Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1860-12-29


tive of the ends for which it was instituted were
expressed when the Colonies separated from the
mother country and became free and indepen-
dent States. The parties amending the Con
stitution on the Eth of September, 1887, were
the several sover ign States.
On the 23d of May, 17SS, South Carolina, by
Convention Of her people, assented to the
amended Constitution of the United States
The failure of one of the contracting parties to
maintain constitutional obligations released the
other. Fifteen of the Northern States have
deliberately refused for years to fulfill their con-
stitutional obligations. We would refer to
those States for proof of this. When the
Fourth Article of the Constitution was adopted,
the greater number of the contracting parties
held slaves. The hostility of the Northern
States to the institution of Slavery had led
them to disregard their constitutional obliga-
tons. The laws of the General Government
nave ceased TO effect the objects of the Consti-
tuition. Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont,
Massachusetts, Connecticut. Rhode Island, New
YORK, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Indiana Ohio,
Michigan, Wisconsin and Iowa have enacted
laws either nulifying the Constitution, or rem
derlng useless all attempts to execute the acts
OF Congress In many of these States fugitiyes
held to service and to labor, "have been claimed,
ut in none of them has the State Government
implied with the stipulation on this subject
: tde in the Constitutions
In the formation of the Federal Government
fa>h State was recognised as an equal; the
rht of property in slaves was recognised by
giving all free persons distinct political rights:
by giving them the right to represent, and bur
dening them with direct taxes for thrce-ffths of
tnelr slaves; by authorizing the importation of
slaves Tor twenty years, and by stipulating for
the rendition of fugitvcs from labor. The ends
been defeated, and the Government itself made
destructive by the action of the non-savehold-
ing States. Those States assumed the right of
dccldlhS upon the propricty of our domestic
institutions. They denied the rights of proper
~ established in fifteen States and recognised
by the Constitution. They have denounced
sinful the institution of slavery; have permitted
an open establishment of societies whose avow-
al aud object are to disturb the peace and pros
perity of the citizens of other States they have
encouraged and assisted thousands of our slaves
to leave their homes, and those who remain
have been incited by emissaries, by books and
pictures 10 servile insurrection. Twenty-Five
years this agitation has been steadily increasing,
until they have secured the power of the COM
mon Government. Observing the forms of the
Constitution, sectional party has found within
that article, establishing an executive DEPART
ment, means Of subvcrting the Constitution it.
sell geographical line has been drawn across
the Union and all States north of that line have
united IN the elevation of a man to the high
office of President of the United States whose
opinions and purposes are hostile to slavery
lie is to be entrusted with the administration
OF the common government, because it is de-
clared that government cannot endure perma-
nently half slave and half free, and that the
public mind must rest in the belief that slavery
is in the course of ultimate extinction. This
sectional combination for the subversion of the
Constitution has been aided in the States by ell
evating to citizenship persons who, by the su-
preme law OF the land, are incapable of becom-
ing citizens, and their votes have been used to
inausurate the new policy hostile to the South
ana I1 destructive to its peace and safety On the
sion of the Government. 1t has been an
nounced that the South shall be excluded
from the common Territory; that the Judi
cial tribunals will be made sectional; that
war must be waged against slavery until il
shal! cease throughout the United States.-
The guarantees of the Constitution will then no
longer exist-equal rights of the States will be
iost-the Slayeholding States will no longer
nave the power OF selt-government or self-pro-
lection, and the Federal Government have be-
come their enemy. Sectional interests and an
imosity will deepen the irritation, and all hone
OF remedy, is rendered vain by the fact that
the public opinion of the North has invested
the political error with the sanction of more
erroneous religious belief
We, therefore, the people of South Carolina,
by our delegates in Convention assembled ap-
pealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for
n rectitude of our intentions, have solemnly
d-tlared the Union heretofore existing between
Is State and the other States of North Amer
~, dissolved, and that the State of South Car
"A has resumed her position among the ma