The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1861-01-16
NUMBER 2.

/ winch they surrendered certain powers of
sovereignty, and declared those powers,
thus surrendered, to lie supreme, without
reseryIng 10 the Sts:e, or 10 the people, the
/ right OF secession notification or other re-
sistauce. IL is, therefore, clear that there
is no constitutional right OF secession. Sc.
cession is only another form of notification.
Either, when attempted 10 be carried out
by force, is rebellion, and should be treated
as such, by those whose sworn duty it il
TO maintain the supremacy of lle Constiiu.
tion and laws of the United States.
1t is certainly true, that in cases of great
extremity, when The oppression of govern
ment has become so intolerable that civil
war is preferable 10 longer submission,
there remains The revolutionary right of re-
slstance bot where the authority of the
Government is limited by a written Con-
slltulion, aud each department is held ia
check by the other departments, it will
rarely, if ever, happen that the citizens
may not be adequately projected, without
Restoring TO the sacred aud inalIenabe right
TO resist and destroy government which
has been perverted 10 tyranny
| But, while denying the right of Sta,e 10
absolve It's citizens from the allegiance
which they owe TO the Federal Government
1t Is nevertheless highly proper that We
| should carefully and caudidly examine the
reasons which are advanced by those who
have evlnced determination 10 destroy the
| Union OF these American States /; and if it
shall appear that auy OF the causes OF com.
/ plant are well founded, they should be un.
| heslatiugIy removed, and, as far as posi-.
/ BILE. reparalion made for the past, ami se-
cur:ty given for The future for il is not to
! be tolerated, that government created by
Ihe people, and maintained for their benefit
| should do injustice 10 any portion of its
citizens.
! Alter asserting her right 10 withdraw from
! The Union, South Carolina. through her
convention, among other reasons, declares
that she is justified, in exercising, at this
time, that right, because several of the
States have Tor years not only refused to
/ fulfill their constitutional obligations, bu,
have enacted laws either nulifying tho
( Constitution, or rendering useless the acts
/ OF Congress relative 10 the surrender of
fugitive slaves-lhat they have permitted
/ The open establishment of societies. TO dis.
/ lurD the peace of other States; that the
/ people OF The non slavehoding States have
aided IN the escape of slaves from their
masters, and have melted 10 servile insur.
/ recton those that remain-and have an
nonnced their determination 10 exclude the
! South from The common territory of The
Union As the Representatives of The peo-
+ PIE of Pennsylvania, il becomes your
solemn duty TO examine these serious char.
geS, made by the authority OF a sovereign
! State.
Pennsylvania is included in The list Of
States that are charged with having refused
I compliance with that mandate Of the Con.
stituion OF the United States, which de-
clares, THAT person held 10 service or
labor in one State, under The laws thereof,
escaping into another, shall, in consequences
OF any law or regulation therein be dis.
charged from such service or labor. but
shall be delivered up on claim of the party
10 whom such service or labor may be DUE"
So far from admitting the traih OF ihi. charge
| unhestalingly aver, that upon careful
examinaIionIt Will be found that the legis-
lauive and jud icial action of Pennsylvania,
whether as colony, as 4 member of the
old confederation, or under the existing
Constitution of the United States, has been
almost Invariably influenced by a proper
appreciation of her own obligations, and
by high regard for the rights, the feelings
and the interests of her sister ates
As early as l7o5, the provincial au,hori-
ties OF Pa after reciting in the preamble thai
''the importation of Indian slaves from
Carolina, or other places, hath been observ.
ed to give the Indians of this province
some umbrage for suspicion and dissatis-
faction" passed act against the impor-
tation OF Indian slaves from any other prov
nce or colony, in America, bnt al the same
time declared. '.ihai no such Indian slave,
a. deserving his masters service elsewhere,
shall fly into this provice, shall be under
! stood or construed 10 be comprehended
| within this act" And when, in 1880, more
than eight years before the Constitution of
the United States went into operation,
Pennsylvania passed her law for the gradual
abolition of slavery mindful OF the rights of
her coufederales, she declared that "thls
act, or anything in il contained, shall not
give any reliet or shelter TO any absconding
or runaway negro or mulauo slave, or
servant, who has absented himself, or shall
absent himsef, from his or her owner,
master or mistress, residing in any other
State or country, but such owner: master or
mistress, shall have ike right and aid to