The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1857-11-19
The statesm an on SIavehoIding

In this manner the masters right recognized ovei
his slave by local law OF his state, not prohib
tied by the constitution and he being slso a citizen
the United States has right to enjoy the liberties
and privileges Of citizen eos,velere under the
stitution and to be protected In his property tn,
same a. northern man.-Sfatesman.
We extract the above from long article IL
the issue of the Statesman of last week, ant
we must confess that it is tolcrahy explicit
much more 50 than we had hoped for. We
are glad to get il, as the view of our neighbor
in relation to point of construction of the
constitution, now a good deal talked abont,
and in relation 10 which every one ought TO be
distinctly defined on the record. We shall
have no occasion to misunderstood orr neigh
Der hereafter, so far as the right of holding
IS concerned, our neighbor, it will be seen, az
frms 1t in the most positive and unequirocal
language.
IS We do not ag,ee with our neighbor, that this
conclusion is deducible frem the clauses OF the
constitution t. which he refers. to wit: Art. 4.
Sec. 2, and Art x, of the amendments, but
that is neither here nor there, it was our neigh
bors construction that we sought, and we have
1t above. We have all that the EXTREMIST
southerner could ask, the right to hold slaves
eresy,chere under the constitution, and it mat
tiers not that the right, according to our neigh
Dor, does not exist directly by operation of the
constitution, but is the offspring of its general
provisions, it is just as effectual one way as
the other. The gist of the matter is the right
to hold slaves in all the states, at the WILL pleas
ure, and convenience Of the STAKEHOLDER, up er
the Constitution Of thu United States, the SUI
preme law of the land--to hold slaves as
property, just as horses and cattle are held,
and in spite OF any local law TO the contrary.
And now will our very obligng neighbor
do Ms a still further favor, by informing us
whether, il his construction be correct, slave
~ is not nationalized, and what can prevent
practical slaveholing from existing in this
state, provided anybody chooses to bring slaves
from the slave states, and settle down with
them on our prairies. Feeling greatly obliged
to our neighbor, for responding so promptly
on former occasion to our interrogations. we
doubt not he will take equal pleasure in re-
spending to the above. And by the way if
our neighbor will also give us his authority for
the opinion. that the Supreme Court, after de-
gliding that bred Scott was not citizen in 9TH
CT words, after sustaining plea to the iuIis-
diction of the court, had a right to ''decide on
the rights of southern man to hold his prop
erty in passing through free state" Our
neighbor is lawyer, and it will be quite easy
for him to refer to the chapter and verse. It
looks to a common understanding good deal
like deciding that they could not decide and
on the top Of that decision proceeding to de-
eide. We have seen several definitions of
pleas in abatement to the jurisdiction, but we
must confess that we cannot just now recall
one which adrits of any action of the court
on the merits of the case, after Sustaining such
aplea, but the supreme court is so very su-
preme, that it may be exempt from the opera
ton OF rules of practice which are binding on
common tribunals. The Statesman affirms
that the court had the right and we call upon
him 10 show where the court got il.