Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1861-01-23
The Position OF rennessee.

Senate Yesterday, and adopted also by that
body. They may, therefore, be regarded as
setting forth the position of Tennessee in the
present momentous crisis. We republish
them below, and commend them to the
careful consideration of our readers:
l. Resolved By The General Assembly of Tsnnes-
see, That Convention or delegates from all
the slave holding States should assemble at
Nashville. Tennessee, or such other place
as majority of the States eooperat-
ing may designate. on the 4th day of
February, TO digest and defiue basis upou
which, if possible, the Federala Union and
the Constitutional rights of the slave States
may lie preserved and perpetuated.
2. ResolUed, That the General Assembly of
Tennessee appoint a number of delegates to
said Convention, OF our ablest and wisest
men, equal to our whole delegation in Con
gress; AID that the Governor of Tennessee
Immediately furnish copies of these ~resolu-
lions to the Governors of the slave holding
States, and urge the participation of such
States in said Convention.
5. Resolved, That in the opinion of the
General Assembly of Tennessee scch plan of
adjustment should embrace the following
propositions as amendments 10 the COnstitu-
lion of the United States =
First, A declaratOry amendment that At
rican slaves as held under the institutions Of
the slaveboIding States shall be recognised
as property, and entitled to the St1tus of 9TH
er property. in the States where slavery ex-
lists, in all places within the exclusive juris-
dictiol Of Congress In the slave States, in
all the territories South Of So degrees, 80
minutes, in The District of Columbia, in
transit and whilst temporarily sojOurning
with the owner in the non-siayehOlding
States, and territories North CT Sc degrees,
80 minutes; and. when fugitives from the
owner, in the several places above named.
As well as IN all places, in the exclusive J1-
IisdctiCn Of Congress, ia the n0U-slaTehOld-
ing Safe
See0nd. That in all the territory now own
ed, OF which may be hereafter acquired by
the United States South OF the parallel of
Sc degrees, 80 minutes. African slavery shall
| be recognized as existing, aud be protected
By all the departments of the Federal and
territorial Government; and in all North of
that line, now owned or to be acquired, it
shall not be recognized as existing: Aud
Whenever States formed out of any of said
territory South of said line, having popu
latiOn equal 10 that of a Congressional Dis
trict, shall apply for admission into the
UniOu, the same shall be admitted as slave
States; whilst States North of the line,
formed cut of said territory aud having a
population equal to Congressional District
shall be admitted without slavery: But the
States formed ont of said territory, North
and South. having been admitted as men,
beers of the Union, shall have all the powers
over the institution of slavery possessed BY
the other States of the Union.
THIRD, Congress shall have no power TO
abolish slavery in places under its exclusive
jurisdiction. and situate within the limits Of
States that permit the holding os slaves.
Fourth, Congress shall have no power to
abolish slavery within the District of Cclum-
bia, as long as it exists in the adjoining States
0f Virginia and Maryland, or either, nor
without the consent of the inhabitants, nor
without just compensation made TO such
owners of slaves as do not consent to such
adjustment. Nor shall Congress at any time
prohibit officers of the Federal Government,
or members of Congress, whose duties re-
quire them TO be in said District, from bring
ing with them their slaves, and holding III m
as such, during the time their duties may
require them to remain there, and afterwards
taking them from the District.
FIFTH, Congress shall have no power to
prohibit OF hinder the transportation Of
slaves from one State to another, or to a
Territory in which slaves are by law permit
ted to be held whether that transportation
be by land, nayigable rivers, or by the sea.
Sirth, In addition to the fugitive slave
clause provide, that when a slave has been
demanded Of the Executive authority of the
State TO which he has fed, if he is not deliv
cred, and the owaer permitted TO carry him
out Of the State in peace, that the State so
failing TO deliver. shall pay to the owner the
value of such slave, and such damages as he
may have sustained in attempting to reclaim
his slave, and secure his right of action in
the Supreme Court Of the United S...cs.
with execution against the property of such
State and of The individual members thereof.
.SeUsRLh. No further amendment of the Con
stituton shall affect the five preceding arti-
cles, nor the third paragraph of the second
section of the first article OF the Constitution,
nor the third paragraph of the second section
of the fourth article o! said Constitution, and
no amendments shall be made to the COnsti-
tuition which will authorize or give to Con-
gress any power 20 abolish or interfere with
slavery in any OF the States by whose laws il
is or may be allowed or permitted
Eighth, That slave property shall be rem
deFed secure in transit through, or whilst
temporarily sCjourning in the nOn-slavehOld-
ing States. or territories, or in the District of
Columbia.
Ninth, An amendment to the effect that all
fugitives are to be deemed those offending the
laws within the jurisdiction of the State, and
who escape therefrOm to other States: and
that il is the duty of each State to suppress
armed invasions of another State.
4. Rssolued. That said Convention of the
slaveholdiDg States, having agreed upon a
basis OF adjustment satisfactory to themselves,
should, in the opinion of this General Assem-
bly,, refer it to Convention of all the States,
slavehol6ing and non-slaveholding, in the
manner following 1t should invite all the
States friendly to such plan of adjustment TO
elect delegates, in such manner as TO reflect
the popular will. to assemble in a constitu-
tional Convention of all the States. North
and South, to be held at Richmond, Virgin
ia. on the -day of February, 1861, to re-
wise and perfect said plan of adjustment for
its reference for final ratification and adop-
ton by Conventions OF the States respect
lively.
3. ResolUcd That should plan of adjust
ment satisfactory to the South not be acced-
ed to by the requisite number of States to
perfect amendments 10 the Constitution of
the United States, it is the opinion OF this
General Assembly that the slaveholding
States should adopt for themselves the Con-
stitution of the United States with such
amendments as may be satisfactory to the
slaEeholding States, and that they should
invite into q Union with them all States of
the North which are willing TO abide such
amended Constitution and frame of Govern
menl. severiDg at once all connection with
States refusing such reasonable guarantees
to our future safety-such renewed condi-
tons of Federal Union being first submitted
for ratification to Conventions of all the
States respectively.
g. ResoIUed. That the Governor of Tennes-
see furnish copies of these resolutions i'm
mediately to the Governors of the slavehold-
ing and non-slayeholding States.
The RtfSseUIffes of the HARDER Sfafas