Pointe Coupee Democrat. [volume] (False River [i.e. New Roads], Parish of Pointe Coupee [La.]) 1858-1862, 1859-10-29

EXPRESSED IN HARPER'S MAGAZIN
! FOR SEPTEMBER. l859-BY ArToRNE1
GENERAL BLACK.
lCONCLCDED
3. 1t Is right to learn wisdom fror
our enemies. The Republicans do no
point to any express provision of th
Constitution, nor to any general princ
pie embraced IN it, nor to any establish
ed rule Of law, which sustains the;
views. The ablest men among them ar
driven by stress of necessity to hunt fo
arguments In a code unrevealed, III
written, and underlined, which they pu
above the Constitution or the Bible, ant
call it higher law" The ultra aboh
tlonlsts Of New England do not den,
that the Constitution is rightly interpre
ted by the Demo Gratis, as not interierin:
against slavery in the Territories: bu
they dlsdan to obey what they pronounc,
| to be IAN agreement with death and ;
covenant with hell"
I. What did Mr. Douglas mean wher
he proposed and voted for the Kansas
Nebraska bill repeating the Missouri re
strlctlon? Did he intend to tell South
| ern men that, notwithstanding the re
peal of the prohibition, they were ex
cluded from those Territories as much
as ever? Or did he not regard the right
OF master to his slave perfectly good
whenever he got rid of the prohibition:
Did he, or anybody else at that time.
dream that 1t was necessary to make a
positive law in favor of the STAKEHOLDER
before he could 60 there with safety?
10 ask these questions is to answer
them. The kansas-Nebraska bill was
not meant as a delusion or snare. It
was we'll understood that the repeal
alone OF the restriction against slavery
would throw the country open to every
thing which the Constitution recognized
as property.
We have thus given what we believe
to be the opinions held by the great body
OF the Democratic party-namelv. that
the Federal Constitution does not es-
tablish slavery anywhere in the Union;
that it permits black man to be either
held in servitude or made free as the To-
cal law shall decide; and that in Ter
rltory where no local law has been en-
acted on the suhject it keeps both the
slave and the free negro in the status al
read impressed upon them, until it shall
be changed by competent local authori-
ty. We have seen that this is sustained
by the reason Of the thing, by great
of public law, by the words of
the Constitution, by solemn decision
Of the Supreme Court by the whole
course of our legislation, by the conces-
sion of our political opponents, and final
y, by the most important act in the pub
lic life of Mr.. Douglas himself.
Mr.. Douglas imputes another absurdi- T
y to his opponents when he charges |
hem with insisting "that it is the duty I
If the judiciary to protect and maintain
slavery in the Territories without anv
aw upon the subject" The Judge who
lcts without law acts against law; and
urely no sentiment so atrocious as this
vas ever entertained by any portion of
he Democratic party. The right Of a
master to the services of his slave In
serrltory is not against law, but in full
ccordance with law. If the law be
gainst it we are all against it. Has
ot the emigrant to Nebraska legal |
lght to the OK team, which he bought
Ohio, to haul him over the plains? Is
It bis title as good to it in the Terrific
:as it was in the State where he got
~ And what should be said of Judge
y. " tells him that he is not protected,
=. he is maintained, in the posses
@ o,on his property, without any law t
upoh > subjectw i
A. n Ae have right to expect from S
III. III, las at least clear and intelli- t
sIp's aoi oition of his own doctrine. We T
are a'sah United It is hardly possible !
" .onIe anything more difficult to c
eoiiip1ehei We will transcribe it l
lyze it: 80 o"A y ooAo y a'i'' i
.;an ino'u ~ .ha elieve that the Constitu- Fl
49, 80 TUG Ad States neither estab- a
ns ,sTss Ita taria p,o slavery in the States
people legally dntrol I + a hnt aa,ras .ae !, l.
the people thereof f rfoetln fraa a' 10 , farn' y y
and regulate theif aast;. @ ;ast;tnt;aas - =. - =,
r. .nt ~ of 49, 5aAbject only to the tt
rha GrIos'1a''o1 na.a.:.a+;a ~ sn kted States"
nor prohibits slaver the a.sp statas 20 "
Territories. If it be w ~ ss th;s that .,
the Constitution does nd ~ sa,9 49, ..is' -
either emancipate any Ygps r; 10 60, = r. r
create the condition of ST sase s :. - i;
pose it on free negroes, h1s.aaa ,na tha ti,l
question Of every black max aa4ms 40 w II
the Territories as well in tf .asa asas - e.
be determined by the local las .hen .vs' n.e II
admit it, for it is the very sa n nroa, ~ q, a.
sition which we have been piop ;n
prove. But if, on the contraryf ~ ~