The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1860-12-13


the Constitution, requiring that fugi-
tive slaves who escape from service in
one State to another shall be delivered .
mp to their masters. Without this pro- .
vision, it is we'll known historical fact
that the Constitution itself could never
have been adopted by the Convention
Tn one form or another, under the acts OF
1893 and 1850 both being subston-
TALLY the same, the Fugitive Slave Law
has been the law of the land from the
days Of Washington until the present
moment Here then clear case is pre-
in which it will be the duty Of .
the next President, NJ it has been my
own, to act with vigor in executing the
supreme law against the conflicting en-
aotments Of State Legislatures. Should
he fail in the performance of this high
duty, he will then have manifested a
disregard Of the Constitution and laws,
to the great injury Of the people of
nearly one-haf Of the States of the
Union. But arc we to presume in ad-
vance that he will thus violate his duty?
This would be at war with every prin-
ciple Of justice and of Christian chari-
ty. Let us wait for The overt act. The
Fugitive Slave Law has been carried in.
to execution in every contested case
since the commencement Of the present
Administration, though often it is to
be regretted with great loss and incOn.
venience, to the master and with consid-
erable expense to the Government. Letus
trust that the State Legislatures will re-
peal their runconstitutionalan and obnoxious
enactments. Unless this shall be done,
without unnecessary delay, it is impossi-
BILE for any power to save the Union. The
Southern States, standing on the basis
of the Constitution, have a right to de.
mand this act Of Justice from the States
of the North. Should it be refused
them, the Constitutions to which all the
States are parties, will have been wiliul-
ly violated by one portion Of them, in a
provision essential to the domestic sccu-
rity and happiness of the remainder.-
In that event the injured States, after
having first used all peaceful and con
stitutiOnal means to obtain redress,
would be justified in revolutionary re-
sistance to the government of the Union.
1 have purposely confined my remarks
to revolutionary resistance, because it
has been claimed within the last few
years, that anv State, whenever it shall
be their sovereign will and pleasure,
may secede from the Union, in accord
ance with the Constitution and without
any violation of the Constitutional rights
of the other members of the confcdera-
cv; that as each became parties of the
. Union by the vote Of its own people as
sembIcd in convention, so any one of
them may retire from the Union in a
similar manner by the vote Of such a
convention. In order to Justify secos-
sion as a constitutional remedy, it must
be on the principle that the Federal
Governments mere voluntary associ-
alton of States, to he dissolved at pleas
ure by any one of the contracting par.
I ties If this be so, the Confcdcracy is
a rope Of sand, TO be penetrated and dis,
solved by the first adverse wave Of pub
/ lie opinion in any of the States. Ia
/ this manner our thirty-three States may
rosolyo thor,soI,,os in+ooe r,on0 Dott,y
amino and bostiIo ronnLIics ooob 1 on,
rJotirin55, cnom tbo TTnion wi,boot o rosoon o,,>
sibiIity Whenever any sudden excite
ment might impel them to such course
tiroIy hroI-on into craoments n c.u
w2oots 2 ,ybicL cosr onr forsc,tbors man,
,oars or toI nriyotion and LIood - as
4 iohIisb Sncb = nrincinlo Is wboIIv ~
oonsisto,t ,r;tI, tbo ronstitntion. :; ,,.o.
r.,n,od With Tho rrootost dcrihor,tio,
and corc. il was submitted 70 conven
,;ons oP Tho roorIo az tbo soyoroI Ct,to.
f,r r,tilic.,tipn. its nrov;sions woro dis
o,sso5 ~ IonriL :, tboso LoJ;os oo,n
nosod of tbo frst non NJ tbe conntry "
r. annononts contondoa tLot - oonc,r
roJ poyor rDon tbs Fo5rroI Goyorn
mani danoarans 70 tbo rigbts or H,
SE,tos ,rI,i,st its oJrooo,,s ,ai,taino,
tLat npdcr c,ir constr,ctior of tLo =,
strno1ont Il, .ro w,s no Cnn5,tion e.,
suoL J'''. annrobonsions Tn G.t n;nb =,
strna,Ia hct,yoon tbo frst int.IIocts 81
tLig ~ INV conntry IL novor oocnrro, gy, ",
80 ,'o ony injiyidnaI eitLer omon,, its on w
nonoSts or odyocatos 70 assert or ovo,
;ati,s.,to tLot .tho;r oForts ,roro n
yoin l,hor bocopso tbe romont tba
any Stoto GIt herself ogyricgcd sh