Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1859-04-09
Non Intervention.

News accepts the political, but not the pro
pcrty aspect of non.intcrvcntion This, we
/ believe, has already been amply provided
for, Slaves are recognized as property
in the Territories, aud is there entitled to
the same protection given to other property
by an appeal to the judicial tribunal In
the event OF any effort tocor fscatc property,
the owner could ut once institute action for
recovery under the fugitive slave law; the
enforcement of which Congress has already
provided for, and thus supplied whatever
efficacy there may be in a Congressional
law Or if the case be carried to the courts,
and subjected to the course supposed by tho
News, the execution of the decision wonld
rest with the United States Marshall of that
District, and, if his authority were resisted
Congress has already provided for such a
contingency BY authorizing the President
to call out the military. as was done in the
fugitive slave case in Boston and in the
Kansas rebellion. An additional Congrcs-
s'onal act could do no morc--why urge
itF Congress docs not possess executive
power. We deny any right ON the part
OF y territorial government to pass laws
excluding or prohibiting slavery; still we
belicvo the constitutionality ofall questions
that may arise, must bc determined by
the courts That was the purport of the
Clayton Compromise, for which Mr.. Gal,
houn and Judge Butler both voted; and
that, too, before slave property had t'r
additional Congressional protection OF the
| fugitive slave law, which extends to the
Territories as well us to the States. That
was also the purport of the Nebraska Kan
sas bill, for Which the South votet.. Such,
too, was the understanding of our South,
ern men whom they voted for it. NIr.
breckenridge used the following language:
The rights of property under the Con-
Stitution, as well as Legislative action, is
property left to the decision of the FEEDER
al Judiciary" Col. Orr, Mr.. Stehpcns,
and Mr. Benjamin, who used the strong
language that flaming sword was to guard
allacccss Of this question to Congress, nll
regarded the question as having been re-
fcrred to the people of the Territory, sub
lect to appeal to the courts, Senator Ma
son very justly remarked, that from the
experience the Southern people had he
did not know that VIC might not quite as
safely trust tho people as Congress. Judge
should be dcputed to na2s -such ,,ws as
! NAV be within their constitutional nn,nno
tcncy. Senator Hunter rrnurlnd th,t tho
bill proposed to leave differences that may
arise to tile decision of the courts. "To
that tribunal y he says,"I am willing to
leave this, asit WAS once befor, nron0scS
to be left by the celebrated compromise of
the Senator from Delaware"
Mr.. Brown, from Mississioni, who now
calls for Conversational ;ptcrsr,t;on.s tLom
said, "n,y friend from Mich;cnn and INV.
sof, differ very widely as to what ore tIe
powers of Territorial LouislnturoEbnt.
both of us concurrinu in the opinion that.
it is question to be decided by the courts.
and not by Congress. So we MIGHT po
on quoting, but we have already given
enough =. fssp nx4.e',
We see from the above that tho Kansas
act was compromise, in which both bar.
tics agreed to leave sll questions, involving
slavery, to judicial arbitranlent. For our.
self we are perfectly willing to abide by
! the result Knowing that whateyer addi.
ticnal law Congress may enact, would after
aii be left 20 the people for enforcement
and is therefore simply supeferogant, SO
far as any practical good is conccrncd.-
So satisfied are We on this point, that we
cannot but believe that Senators Brown
and Davis both understood it, and, were
pacticing a trick very, common with, our 7
pohticians, ofveering their political bark,
first 10 one side, and. then to The other SO
as to reconcile both sides. These gentle
men were fearful lest ,tloir. last spllmeF's
speeches may have injured them. in, the