle in the
shambles The Constitution does not
provide for the erection and admission
into the Union such States, nor does
it admit the existence of such a tyranny
within the Territories, where its jurisdic-
ton is exclusive. The States, | say, are
equal under The Constitution in the right,
within their respective limits, to establish
justice, 10 promote the general welfare,
and to secure to each and every person
therein, the absolute enjoyment Of The
rights OF human nature, which are as i'm
perlshable as the human soul. and as uni.
versal as the human race. But the
States are unequal in the right to do
wrong, il | may be allowed the paradox
in the privilege to lrample upon the in.
born rights Of humanity, and 10 violate
that principle of eternal justice which re.
quIres, that every man shall receive his
due. The original States, not under the
Constitution, nor"by force Of the Con-
stilution," but independent Of it, retained
10 themselves monopoly in the horrid
crime Of slavery, within their respective
limits, and also in the slave traffic for
twenty years upon the high seas.
This reservation Of privileges by the
original SIales--this inequality between
them and the new States formed under
and only by force Of the Constitution
is written upon the face Of that instrument
and declared by the national Legislation
in the erection and admission of new
States. The constitutional provision for
a tbree.ff,h representation. based upon
slave population, and also the provision
for The recapture Of slaves escaping from
one State into another, implied an exclu-
sion ofthe General Government from any
interference for The abolition of slavery
within The original States. These two
provisions are. in fact, implied Limitations
upon the power OF the General Govern.
ment, for the e1clusiuc benefit ofths ori.