Randolph County journal. [volume] (Winchester, Randolph County, Ind.) 1855-1862, 1861-02-07

sovereign State1 IL IL were so, a State would
have the right to absolye itself from all allegi-
ance, and absolve its citizens from all allegiance
to the Government, Of the United States.
Undeniably if this was the case, if this was suf-
fcient cause for breaking up the Union, they
might have a thousand reasons, seized on with as
much propriety, for breaking up and dissolving
the Union as now. The judicial reports Of the
courts all over the country were full Of decisions
which had declared that such and such law was
unconstitutional aud that such and such law
was null and void. 1t was for the purpose of
having a tribunal for settling forever all disputed
points of fconstitutionalty, where these questions,
as a last appeal, should be decided, that the Su-
preme Court Of the United States was establish
ed. 1t had been established to protect the rights
of ali the States against encroachments, no mat
ter from what quarter they might come. To
this last arbtrament it had been the habit of the
peace and libcrty-loving people Of the country to
refer all their disputes and differences and hith
erto the Supreme Court had decided all question:
Of constitutional law submitted TO it. Now the
Supreme Court was the proper arbiter of this
very question. This unconstitutional law, Ia
which he had adverted, law enacted by
some of the States for the purpose of protecting
the free people Of these States from the possibil
ity Of danger arising from the manner in which
the laws of Congress touching the recapture OF
fugitive slaves was executed within their limits
On this point he might say he himself did not ap.
prove of these laws; but yet 1t was not for him
| IN tha al of In
any attempt they might make TO preserve what
ever they deemed the Just rights of the poopl,
within their separate jurisdictions. But It was
obvious to any man of the commonest understand
ing that any such laws, though they might ex.
ist in the statute books Of State, were yet TO.
tally null and void when they came In conflict
with the laws Of the United States. lie was
looking at this allegation rs one which, if II
could In any way be sustained by fact, could b,
easily remov ID; or, rather, he now wished Ia
show that II could not have any effect on the
interests or rights Of Southern mcn or Southern
States.
The law for the recapture and surrender OF
fugitives slaves was passed In 1850, and was sus.
tanned by the opinion OF the Supreme Court oi
the United States and the State courts had no
moro to do with IL than they had with the act OF
l793. II must follow, "a legal consequence
inevitable, that the Supreme Court Of the United
States, II il deem the law OF 1850 or the law OF
1893 as amended by that Of 1850. as within the
Constitution and province of Congress, II follows
that they will execute that law; aud therefor,
every law coming In contact with any portion OF
the constitutional law, and nterposng TO its ex-
ecution. must be deemed by them totally void
and of no effect. When he asserted this he pre-
sumed that no man, whether a lawyer or lay
man, would disagree with him.
IT, then, any of those laws passed in the Norti
entered into conflict with the laws Of the Unitec
States, which were declared to be constitutions
/ by the courts of the Federal Government, thai
Constitution under which they still liveC
and which was the paramount law Of Oh,
land, ordained that the Constitution ITSELF anC
the laws made in pursuance thereof are all trea
ties made under it, should be the Supreme Law
of the land, anything in the laws and constitu
ton of any State TO the contrary notwthstand
ing. The committee, therefore, had been anx
zens or their property from these laws. Tha
brought him to the question of property. III
looked upon that as property which, owing maj
labor, could be converted into value in goods o
money. That he called property. lie did no
mean to say that man had property in man, bu
there ives a relationship existing between slav
and his owner which was recognized by the Con
1
That every State recognizes the right of a mas
ter to establish his claim to his runaway slave
That relationship which existed between MAJ
who owes labor and him to whom it was due wa
called slavery. lie believed that the word slave
had been strangely perverted from its origina
meaning. The word slave was formerly applic
to white men--thc blue eyed. fair skinned man
the slaves who had raised the great Russian en-
pre to its present stupendous and brillian
height. In the present day, the Empire of Rus
sia had found it desirable to free the millions o
slaves of his vast empire. Nor, in this country
the word slavery had come 70 be we'll estab
lished.
He did not care by what particular name i
went, he would call it any thing-theology, di
vinity, black republicansm laughter slavery O.
anti savery-any name they pleased. The thiny
which they wished to understand was what wa
known as the relationship existing between Ger
tain persons in state of slavery and the persons
to whom they owed service or labor. That i
property. In the acceptation of law that rela
tionship was property. As the law for the re
capture of slaves was passed by the supreme iu
dietary of the United States, and the law there
/ by being declared constitutional, it consequent,
! followed that the law was paramount either to :
law ofa State or the constitution of State; an,
law which was instrumental in preventing III
execution was, therefore, so much blank paper
Under these circumstances he would ask, was i
possible for gentlemen Of the South. lawyers o
the South, for the statesmen Of the South tina
they could look at the passage of one of thes'
useless laws as a sufficient cause of breaking th,
bonds OF brothegly regard which had lon:
united them under the Constitution 1t ha,
heen declared that the Northern newspg pers an'
publications which were circulated in the Soutl
had tendency to excite domestic insurrection
1t was obvious against this it became the dut
of every State to guard itself He held it tn
/ first daty of every free State to suppress an,
publications intended to be circulated in tn
South with intent to create domestic insurrec
ton. 1t vas the bounden duty of every State t
suppress such publications, and to punish tn
IL 80 rIo a. Al.