The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1860-12-14
VOL. ?.

common territory, bat bv what authority
are these denied MOI by Congress, which
has never passed, and | believe never will
pass, any act 10 exclude slavery from the
territories, and certainly not by the Su
preme Court which has solembly decided
that slaves are properly. aud like Al! other
property cir owners have IA rlghi TO axe
rHeu into the common territories and
hoii item there under the pro ection OF
The Constitution. The anticipation that
congress may pass some law obnoxious, Is
no good reason for dissolution.
The President re asserts The power OF
Congress over property in the territories.
and the sacred rights of property are re
ceived by the constitution
The most pslpabIe violations Of cons'i,
tutipnaI duty winch lla, vet been commit
ted, consist IN the acts Of different state
legislatures to defeat the execution Of the
fugitive slave law. Ii ought 10 be remem
bered, how ever, that for these acts neither
Congress nor any President justly be held
responsible.
Having been passed in violation of the
federal constitution they are therefore null
aud void
1t will be the duty of the next President
as it has been nv own, to act with vigor
in executing the fugitive slave law against
conflicting euaclmtuIs Of state legislatures
We are not TO presume in advance that
he will violate his duty, which would be
at war With every prlnciple of Justice
Let US wait ior the overt act.
The fugitive slave law has been carried
into execution in every contested case
since the commencement of the present
administration Let US trust that the
State legislatures will repeal their uncon
stitut onal and obnoxious enactments--
Unless this shall be done without unn G.
essary delay, it is impossible for any hu-
man power to save the Union. And the
southern States have right TO demand
this act of justice from the northern States
Should this be refused, tie injured States
afther having first used all peaceful means
to obtain redress, would BE- Justified in rev
oIulionary resistance TO the Union.
The alleged principle that as each State
becomes party to the Union, by the vot e
Of its own people assembled in convention
so any one Of them NAV retire from the
Union IN 4 similar manner by the vote of
such convention, is wholly inconsistent
with the history AS well as the character of
the federal constitution.
He then rehearses portion Gen jack
sons message in 1888 relative to the nul
living ordinance OF South Carolina, and
says this Government was intended ty its
founders to be perpetual and not to be an
nuied al he pleasure Of any one of TIE
contracting parties The President then
enumeraies The poweIs cOnflrred on Con
gress by the federal government, and that
these powers may be effectuaI, it also pos
sesses exclusive right to lay and collect AL
import duties and other taxes and has
adopted etfectual means to restrain the
States from interfering.
In order still fur-h = secure the uuin
ter up ef eNcryI~s- n- -. So hirh powers
against late laws OF ,ae UuitpI States.
Nh3ca -,.al He .rd- snss auce thereof.
a4A III IRE. me- r..a..r. 5. hich shall be
-ltIe un.u tie au,roiily Of the United
>.ale>, shall be the supreme law of the
land, and the Judge in every state shall be
bound thereby anything in the constitu
tion. or laws of any state or territory not
withstanding. The government, created
by the constitution, aud deriving its au-
thOrIty from the sovereign people of each
Of the several states. has precisely the
same rIghr 10 exercise its power over the
PEE ,Ie # all these states, III The enumeFa
ted cases hat one of them possesses o, er
>n'jo.t- not deiega ed 10 the United
States be preserved to The states respect
lively, or to the people.
To the extent of the delegated powers
the constitution of the United States is as
much part Of the constitution of each
state, and is as binding on its people as
though it Rad been rextuallv inserted
therein. This government therefore ia u
great ani powerful government invested
/ with all the attribute, Of sovereignty over
special subjects to which It's authority ex-
tends. 1t may be asked, then. are the
people of the state then without redress
against the tyranny and oppression of the
fedora government? By no means. The
right of resistance on the part "t The gov.
erued against the oppression of their gov
ernments cannot be denied 1t exists indie.
pendently f ALI constitutions, and has
been exercised al all periods of the world's
! history.
But the distinction must ever be ob
served that this i a revolution against an
established Government, and not a voun-
tary secession from it, by virtue Of an in
herent constitutional right.
In short, let rs look the danger fairly
in the face, secession is neither more nor
less than revolution. 1t NAV, or it NAV
not, be a juSriisbe revolution. What, in
the meantime is the responsibility and
true position Of The Executive
He Is bound TO take care that the laws
be faithfully executed, and from this obli-
CATION he cannot be absoived by any hp
man power But what if the performance
has been rendered impossible by event:
over which he could have exercised nc
control. Such, Al the present moment, i:
he case throughout the state of South
Csfolint I, 50 far A. the laws Of the lutte
States, TO secure th. administration Of JUS
, tice by means Of the federal judiciary. are
concerned All the teieral officers within