Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1858-05-06
A Revolution in the Law Of the Land
HON, E.P. WALTON'S SPEECH
In the House of Representatives., Marc" d.
[coNcLuDED.

lCONOLopHD'J
Rut we have had a further revelation from
the President, in the annual message traliShii'-
ted to the present Congress
urhs slaves were brought into the Territory OF has
sasl under the Constitution of the United states has AZ
now the property of their masters. ms 9dciai fri
length been finally decided by u' the nlain principle
that when Confederacy Of sovereign nai;tv and
new territory THAR joint expense, and ali Of them
:,;oa dan,ord that the citizens OF one anu al VI N
hall have the right to into II whatsoever Is
zed as property by the common ConSltlam, i; tb
summary coqfscaed the properly ~ ;nist;ce and
Territory pou hare been an act q goss he In;nn
contrary to the practice of the older states OF inc
which have abolished slavery"-Pp1eS'ae"' d" '"""'
1nnuaI Message December lSo',p'Zo'
The plot advances consequences advance;
and apain we have the testimony OF the Presl-
dent that the advance is by the authority OF
fine court. In August we learned that slavery
won't into Kansas g under the constitution IN
December we learn harder lesson: property IN
SLAVES is recognized By The common constitution
and the common property in land Il. e. in the
Territores) gas acquired by and belongs to the
States. in their confederated capacity. The con-
sequences are, that slavery goes there and stays
there, through all the years of territorial pupil
age, and that newborn sovereign State cannot
eject it iUithom making compensation! All this,
too, upon the plea of equality and justice "
Slavery extended by equality and justice; -
and freedom-the common property of each
living soul, by the D." equality Of common
birth, and the eternal "justice" of common
Gods forgotten l think now we have gain
ed a tolerably clear idea of the doctrines of the
court and the President, which constitutes the
three prime articles of the new Democratic
creed in respect to all the Federal Territories !;
and express them as follows:
l. Slavery is to 60 there, Congress cannot pre-;
vent.
2, Slavery is to stag there until State organi-
cation; neither Congress nor the people can
prevent.
3. Slavery cannot be excluded, even by the
new organization, without compensation.
Thus Federal sovereignty is ignored squat
ter sovereignty is ignored -; popular sovereignty
is ignored and State sovereignty itself is cir
cumscribed. Call all that by what name you
choose call t-REvoLUTIoN
But is there no mistake? Look at the histo-
ty of Kansas and the Lecompton constitution
the illustration and the example of this entire
revolution. Two points in the history of the
Territory are conceded by everybody slavery
aoent there and staid there. How is it now in
the State of Kansas? The President permits no
mistake, no mlsapprehension in the matter
and therefore introduce the Lecompton con-
stitution as he introduced it to us on the I'd of
February last-all in accordance with the au-
thority of the court.
1t has been solemnly adjudged, by the highest trbu
nal known laws, that slavery exists in Kansas by
virtue of the Constitution Of the United States. Kansas
Is therefore at this moment much stare State as Geor
0ia South dnPresidenES Special MESSAGE Feb
ruary 2, $685."
Articie YII,-SLauery.
SECToN l. The right of property is before and hghe,
than any constitutional sanction and the right OF the
owner of slave such slave and its increase is The
same and as inUioiabe as the right of The owner Of any
property WhateUer.
"sEc. 2. The Legislature shall have power to pass
laws for the emancipation of slaves Without the consent o.
the ouner or ,ctho paying the oners previous to hei
emancipation, fH eqliudteHt in money for the Slaves
emancipated They shall have no power to prevent emf
grants to the State from bringing with them such persons
as are deemed slaves by the laws of any of the Uni
ed States Territories long as any person of the
age description shall be continued in slavery BY
he laws of this State "-Lecomqton Cons titution.
Kansas is g as much Stare STATE as Georgit
or South Carolina :" By rirtue Of the Consti
tuition of the United States ~ These are thu
Presidents words. | stop not to say that thu
common-law principle is abrogated by thes
woIde--Ievolutionized, indeed-and that slave
ry is nationaliaed. Perhaps the President
language was not well weighed. Nor do stol
SakQ ask whether the purpose of the Kansas Ne
braska act was to make independent States out
fade OF the Uuion or to suggest that the UnioI
! ba disaalvsd -.lrAady-,-our Territory, dur com
mon property, our newborn State Of many woe
ful throes, already gone. The point is this
Kansas has been made Stare State by the new
revolutionary doctrine, without act of ours
without Federal consent, and without the act OF
consent of its own peoples and against them al
and, by the same new revolutionary doctrine, il
can never get rid of slavery aouhom paying 70,
the privilege This is the illustration and exam
pie of Kansas plain, pointed, unmistakable
and undeniable. What says the Lecomptor
constitution Slaves are property; so said tn,
court and the President. Slaves cannot b.
confiscated'' without compensation, says LIE
compton so said the President. The right il
slave property, says Lecompton. Yea, more ,
little more inviolablc. 1t cannot pass g on tick
" No trust full price, cash down, o
no trade that is the rule of the Lecomptol
constitution and the President recommends i
to us. We are bound to believe that he a
least thinks it is all right.
Now, sir, think we can begin to understan,
the exact meaning of that very pretty and YER
fashionable phrase the equal rights of tn
people and the States in the common domain.
The slavc-State man goes there and takes hi
: " institution" with him. He plants it all owe
E the land he guards it with laws and guns
E around it all he puts the Constitution of tn
United States, and on this triple wall he mount
the Federal Army. He takes his " institution
there he keeps it /; and calls on us to defend
al the common cost
That is one picture. How fares it now wit
the liborty-loving and hard-aborng frec-Stat
man: Equal rights is the doctrine Yo
invite him with the promise of equal rights yo
hatter him with the hope of equal rights !;
5 and he goes to your" common territory" ex
| pccting there to find that the common govern
ment of common people, under commo
; constitution, on a common soil, will give hiI
at least common and "equal rights" Ho,
!, fares the free man when he goes? He fine
himself despised, degraded-cut off from tn
amenities of social life, the common civiliti,
of society, and the power of rising, by super
E or industry and virtue, to the dignity he ha
left in his old northern home, and the dgnit
he had lost by contact with your slave
t Through all the territorial term he cannot eve
v buy back his birthright Does he talk of con
n mon rights? he is seditous Does he resis
t Infringement on his personal rights, or rofus
6 obedience to unjust and unconstitutional acts
= he is rebelllous! Does he attempt to frame
- government after his own pattern, and put I'M
it guarantees for the free institutions he loves
o all in submission to your authority it is trea
h enable And you treat him as q seditious, r
l. belllous, and dangerous man-an alien and q
q enemy. Such has been the territorial conditic
OF the free State men of the Territory IF Ka,