Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1860-11-02

protect the South from restitution, are
not necessary to the North, and other
Northern leading men declare that the
general government has no duty to per-
form in relation to property in slaves,
save to deliver up runaway negroes.
But this claim OF the South, so simple,
so just, and yet so absolutely essential to
be acknowledged in itself, is by no means
new, or of modern origin. The right
of protection now asserted by the South,
has only been denied of late years, and
the acknowledgement of it is therefore
now imperative.
FROM the origin of the government
property in slaves has been held to be
entitled to protection by all branches of
the Federal Government, and it has been
protected time and again wherever its
jurisdiction extended.
The treaty of John Jay, negotiated
with England during Washington's ad-
ministration, provided for the payment
by her, for all slaves carried off after the
treaty of Utrecht.
The Louisiana treaty, negotiated by
Mr.. Jefferson, expressly secured and pro-
tected the rights of the people of that
Territory to this species of property.
After the war of 1912, the treaty of
Client, in Monroe's administration, pro-
vided that slaves deputed should be paid
for by Great Britain, and this article of
the treaty, after the arbitration of the
Emperor Alexander of Russia, was en-
forced and procured to be executed by the
administration of John Quincy Adams.
Congress before then had provided for
the protection Of property in slaves in
the Territories of Tennessee and Ala
bama.
But further: During the administration
OF Andrew Jackson, three American YES
sells, the Enconium, the Enterprise and
another, were at various times thrown by
stress of weather into some of the British
West Indian ports. Their cargoes com
prised number Of slaves, being trans.
ported for safety from one Southern port
to another. These slaves were liberated
by British citizens, and the Government
of Great Britain subsequently indemni-
he'd their owners in consequence Of the re-
CARNATIONS of the Federal Government.
The Senate at the same time, by a IMAM
tnoaS vote, declared that the South was
entitled to this protection of her slave
property.
Subsequently, the slaves on board an
American ship, the Creole, having mu-
tinted and carried her into British port,
Mr.. Webster, as Secretary of State I'M
der Tyler's administration, claimed full
and adequate compensation from that
government for them. A member OF
Congress who introduced resolutions into
the House of Representatives, disclaim-
ing the power of the Federal Government
to protect Southern property in this case
OF the Creole, and denying that it was its
duty so to do, was promptly expelled
from the House.
That man is leading and influential
member of the political organization
which now controls by decisive votes Gf-
teen of the Free States. His sentiments
then are the opinions and feelings of a
powerful party nooo. His name is Joshua
II. Giddings.
But the government, in q still more
marked instance, had before then inter-
Tered for the protection of this property
in slaves, not Of citizen of any State,
but of foreign country. A Spanish
vessel, the Armistad, was carried by
slaves, who had mutinied, within juris-
diction of the State of New York. They
were there arrested by Federal officials,
and carried to Connecticut. The owners
of the slaves went into the Federal courts,
and demanded restitution of their pro-
perty, and the Supreme Court Of the
United States decided that Spanish
subject was entitled TO have his negro
slave, who had been lawfully held in
slavery in Cuba, and had escaped there.
from to Connecticut by mutiny, delivered
up to him, by virtue of the treaty with
Spain, which protected all property of
Spanish subjects The Court actually
ordered him to be delivered up.
This equal right then to be protected
in this right of property by the Govern
ment has been acted on and acknowledged
by every department oft, and without it
the condition Of the slave States would be
most precarious The communication
with each other by water would be closed,
and the "high seas" the free and com
mon highway Of all nations, prohibited to
their commerce, their convenience, or
their travel. Their slaves when once on
the high sea would be utterly lost to them
as property, and the robbery of them
would be 10 crime, from which they could
demand protection.
But while we with our brethren have
been thus faithfully doing our duty to the
North, while we have been contributing
in every way to its progress, its safety
and development, how have we been re-
paid? Look at the long catalogue of in
suit, of wrong, Of injury which VIC bear
for the sake Of peace. Look at the enor
nous pecuniary loss we suffer for the sake
of harmony Look at the terrible dan
gers of intestine war VIC face for the sake
Of the Union
Not satisfied with this utter disregard
Of plighted honor, attacks are made on
our domestic peace at our own fresides
organizations are gotten upin the North
for the avowed purposes ofinciting muir
der, arson and instruction in our midst
societies openly boast, year by year, Of
the millions Of which they have robbed
The South. Yet the States in which they
exist take no steps to suppress them or
protect US. Such a state Of things could