Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1861-06-19
NEW SERIES-VOL. mo AZ.


people and their representatives when
they shall feel the imperitive necessity of
such settlement.
4 We now turn to the consideration of
what ought to be done for the purpose of
quieting apprehersions within the few
slave States which still adhere to the I'm
ion established by our fathers.
! We ask no concession of new or addi-
tional rights. we do not fear any i,nme-
diate encroachment upon our rights as
slave States The amendment to the con
stitution proposed by the last Congress
assurance that at present there is no dan
| ger that our rights will be asset cd. But
we are few in number, and the proponde-
rance OF the free States is continually in
creasing. The security to our rights now
afforded by the sense oc justice in the
minds OF the free States may be lost by a
change of popular feeling in the future. -
One great object III constitutions is TO pro,
tect the rights of miuorities.
I In the constitution there are general
grants of power to the Congress cf the
United States which might be perverted
TO our Injury contrary to the spirit of that
instrument, AID still the letter OF the
grant claimed to warrant the injurious le.
gislation. Such are the power ito regulate
commerce between the States" and the
power of exclusive legislation over the
| District of Columbia" and ever forts,
Idock.yards, and nrsenlls in the several
States 1T would not now be claimed by
Congress that these grants authorized an
interfere nee in the sale of slaves between
| the people Of different States, nor would
it be claimed that they authorized the
abolition Of slavery in the District of Col
umba while Maryland and Virginia re-.
NAMED slave States, nor the like abolition
in forts and other places within slave
states. While We are aware that all the
! territories then unorganized, were organ
lied by acts of the last Congress which
contain no prohibition of slavery, and
while we know that this was the action of
\ Congress in which the free States had
the control at the time the acts were pass>
ed, still these are bot acts of Congress
! subject TO repeal or alteration, as public
feeling may change under temporary ex-
! element.
1t is bur just that the rights Of the slave
States, nov in a small minority of the
whole States, should be guarded in the
particulars mentioned by such constitu-
, tlonal guarantees as shall render them Sc
cure agans. future legislation in times of
excitement. Our distinguished fellow cit.
izen, tie Hon. John j. C,iltenden, for the
purpose of securing by constitutional guar,
antees rights already Possessed presenied
TO Congress certain propositions tU amend
the constitution, which met with general
approval, and were satisfactory TO us and
to our people, and those propositions, as
originally offered or any that are equiva-
lent, would be now satisfactory, and would
quiet apprehersions that exist, to some
extent, in the minds of real friends of the
Union ard which are induslriously excl
ted by those who are the enemies oc the
Union and Of the people.
Whether any such constitutional guar.
antees would have the effect of reconcl.
ing any Of the seeded States to the gov
ernment from which they have torn them.
selves away we cannot say, but We allow
ourselves to hope that the masses in those
States will in time learn that the dangers
they were made TO fear were greatly eXag,
gerated and that they Will then be dispo-
5ed to listen to the calls of interes, and Of
patriotism, and return TO the family from
which they have gone out Ono effect OF
giving such guarantees, certainly, will be
to prove to the world bv the frank recog-
milton of the rights Of the few slave States
adhe.ing TO the Union, that the States
which have seeded have abandoned the
best government in the world without any
good or sufficient cause.
! 1t may be urged that there are not now
| a sufficient number OF States acting in the
| Union TO ra,ly any such constitutional
amendments as will furnish the guaran-
tees We require But it is to be remem.
bercd tnat there is no time fixed by the
constitution for such ratification, and il
they should be ratified by the free States,
then at th2 end cf the present civil war,
terminate as IL will, either in the restorae
ton OF the seeded States to the Union,
or in the establishment OF their separate
national existence, there will be the num-
Der OF States required for the ratification
Fellow-clizens Of INC United States, you
are about to be engaged in G wat in which
! tie horrors that ordinarily attend that
state are likely to be aggravated by the
fact that you are Of the same family, and
! have long lived together in intimate i'm
tercourse and in friendly relations. The
kind feelings that once existed have been
changed 10 bitterness, soon TO degenerate,
! it may he, into deadly animos;ty
/ We desire to remind you that YOU are
contcnding about question of principle
upon which we would fain believe that
you are on each side convinced tEat you
are right. IT is no longer question Of
party politics, no longer question about
the right to hold slaves in the Territories
or ~ retake tAem when they escape the
question now to be settled is, whether We
/ shall live in the same Union rs formerly,
or whether our fathers formed govern
ment upon such principles that any one
State may, at her own pleasure, without
the consent OF the others, and without re-
sponsibility TO any human power, with
! draw from her connection with the Gov
| ernment snd claim to be oveleign as a
separate nation. 1t will be readily seen
that tins, as question of principle, is not
affected 10y the number ofStates that have
withdrawn 1t would have been well il
this question could have been solved il