The weekly Mississippian. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1859-1864, 1860-10-03
Tho Doctrine 81 Protection Endorsed
nv all Parties in the South.

that all partisan the South have taken gIounu
81 ssvor Of nrotectior, to slavery in the Terri
tories. .
In the spring ofIs49 an address was issu-
al signed by nearly all the Southern delegates
in Congress-, without distinction OF party, in
cludpc the whole of the Mississippi delega-
ton. giving history of the measures of ag-
erosion by the North upon the rights of the
South, and urging the Southern States to
counsel together and take some steps to force
the North to respect our rights. Those fam
liar with the political history of Mississippi will
recollect that a large meeting of the citizens
of Central Mississippi" in order to Wholesome
response to that address, assembled in the city
Of jackson in May 1849 For the time being
distinctions of party were laid aside. That
meeting called the October State Convention
of that year. Delegates were sent by the
people to that Convention without regard to
Whiggery or Democracy. Judge VIM. L.
Sharkey was chosen President of that Con-
vention. He addressed the Convention on
taking the chair. We extract as. follows from
his speech as published in the official proceed
ings of the Convention
''The safety of the States and of the people
is best preserved by holding Congress strictly
within the limit of the delegated powers. No
rule of construction can be safe which en-
croaches upon individual rights. The right
to hold slaves as property became a fixed
principle inseparable from the other provis-
ions of the constitution. Indeed, that de-
scripton of property seems to have
been thought aoorthy Of specific and special
protection The constitution must exist and
harmonise in all its parts. Every principle
it contains is inseparably connected together.
1t is an entire thing, being the great frame
work of the government, indissolubly united
in all its parts lit would not have been form
ed without the insertion of every feature it is
an infraction to violate any of them the
symmetry is broken
"As sovereign States we have the power to
Judge of, and to correct moral and political
evils within our limits. We ask not the in
reference of the North to correct our morals
/ or our institutions. We do not intrude upon
them, but only demand to be permitted to an
equality IN the enjoyment of our common pro
perty. Congress, it is true, may establish a
/ government in the territory, but htat govern
naent must be founded an equality. 1t must
protect the property of the common Osoner, as
,ceH as has person. Whether this power is
derived under the third section of the fourth
| article of the constitution, or whether it is de-
rived from the power to acquire territory, OF
the war and treaty making power, is not ma
terial, it must be exercised so as to preserve
inyiolate every principle of the constitution"
But the Opposition will say as they said
when Judge Sharkey denounced the Dred
Scott decision at Canton week or two ago
that is the opinion merely of an individual
The party is not responsible for the individu
al opinions ofthe members ofthe party" Very
well. We will now quote from the report o
the committee on resolutions, which repor
was unanimously adopted, to-wit:
1--WE maintain that the system of slavery
was recognized by the constitutlon-slave
were recognized as property, the enjoyment o
Which a0Gs guarded and protected; guaranteed
by that compact the Congress has no powe
over such property. The right of propert,
preceded the constitution 1t is co-eval Mil
the history of man it exists by paramount
law of nature it is the subject of control b,
State sovereignty only. This Union neve
would have been formed, without the full an,
entire recognition of slavery. and property il
slaves, and the guaranty to the o,0ner Which i
contained in The constitution"
ave assert that the territories acquir
ed by the late war with Mexico, are the com
mon property of the United States that III.
people Of the States haue right to more to 1t
to take toith them their property, their religio
and their liberty. Congress did not Great
property in slaves, nor can it say the
shall cease to be property. To abolish SLAYER.
in the territories, is to diminish their value
and limit their usefulness in the States.
is appropiating the whole of the territory
the use of one portion of the people of tn
= United States, to the exclusion Of another
The pOtoer of Congress to legfslate for the ten
, yitories is poioer to protect the citizens an
, his property, nor to declare aohat as property.
That convention, composed as it was {
members of both political parties, fully com
mitted the State to the doctrine of protection
But we have other proof. That conventio
, issued an address, calling upon the Souther
States to meet Mississippi in Southern Con
/
bling of the celebrated Nashville Conyentio
of 1850. That address was signed by W.
,, Sharkey, c. R. Clifton, j. l. Guion, leadin
lights of the old wing party, and seyera
,, other distinguished gentlemen. We quot
from that address:
"To carry these express powers into execn
ton, some government of the territory, dur
ing the progress OF its sale, settlement and ad
mission into the Union, is absolutely neeessa
ry, for the protection of the rights of the UNI
ted States in tie. 1sryltories,-of the commits
sioners, surveyors, and registers in the publ
lands-of settlers and purchasers, in thei
titles and possession of their lands, and an thet
, domestic relations, and rights of life, L5ert
and property, as guaranteed by the Magn
Cbarta of the constitution.
This power to govern is, therefore, merel
deriyitiye and subordinate to the expires
powers delegated over the territories, an
, extends no further than to make such law
for the territories, as may be necessary an
proper for these purposes Of protection 1t can
not Be construct to destroy dORlesti relations o
title to property gaIidity acquired under latc
of the staUe States, by setting up territOrio
, LaWs TO destroy such rights; and thus TO de
prive the slave States of their equal right t
settle the Territories with their slave proper
3 | IT, and to have a voice in the formation of tn
: constitution, to be adopted by the people upo
their admission into the Union as States.'
: We think we have shown that in 1849, a
parties in Mississippi clearly and unequivocall
endorsed and proclaimed to the world that
: was the duty of the Federal Government t
!, protect slave property in the Territories.
But let US trace that action further. Tha
address issued by the Mississippi October con
yention resulted in, as we have said, tn
g assembling of the Nashville Convention
: Judge Sharkey was chosen President of tha
Convention, which was composed of distin
guished representatives from all the Souther
States, selected by their constituents, withou
e regard to past political differences. The tie
: of party had been laid aside in order that the
: might unite as band of brothers in opposi
: ton to a common enemy, and avert, If poss
: bic, the then threatened, and still threatened
. obstruction of the rights of the South, by tn
exclusion Of slavery by Congress from tn
. common territories of the United States, an
the passage Of other laws trampling unde
, foot the constitutional rights of the South.
The very first resolution of the NashviIl
Convention, which passed unanimously, read
as follows:
Resolved, That the territories of the United
States belong to the people of the severa
States of this Union as their common proper
ty that the citizens OF The several States hac
equal rights to migrate Nth their property d
those territories, and are entitled to The protec
ton of the Federal Government in the enjoy.
nse't Of that property, so long as the Ter7itorle.
remain under the charge Of that Government.
i If these facts do not commit the whole
South, Of all political parties. to the doctrine
4 of protection to. slavery, we would like to