Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1861-01-31

was sent 10 Chadesf11< lgotcfdly and ~
specsnhily 70 bin< ~ 9idi6 sfs ths
law before the United States Courts. He
was not allowed 70 do 20, He wss ordered
and forced to leave the city. No Judicial
officer of the. General Government has been
commissioned to carry out thst provision Of
the Constitution. United States troops
have not been ordered out tosscure it, faith
ful observance. 1t has not been executed,
and Il cannot be executed. The attempt TO
enforce its observance would inevitably split
the Union, and therefore the North quietly
submit Itmay be said tbst persons Of fAfri-
can descent are not citizens in view Of the
Constitution, and therefore have no right to
be recognized as such In the Southern ports
This is the point which Massachusetts, wish
ed to have judicially decided, and was for
hidden to make the attempt IL never has
been judicially decided BY court Of COM
petent jurisdiction. Besides, this was not
the ground on which the lsw forbidding free
negroes 20 euter tho Ssstec esusis Cssolan
was enacted. Whether citizens or not, they
were to be excluded. =.
Our only object is to show that while q
constitutional provision painful to the North
is carried out by all the resources ofthe Fed
eral Government, like provision, distaste-
ful to the South, is allowed to remain dead
letter.
"It is, however, said that ''the personal
liberty laws" passed by some Of the North
ern States, are virtusl notification 0f the
fugitive slave law, and, therefore, breach
of compsct. So far rs tho laws in question
have that design, they are worthy Of all con-
domination; and 20 far as they are the ex-
preston of importent hostility, they are un-
becoming the dignity of sovereign State.
All laws designed to interfere with the. full
and efficient operation Of the constitutional
compact on this subject are immoral. The
only question is, whether. tltsse personal lib
erty laws are such a violation Of the nation
al compact as to destroy its binding force, and
to justify disunion2 We answer, No, for
the following reason: I. Because, as already
said, the Federal Government is the party
bound, and therefore 30 long - that gov
ernment is faithful to the contract there il
no violation Of the compact 2. Because
the ibeEty laws, so far as we can learn, are
not &c prgesso nullifcationof the fugitive
slave law. A law to forbid the collection ol
duties at port Of entry by federal oficers
would be an act of notification. But Law
to forbid State officers to make the collection
or State warehouses to be used for storing
the goods, would not be notification. 30 il
like manner, a law to forbid federal officer
to arrest fugitive slaves would be nulli6ca
ton. But law forbidding State officer
making fhy.mrest, and tN1 ibiting the as
of State prisons for their detention, is no
a notification Of the law Of Congress. Q
A third argument on thissubject is, that tn
liberty laws are professedly to protect fire.
negroes. There is danger Of their unjustl
4 being carried into slavery. 1t has been don
Il and we know that q young woman from
Texas, although liberated by her owner an
father, was considered SO much in danger il
New York that she was sent to Canada 70
protection. 4. But suppose these laws t
, be directly in conflict with the fugitive slav
, law; suppose State should expressly pre-
hibit the restoration of fugitive slave, al
rested within her borders, would that justif
secession2 Would that exonerate any slave
, holding State from it's allegiance to the Ur
= ion2 Certainly not, because secessionis nc
!, the proper remedy for this injustice. II
first step would BE- to hkvS such State Ia
;. declared, by the Supreme Court of the I
States, to be Unconstitutional. That wou
make It dead letter. II no part Of Il
!, Union could it be executed in the face
!. such decision. But should Il be for Il
United States to enforce obedience to its ov
!. law. Any State resisting uhder such circur
. . stances would be in rebellion, and must
reduced TO submission to the law, just
:, Washington suppressed the whisky insr
= surrection. This is the operation of 0
= system. Notification Of the fugitive sla
!. !. law, therefore, even if formally enacted
:. - any State, would be no Justification Of {
: cession. The border States, which suf
from the loss Of slaves, sre not in favor
- ae secession. The complains Of breach Of q
~ tract comes from States which suffer little
" ~ nothing from this source. We do not 9
- on careful consideration of the matt
!. IN how any conscientious Nd can justify 4
y. ~ union on the ground tiiat the North
/. proved unfaithful to thsf national cOmps
'. The great majority of the people of
! ~ North are in favor of the faithful execut
:, of the law and the Federal Governme
w. w. their constitutional organ, has never fai
n. ~ to discharge its duty in the premises. !"
~. ~ 'iAnother ground of complaint is, I
A. the South has lost its equality in the Ur
w. N.Y. or that they are denied equal rights"
.or To this it is answered, l. That there il
!, !. restriction peculiar to the saveholding sta
h.. The people from those states may take
!. !. the territories every thing that the pc
~. from the North are allowed to take. I
I ... are placed on terms Of perfect equalit,
,s.;. this respect. 2. That the restriction
v;.h regard to slaves, which bears equally =