Pointe Coupee Democrat. [volume] (False River [i.e. New Roads], Parish of Pointe Coupee [La.]) 1858-1862, 1860-05-26
THE DEMOCRAT.
Speech of Hon. T. J. semnes, Delivered
at the Odd Fellows Hall Meeting, on the
18th Inst.
P. A. ROY, Editor.

CITIZENS OF. Lou1sIASA-Whcn Philip
of Macedon was threatening Greece his
hired partisans denounced Dcmosthcncsc
as political ayitator In the midst OF
men crying out peace" "peacc," there
was no peace. So today the prctorial
cohorts who seek the elevation of ia.
vorite political chieftain denounce as
enemies Of the Republic the true friends
ofathe Constitution. (Applause.) The
South, staggering under the incessant
and pitilcss assaults of fanaticism, de-
manded Of the National Convention an
explicit recognition Of the Constitution
al guarantees of her institutions. This
recognition having been refused, the
representatives, of seven great agr!cul-
tural States abandoned a Convention
which they conceived had lost it's ma
tlonal character; because the spirit Of
the Constitution no longer presided over
Its connsels, and the voice of principle
was drowned amid the camors of ianis-
saries, struggling for power, for place
and for spoiIs.
This meeting has been convoked to
satisfy the nation that New Orleans, the
great emporium Of slave products, into
whose lap is poured a glttering stream
/ OF wealth from the seven States which
abandoned the Convention, is animated
by the determination to support and up
hold the rural population OF the South in
their Constitutional demands. This i'm
mense gathering in favor of the Consti-
tuition will give contradiction fiat to the
imputation sometimes made that the
people Of New Orleans have no sympa-
thy with the political sentiments Of the
growers Of cotton and the producers of
rice and sugar. Are we, then, fellow
citizens, prepared to anathematize the
delegates of seven great States Of this
Union, whose only sin consists in a re-
fusal to sacrifice principle to mere tenn
porary success? loud cries of 'no!
no!") If so, trampIc under foot the
Constitution; let the Dred Scott decision
be burnt by the public hangman; tear
the crmine from the venerable shoulders
of the great jurist who presidcs over the
most august tribunal on earth. (Ap-
plause.)
And what is the principle involved in
this controversy? It is the equality of
the sovereign States of this Union. tt
is the equal right to participate in the
enjoyment of the common territories,
acquired by the common blood and com.
mon treasure. It is the right to mi
CRATE to the common territories with our
slaves, and hold them there as property.
subject to the protection of the FederalI
Government. Its the right of the slave
holder to claim the protection of the
common government for his property
which is afforded to every other species
Of property. 1t is the right which every
citizen demands of the sovereign, the
right of protection, and without which
the citizen is an alien in his native land
Mr.. Semmes then proceeded to review
the principles laid down in the bred
Scott decision. He briefly enumerated
them under the following heads:
lst. The right to govern Territory
is the inevitable consequence of the right
to acquire territory.
I'd. The right to acquire is based on
the power to admit "new States" into
the Union, and, therefore, the United
States can only acquire for the purpose
of creating new States, and not for the
purpose Of holding the Territories as
colonies 1
3D.. The Government, therefore, holds
the territory for the common use until it
should be associated with other States
as member Of the Union.
4th The power to acquire necessarily
carries with it the power to preserve and
apply to the purposes for which it was
acquired, and, therefore,
9th. Until the time for admission into
the Union arrives it is necessary that
some government should be established
in order to organize society and protect
the inhabitants in their persons and
6th. That the right Of property in
slaves is distinctly recognized in the
Constitution; and that there is no diff
ference between property in slaves and
other property
7th. That as the Constitution recog-
llZes property III slaves, and makes no
distinction between that description of
property and other property, no tribunal
acting under the United States Legis-
ative, Executive, Or Judicial has right
% draw such distinction
Sth. That wherever master is entl-
led to go, his slave may accompany
lim without any impedimcnt from a
ear Of Congressional legislation Or in
erfercnce
9th. That Congress can confer no
oower on any local Government to vio-
ate the provisions Of the Constitution,
md the only power conferred on the
5eneral Government in relation to slaves
Il ]