Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1860-12-14
s For the Journal.
The Present Crisis - Who il Re
SDOnSiblcf

FRIEND MABIN:-In the JOURNAL of Dec
9Th, find an article headed "Boo Hoo.
Knowing well what is meant, feel disposed
to notice its charges through your columns
The Black Republican triumph is not the
cause Of the present crisis, eh?
1t did not destroy the confidence of ha
the States of the confederacy, eh9.
Personal Liberty Bills are not bills of Negro
equality with the whites, eh?
The Black Republicans are not Abolition
lists, ehr
Then who is responsible? Did not the
Black Republican faction manage to bring
about all this trouble in the last Presidential
election? Are they not, therefore, responsible
But, as this is no time for examinations OF
recrininations, have thought proper to write
few lines in answer to the article above
alluded to, and will try to give some hints as
10 the true position which he different parties
now occupy. In order to do this, will
commence by saying that, in the Declaration
If independence, charge is made against the
King of Great Britain that he has excited
domestic instructions amongst us-(oi
which charge England is not yet clear, if we
may judge of their abolition emissaries
amongst u.s.
On the 9th day of July, 1878, the patriots
and heroes of the Revolution, in forming the
articles of confeder ton, in the FIRST section of
the fourth article, say:
"For the better to secure mutual friendship
and intercourse among the different States,
the free inhabitaats ct these States shall have
rec egress and ingress to and from any other
State, and shal! enjoy therein all the privileges
Of trade and commerce, and no restriction
shall be made so as to prevent the removal Of
tny property imported into any State from
any other State"
Was not here slave property included in
common with any other property?
On the 18th of September, 1887, those
same patriotic heroes, in order to form
more perfect Union" adopted the Consti.u-
lion ofthe United States, and therein described
matters more definite, so that there might be
40 cavil or misunderstanding among the cit-
zens, under the Constitution, in after times.
In the second section of the first article, the
Constitution provides that five negroes or
slaves shall be counted equal to three citizens
n making up the representation in Congress.
The ninth section of the first article declares
hat Congress shall not prohibit the import.
stion Of slaves before the year 1908; but the
same section declares that duty of not more
han ten dollars may be levied upon each
lave imported, which makes the distinction
,ery clear between those imported and those
migrating; it makes it very plain that i'm
ported persons were looked upon as property
otherwise, no duty could be levied upon
hem which could be collected by the United
'tates from the importer Of negroes.
The second section of article fourth declares
hat, if slave runs away from one State to
mother, he shall be delivered up to the owner.
n a claim being made by such owner, which
learly indicates that, if State neglects or
sfuses to deliver up such slave, As required
y the Constitution Of the United States,
ugh State SO refusing or neglectlng is liable
II damages to the owner thereof for the
alue of such slave.
The sixth article Of the Constitution declares
lat ''this Constitution shall be the supreme
W Of the land, and the Judges in every State I
lal, be bound thereby, anything in the Con- Z
tuition or laws of any State to the contrary ,
Notwithstanding" {
If, then, the Constitution Of the Unitei q
stes is the supreme law of the land, and d
cognizes property in negroes, and tie secondi