The Carolina Spartan. [volume] (Spartanburg, S.C.) 1852-1896, 1861-01-17


granted. This Limitation left the whole
remaining mass of power subject to the
clause rcserving it to the the States or to
the people, and rendered UNNECESSARY any
specification OF reserved rights. We hold
! that the Government thus established is
subject to thc two principles asserted i'm the
Declaration of independence; and we hold
further, that the mode of it's formation sub
jects it to a third fundan entail principle,
namely: the law of compact. We main
tain that in every compact between two or
more parties, the obligation is nutual that
! the failure OF one of the contracting parties
to perform Il material part of the agree
ment, entirely releases the other, and that
where no arhiter is provided. each party is
reunited to his own Judgment to determine
the fact of failure, with all its consequences
In the present case, the fact is establish
ed with certainty We assert that fifteen
of the States have deliberately refused for
| years past TO fuhRtheir constitutional obi.
cations, and VIC rcicr-to their own statutes
fSr the proof
! The Consttutio Of the United States.
in its 4th Article provides rs follows:
! NO person held to service or labor in
one State under the laws thereof. cscaping
into another, shall, in consequence OF any
! law or regulation therein. be discharged
! from such service or labor, but shall he de-
livered up, on claim of the party to whom
such labor may be due :"
| This stipulation was 50 material to the
] compact, Chat without it Tint cnmpuct W uld
not have been made Tie creator number
OF the contracting parties held slaves. an
the state of Virginia had previously d, caI-
ed her estimate OF its value, hy making it
| the condition Of her ccssion- of the territory
which now conipOscs the States North of
the Ohio River
| The same article of the Constitution
sipuates also for rendition by the several
States OF tugitiycs from justice from the
otLcr States.
The General Government. as the com,
mon agent, passed laws to carry into effect
these Stipulations of the States For man,
| years these laws were executed But an
increase OF hostility on The part of the
Northern States to thS institution of slave
ry, has led to a disregard of their obiga-
tions, aod the laws of the General Gov
crn"a'nt have ceased to effect the objects
of the CONSTITUTION. The States ol Maine.
| New hampshire, Nermo't massachusetts
| Connecticut, Rhode Island. New York,
| Pennsylvania, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio,
Michigan, Wisconsin, and Iowa have CT
acted laws which either nulliiy the Act, Of
Congress, or render useless ANY attcmpt 10
| execute them. In mauy OF these States
| the fugitive is discharged from the service
Or labor claimed, an in none of them has
the State q lvcrnmcnt complied w..h the
| ST pulation M ,dc. in ;ha Constitution The
| State of New Jersey at all carly daY, pass
ed law for the rendition Of fuuitivc slaves.
! III conformity with her constitutional un
| dcr:aklnG bat the current ci nnci slavery
| ireiins has led her more recently to enact
laws which rcni n in operative tLc remedies
provide. Ivy hcr-own law. and by the laws
! OF Congress. In the State of New York
even the right Of transit for slave ha,
! been denied by her tribunals; and the States
of Ohio and Iowa have refused tn surrcn.
/ der t. justic, fu.itivcs charged with muir
der, and with melting scrviic inSnrrcction
! l.. the State OF Virginia. Thus the con
! st'u.; nll compact has been deliberately
( broken and disregarici hy the nvn.slavc-.
/ holding States, and the conse Iuancc I'll
! lows that South Carolina is released from
il. obligation
was framed are i carcd By itself to be- s'tu
form more perfect union, establish justice.
insure domestic tranquility, provide for the
coutnoa defence, promote the general wei
tare, and secure the blessings of iibc ty to
! rscivcs and our postcrity."
These ends it cnGcavorcl to accomplish
{ 10y Federal Government in which each
State was recognized as an cInai, and had
separate control over is own institution.
1 he right OF propcrtyin slaves was recog-
| nized by giving to free persons distinct 20
lilical rights, by giving them the right TO
represent, and burthening them with di
rect taxes for three-iiths OF their slaves,
by authorizing the importation OF slaves
Tor twenty yrars; and by stifulating for the
rendition OF inSitiveS from labor.
We affirm that these ends for which.
, this Government was instituted, have been
defeated, and the Government itself has
been made destructive of them by the nc
tion OF the uon.slaveholding States. Those
States have assumed the right of declaring
upon the propricty of our domestic institu-
tions; and have denied the rights of proper
. ty established in fifteen Of the States and
recognized by the Constitution, they have
denounced as sinful the institution Of slave
ry; they permitted the open establishment
among them OF societies. whose avowcd OBJ
jcct is TO disturb the peace and to purlon the
property Of the citizens OF other States
They nave encouraged and assisted thou
sands of our slaves to leave their homes
and those who remain, have been melted
by cmissaries books aud pictures, to SER
vile insurrcctiGn.
For twenty-five years this agitation has
been steadily increasing, until it has now
secured to its aid the power of the common
Government Observing the forms oil the
Constitution. sectional party has found
within TINT nrticlc establishing the ExncrI.