The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1860-08-23


reared different from that Of their tween
iv-three compeers, had it been manifest
ed at all.
For the purpose Of sdhering rigidly to-
the text, | have purposely omitted what
ever understanding tnay have been mani
tested BY any person, however Distinguish
ed, other than the thirty-nine fathers who
framed the original Constitution and. for
the same reason, have also omitted what
ever understanding may have been man
lfe: ted by any Of the " thirty-rine" even,
on any other phase OF the general question
of slavery. If we should look lbto their
acts and declarations on those other
phases, as the foreign slave trade, and
the morality and policy Of slavery gener-
ally. it would appear TO US that on the
direct question of Federal control Of
slavery in Federal Territories, the sixteen,
if they had acted at all, would probably
have acted just as the twenty-tbree did.
Among that sixteen were several Of the
most noted anti-slavery men Of those
times-as Dir. franklin, cheers, Al
exander Hamilton, and Governor Morris
while there was not one now known
to have been otherwise, unless it may be
John Rutledge, of South Carolina. Ap-
plause. The sum of the whole is, that
Of our ''thirty- nine fathers who framed
the original Constitution, twenly-one-a
clear majority Of the whole-certaiuly
understood that No proper division Of To-.
cal from Federal authority, nor any par.
of the Constitution, forbade the Federal
Government to control slavery IN the
Federal Territories, while all the rest
probably had the same understanding
Such nquestiouably, was the under
standing of our fathers who framed the
original Constitution aud the tezt af-
firms that they understood the question
better than we. Laughter and cheers.
But. so far, have been considering
the understanding Of tie question mani
tested by the trainers of the original
Constitution. In and by the original
instrument, a mode was provided for
amending it; and, as / have already
stated, the present frame Of Government
under which we live consists Of that or
iginal, and twelve amendatory articles
framed and adopted sioce Those who
now insist that Federal control Of slavery
in Federal Territories violates the Con.
sttiuton, point Us to the provisions
which they suppose it thus violates; and
as understand, they al fix upon pro
visions in these ameodatory articles, and
not in the original instrument. The Su-
preme Court in the Dred Scott case,
plant themselves upon the fifth amend
ment, which provides that 'no person
shall be deprived Of property without due
process Of law :" while Senator Douglas
and his peculiar adhereuts plant them
selves upon the tenth amendment proyid-
ing that ''the powers not granted by the
Constitution are reserved 10 he States
re- pectively, and to the people" Now,
it 80 happens that these amendments
were framed by the first Congress which
sat under the Consttu;ion-the Identical
congress which sat under the C0nstjtu
tl'E-the identical Congress which passed
the act already mentioned, enforcing the
prohibition OF slavery IL the North west
Urn Territory. Applause Not only
was 1t the same Congress, but they were
The Identical, same individual men who,
at the same session, at the same tine
within the session. had under considera-
flon, and IN progress toward maturity,
these constitutional amendments and
this act prohibiting slavery in all the ter
rtory the nation then owned. The con
etitutiona amendments we're introduced
before and passed after the act Of euGorc,
inc the ordinance Of 1877; so that dur
ing the whole pendency Of the act to en-
forcing the ordnance, the constitutional