Meigs County telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy [Ohio]) 1848-1859, 1859-07-12
Correspondence.
For the Melgs Connty relegrnnh.

For the Meigs County Telegraph.
Does the Constitution 0f ul,q
United states Sustain tsae DeRmO
cratic Party, AB its Aeicgn pas "a
force the People OF the gree
States 10 Sltd in Catching Fggi.
ave slaves, o. TO pay for them Al
They Escape2
| EDITOR OF THE TELEGRApH-Tn oul
other article, we showed the position of the
lDemocratic party so far as relates to the
| foicing Of the free people of the North to
aid tbe pestilential slave hunters, OF both
Istlhes Nor ortRsand South. IN catching .snjg,
gers, or in paying for them, iE they es-
cape. We found the Democratic party
had been driven into this nefarious policy
by the irresistible influence which the
slave power exerts in that organization.
We found that the Democracy were not
pledged to this policy now only, but that
their lneXorable master had compelled them
TO make it like the laws of the "Medes and
Persians," absolutely unchange
make II an integral part of the ConsCiJu-
ton itself-so that TO violate the one is II
necessary violation of the other. In other
words, we found the leaders of the Demo-
cratic party OF this nation pledged to sus-
tain, as absolutely irrepealable and uu-
changeable, either in letter or spirit. the
doctrine, that if man of the Free States
refuses to aid in catching and returning
his fellow man to chains and slavery, when
called upon by Federal officials, that he is
not "good citizen" but is guilty of a
violation of the Constitution Of the United
States! Such is now the position Of an
organization falsely called Democralic.-
1t is now our purpose TO contrast these
abominable and bagbarou5 doctrines, with
that reversed and noble instrument, the
Constitution of the United States; and
show first, from its history, and secondly
from its provisions or text, that instead of
authorizing such monstrous and iuhuman
absurdities, that it strangles them in their
first and taintest conception. This latter
position will be proved by an application
Of the established Democratic canons of
constitutional construction and interpreta-
ton. These are the famous Virginia
Resolutions, of 1898, drawn by James
Madison, and the Kentucky Resolutions,
of 1799-180O, drawn by Thomas Jeller-
son. With these lights to guide us, we
shall soon perceive the hollow hearted
hypocricy of the sham Democracy, in at
tempting to cover their slave hunting pro-
pensiLies with the broad shield Of our glO-
Tious constitution of freedom. We will
find that they have actually "stolcn the
livery Of Heaven to serve the devil iu."
The first compact Of constitutional
character, under which the people of the
United States (then Colonies ever lived,
was comprised in the celebrated "Articles
Of Association" agreed to in the first
was ever held, and on. the Goth day ot Oc-
tober, 1774. The only articles which re-
lated to slavery was the second, and that
contained the following:
THAT We will neither import nor pur-
chase any slave imported after the first day
of December next; after which time we
will wholly discontinue the slave trade,
and will neither be concerned in it our
selves, nor will we hire our vessels, nor
sell our commodities or manu- factures, to
those who are concerned i'll IT,"
Eleven States were represented in the
Congress which unanimously agreed to the
above article, aud among the delegates
were the names of Washington, Patrick
Henly, r. II. Lee, Roger Sherman, John
Jay, the first Chief Justice of the Supreme
Court of the United States, together with
a large number of other names, noted in
our Revolutionary history. AS it was
then supposed that suppression of the
slave trade would inevitably destroy slavery
itself, the advocates Of slavecatchrng will
find rather cold comfort in the first CON
stitutional compact into which our nation
ever entered. That, certainly, was not the
time when "blacB men had no rights which
white men were bound to respect" No
doctrines are TO be found
there; but, ON the contrary, a discourage
ment, plain and unequivocal, to catching
and "importing" them. TO make the case
even stronger, it was provided in the elev
erth article, that a committee" should
be appointed in every county, city and
town" to ascertain whenever any person or
persons "violated this Association" III
orier that "thc truth of the case might
be published in the Gazette to the end
that all such foes TO the rights of British
America may be publicly known, anu uni
versally condemned as the enemies Of
American liberty The modern doc
crines of the slave hunting Democracy
were certainly at great discount in INA.
But, is man less an enemy to the "rights
Of America"-to american liberty
who catches slaves in 1859, than the tory
loyaist who did it in l774? If not, what |
becomes of the party which would prosti-
iute all the powers of our National Gov
for that purpose? Is it any
wonder that where Democracy is pre-
dominant, as in the slave States, the prin-
ciples of the Revolution cannot be publicly !
discussed except at the peril of life?
The next bond of a constitutional union. |
and the one that "absolved rs from all al
egiance TO the British crown" is the justly |
celebrated and world renowned Declara-
lion of independence. 1t declares as "self-
evident, that all men are created equal;
that they are endowed by their Creator
i -