The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1860-12-20
Union Saving ina Congress.

Union Saving in Congress.
Over twenty different resolutions
were offered by as many different.mem-
bers of the House in one day last week,
instructing the great committee Of |
thirty-one, what to do as measure
for saving the Union. These reso.u-
tions embraced great variety Of ex
pedients, the large proportion Of them
impracticable and absurd. Among the
resolutions recommending plans for the
salvation Of the Union, was one by !
"our Larabee"of Wisconsin ; this pros
posed convention of all the states for
consultation. The. most sensible and
timely Of the resolutions was offered
by Mr.. Hutchins Of Ohio. 1t was in
substance as follows:
"Resolved, That the committee be
instructed to report what legislation is
necessary to give FIJI effect to that
part Of the constitution which provides
that the citizens Of each State shall be
entitled to all the privileges and immu-
mites of the citizens Of the slave states
and also what legislation is necessary
to secure to all the people, whether re.
siding in or travelling through any
State, the full benefit of that part Of the
Constitution which secures them
against unreasonable searches and sci
zure in the absence Improbable cause"
Here is something practical, de-
handing the immediate action Of Con
gress. Sec.2, of Article 4,of the Con
stitution, declares that "IHe citizens
Of each State, shall be entitled to all
the priVjleges and. jnana1tajties Of citj.
Gems IN the several states" In large
proportion of the Southern States this
provision of the Constitution is being
violated every day. Citizens of indi-
vidual States, who are entitled under
the Constitution to protection in the
several States, enjoy less security I'M
der this Government, than would be
found in central Africa, or among the
most barbarous tribes of Asia. The
Government has not yet made the first
effort to'put stop to any one OF the
hundreds Of violations Of this impor-
tant constitutional provision. The
South tramples with reckless impuni~
ty upon the rights Of citizens, deprives
them Of liberty and life, for no cause but
that preferring freedom to slavery ;
and yet no Democrat either North or
South, lifts his voice to demand the
immunities which the Constitution
guarantees; any indignity, any cruelty,
even death, inflicted upon northern
citizen can be tolerated, provided it is
done to avenge a real or imaginary in
suit to slavery. But only let negro
slave leave the South, and be helped
on hisway through the Northern states
to Canada, then what cries Of Consti-
tutional violation are sounded by the
shareholders Their Northern Demo
cratic allies catch the echo, and make
it ring through the land.
Article 4, of the Amendments to the
Constitution, throws additional secuti-
ty around every citizen of the United
States. 1t declares that the right Of the
people to be secure in their persons,
papers and effects, against unwarrant-
able searches and seizures, shall
not be violated, except upon legal pro-
ceeding. What does the South care
for this Constitutional right, or what
has the Government at Washington
ever done, to enforce its observance ?
The country has been surfeited with
clamors about the Fugitive Slave Law,
q Law, thatif ever violated at all, has
been only in a few cases. There has
been but one alleged violation Of the
Fugitive Slave Law inWisconsin since
its enactment. In some of the States,
no violations of the law have been
charged at all. There has been an
immense noise raised respecting vio>
lations of the Fugitive Law, on very
small capital. 1t is high time this cry
of law-breaking, was thrown back on
the noisy minions Of slavery. There
are a thousand violations of the Cons
stitutional rights of free white citizens
of the United States, to one against
the law for catching runaway negroes.
Is the escaping of a fugitive slave Of
more consequence than the liberties or
lives of thousand white men?