Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1857-1865, 1861-02-22

recognition OF the right OF property IN slaves Inc
seventh article Of that treaty concludes as follows;
"A prisoners on both sides shall be set at libcr-
ty, and his Britanic Majesty SHALL with all conve-
nient speed, and without causing any destruction.
or carrying away any negroes or other property Of
tie American Inhabitants, withdraw all his armies,
garrsons and fleets from the said United States,
and from every port place and haFbor, within the
sawe" y
Tweald ask gentlemen of the North IL FankIin
and Adams and Jay could admit in the very treaty
OF our Independence, that the right Of property in
savos existed in order TO secure our liberties II
they, ihersdescendantA cappot now rooognlze the
same right in order TO perpetuate themf Or have
you sunk TO such unfathomable depth below the
lofty and ardent patriotismof your fathers that you
are incapable of the sacrifce2 II this be 80, then
indeed sir do despair Of the Uuiop. Sir that Re-
preventative who hears me on this hoer to-day and
is not willing to yield up every partiEan feeling
which he may have heretofore entertained; who is
not willing 10 incur political annihilation to give
peace to this distracted land s unfit to represent tho
righto OF freemen. For myself am willing TO do
anything which will net sacrifice the honor or mate
rial and vital interests of those ! represent 70 set
tie these differences As TO any poor opinions which
| may entertain, will yield them without mo-
meats hesitation. Let us coufer together, not 40
members OF this or that party, not as representa-
tves Of this party platform that party platform
but rs Americans-tbe represeR tayes Of the great
est, freest, most cultivated and intelligent people Of
the earth-dscarding all party ties and shackles,
aud make q fair and honorable adustment Of this
dispute between our respective sections
ask, permission, sir, to call the attention OF gem
temen 70 the concluding part Of article frat Of the
treaty at Ghent sighed by John Q. Adams and
Others, where slaves are again soemniy recognized
as property. And again appeal to the Represent
atives of New England can you not safely sanction
what both the Adams have done,
"shall be restored without delay, and without
causing any destruction, or carrying away any of
the artillery, OR other public property, originally
captured in the said forts places, which shall
main therein upon the exchange Of the rathes-
tons of this treaty, or any slaves or other private
property
would also call to the notice Of the House, in
this connection, an opinion of Chief Justice Par
sons of Massachusetts, decided in four Nassachu-
sets Reports Up. l27,) in the case of Wimbledon
es. Hatfield in which the learned Judge holds this
language:
Slavery was introduced into this country soon
after its settlement. The slaves was the property Of
the MASTER subject 10 bis orders and 10 reasonable
corrections for misbehsvior."
And as the last and crowning authority upon this
point give extract from the opinion of the cheI
Justice of the United States, Judge Taney He says
in delivering the opinion of the court in Drcd Scottt
case:
snow, as we have already said in aa earlier part
of this opinion, upon different point, Tho right o
property in STATE is distinctly and expressly afrmeG
in the Constitution. And no word can be found in
the Constitution which gives Congress greater
power over slave property, which entities proper
" of that kind to less protection than property o
any other description The only posoer conferred i
the posoer coupled ,oih the duty Of guarding and pro
tecting the owner in bis rights. "
And upon these authorities think we may safel,
assume that this is not now an open question it ha
been settled in every possible way by solemn treaty
with foreign nations, by the legislation of both th
colonies and the Congress- and by the adjudication
of our courts. Then, sir, ask why may we not a
once adopt this proposition as a compromise Of on
differences in regard 70 tho territores2 II adopted
the territory of the whole United States would b
divided very nearly in proportion to their respectiv
populations between the North and the South. T
the North would be given l,795,9o5 square mile
for population Of nineteen million, and to tn
South l,2o3,7ll square miles for population Q
twelve million, the partition being as follows: