Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1857-1865, 1859-09-30
For President in 1860.

i65- We attempted to show last week. that the
Constitution vests the government of the Territories
in Congress, absolutely and Internationally. But
It has been objected to this position that such
grant Of power auhorses Congress TO exclude
slavery therefrom; and Douglass, in one of his
speeches--on Me Compromise we believe--in sup
port of this view, adduced the fact that Congress
had forbidden the traffic in ardent spirits, in the
Territories and also billiard tables, and deduced
from this that as liquor and billiard tables are pro-
perty, and Congress can prohibit them, it has the
came power over slaves. This logic has not even
the merit of being ingenious, and nothing can be
more ahsured than position which thus places all
property at the mercy of legislative body. State
Legislatures forbid traffic in ardent spirits, and all
sorts of gaming tables but they do upon the cor
rect principle that no man has a right to use his
own property as to injure his neighbors; and in no
instance that we are aware of, has any Legislature
denied any man the right to keep liquor fer his
own use, or the appliances for gaming for his own
innocent amusement. The power of Congress over
the Territories is substantially that of u States
within their limits and if a State may look to the
good morals of its citizens in the suppression of in
temperance and gambling Congress may do the
same in its government of the Territories; but to
argue from this its power to declare that slaves
shall not be property in the Territories when they
are recognized as such by the Constitution is to
make that instrument subordinate to the agent it
has created, and gives latitude to legislative
authority equivalent to absolute power. The object
of n Constitution is to defne-in general terms
the rights of the citizen, and to limit the power OF
the Legislature in dealing with those rights. Then
if the recognition of slaves property by the
Constitution, can be disregarded by the Legislature
it creates the right to any other species of property
can with equal justice, be violated The people
in Convention, TO frame amend their organic
law, may decide that slaves shall or shall not be
property within the limits of their State; but the
Legislature of such State can not declare that
Stoves shall not property unless the people, through
the Constitution, have conferred that right. So Con
gress acting the States in the government ofthC
Territories, and under constitutional restrictions
can have no power oyer slayery-to abolish OF
establish it-until the Constitution is so amended
Is confer that power. Slavery not the creature
of the federal Constitution, and to recognise anC
protect it, is the only power it confers upon Con
gress over chat species of property in the Territories
And so long MS the Constitution and the laws MAXI
no distinction between slaves and other property
it is clear that the proven TO prohibit the forme
applies equally to any other and that if the fedora
Constitution does not secure to the STAKEHOLDER, il
the Territories the right 10 his slave, all other plo
perry is held there at the will of Congress-
But if the advocates of the contrary doctrine, cal
show that there is distinction between slave anC
other property, in the eye of the law, and that tn
Constitution defines, or sanctions that distinction
we will YIELD the point and agree with them tina
Congress can prohibit slavery in the Territories.