Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-01-09

Toaccomplish this scheme. and at the same time to
guard against civil and divisions to the mode OF
accomplishing the result it may be found necessary
upon final consultation amongst the Abolition chiefs
at Washington, to postpone decisive operations for
a time 1t may not be well to risk every thing
upon the fate OF single battle until they get addi
tional recruits in from the Northwest The Supreme
Court can be remodeled that they can get Court
which shall declare like Mr.. Curtis that the decla
ration of independence applies to slaves; that free
negroes be made citizens of the States that Con
gress has the power to prohibit slavery in the Ter
ritories, and declare that the Constitution guaran
tees title to slave property in conformity with
the creed of the antislayery party. 1t may be ne
eessary to retreat for a time, to draw down their
flag, but the determined purpose of this party as
Mr.. Breckenridge said in well considered speech
before he candidate, to abolish slavery u
all the States. 1t may be necessary in the eyes OF
some to wait till they can amend the Constitution
which they will be enabled to do in few years; the
intermediate time be prOfitably employed ir
organizing disguised Abolition party in the South
"The work must be done, says Mr.. Seward, 'and you
and l must do it." addressing the people of New
York: The two systems of labor. slave and free
never did and never can exist under the same Gov
eminent.
The rice, cotton and sugar plantation of the south
must be cultivated by free white labor, or the grain
fields of the north be cultivated by slaves He boasts
that his abolition cohorts hare Invaded Virginia
Maryland Missouri and Texas. The rank and file
of their party in advance of their platforms
and cannot, Mr. Breckenridge says, be restrained
In the meantime their votes and declarations furnish
the most incontestble proofs of intention to affect
an immediate bre oh in the constitutional title to
slave property. The President elect in 1858, says
he essence Of the bred Scott decision is compressed
into the sentence which will read Now as we have
said already the right of property in slave is dis
tnctly and expressly affirmed IN the Constitution ;
| and the President elect, might have said also that
| the Supreme Court of the United States long ago
1872 (Story delivering the cpnion) decided that
the Constitution recognized and established the
plete title to slaves, not only in the states in which
they are owned, but in every state into which the
! slaves might escape, Pennsylvania Prigg.) Now
the President says what is it to be affirmed in the
Constituton-mad firm in the Constitution that
it cannot separate from the Constitution, without
breaking the Constitution made durable as the Con
stitution, part of the Constitution. | belive the
right of property in slave is not distinctly and
pressly affirmed in the Constitution Judge Douglas
thinks it is. | believe the Supreme Court and the
advocates of that decision may search in vain for
the place nthe Constitution where the right to slave
is expressly and distinctly affirmed Here, then,
| we behold vast breach made, through which the
besegers TO enter into the states sword in hand
and storm the citadel of slavery, without waiting for
grant of constitutional authority. II is we'll known
that the President elect and Mr.. Seward are of the
school of politicians who hold that in the absence Of
express prohibition Congress do almost anything
they may deem necessary to promote the gener-
al welfare, under the doctrine of incidental and
p
sault the Constitution sustainedIby the progress
of public opinion for the last twenty-five years in
the North, resolution at the last session of Con-
gress was introduced instructing committee to IN
quire into the expediency of reporting bill for the
emancipation of all the slaves in the United States
| This resolution received sixty-ive votes Wheth
| err this resolution was introduced for the purpose
of gaining popularity with their followers at the
North, and creating agitation panic. and disturb
| ance at the South or made in good faith for
the purpose of bringing forward a scheme for the
emancipation of the slaves in either view it marks
| the advance of this party towards the consumma-
tOn Of their aim-the abolition of slavery through
| out the States. At the present session. Mr. Craw-
ford, of Georgia, introduced resolution declaring
that the Constitution othrmed the title to slaves
property; that free negroes could not be made
citizens of the United States and that the Decla-
ration of independence did not apply to the slaves
| of the United States. This laid the table
by vote of IS to 81. .... .........
/ We thus see that they have continued TO advance
| from the organization of the party in 1885. by
| George ThGmpEon--a British emissary, one year
after the abolition of slavery in the West India Is
lands, by act of Parliament-til they have elected
a Chief Magistrate who declares that this Govern
ment cannot permanently endure unless slavery Is
| abolished; and that the Constitution furnishes
guaranty to title in slaves, and who declares that
| he will not regard the decision of the Supreme
Court in reference to that character of property.
| In the meantime the Abolitionists have obtained
control of all the State governments north OF Ma
sOa and Dixon's line and filed the Legislative,
! cutive. and judicial departments with Abolition
tenants. Some six, eight or ten Stairs have passed
| laws obstructing and nuliitylng the laws Of the
United States so as defeat the rendition of fugi
! tive slaves laws. the constitutional validity Of
| which has been established from the foundation of
| the Government We behold judges Of the highest
courts. Governors Of great communities, legislative
| bodies, and mobs Of black and white men Combin-
| ing and confederating together to overthrow the
Constitution of the United states upon the Ccg pro
cjsi0a l1ihod the Insertion Of l0lc il the CO5lstt
Tt0a, no Union Of these States oCled erer haze been
| JoriFcl.
We see this notification of the Constitution and
laws rendering insecure the property of fifteen
Southern States of the cOntederaCy, sustained by
many of the parties to the original compact. we
have seen this notification prevail for so long pc
riOd of time, and wide extent Of country
as to demonstrate the existence of well settled ard
matured public opinion against the continuance OF
the Constitution of the United States fathers
made it. Il lo0uld therefore seem that we have had
presented to the world case within the principle
asserted by Mr. Webster in regard TO fugitive slaves,
that q compact broken by is broken as to all,
and that by every principle employed in the con
struction of private contracts, and by that Onght
cned reason which should control in the construction
of all international treaties and cOmpacs, all the
parties are entitled to take the adjustment into their
own sovereign hands, and act upon those primary
principles which should control all mankind in such
emergencies. VS. have seen the public mind of the
North converted into vast frenZied ocean, beat
ing its hostile against the Constitution, and
manifesting itself in mobs in every quarter for the
last ten years or more So that under govern
mcnt protesting to be a government Of laws. the
the SOUTHERN STAKEHOLDER who goes into Northern
State with view to secure his-prOperty, finds his
life in danger at every step. We ace Governor of
neghbOTing State that profits to the extent Of mil
lions annually by its trade with the South refusing
to deliver up all individual charged with stealing
slave the frivolous ground that stealing slaves
not an offence by the laws of Ohio or by the |
common law. Under such circumstances, the re- |
peal of the notification laws would amount tC moth
ing, and any pretended execution of the acts of |
Congress by Abolition officers appointed by an Abo-
liton President, with the Declaration of Indepen- |
dence in his hands, is insult to the common sense
of the people. Shall radical correction
of the insane tanaticism which sways the mobs ? |
When we behold Senator of New York State, the |
most potent man in the Northern States, implOring
the people TO stand by the fugitive slaves by their
household gods expect the Constitution and |
laws to be sustained? Under the teachings of Sew
ard and his followers we gangs of bandits in |
wade Virginia, Texas and other States laboring to |
excite instructions among slaves and committing |
the gravest crimes and when these felons have met
the fate they merited, they have been mourned |
over as martyrs in the of human liberty, and
when it was proposed in the Legislature of Ohio |
to pass law to punish the organizers of expedi- |
lions against sister States, such law is to be
found the statute books of the United States the
proposition is rejected thus indirectly inviting these
suited in the Legislative and practical notification
of the Constitution of the United States and the in
vasion of the Southern States by armed bodies of
brigands and which has carried to the Presidential
chair by triumphant majorities in every Northern
State but one, chief magistrate, who declares that
this Union of States cannot permanently endure
without the abolition of slavery in fifteen States,
and that it is his duty to pursue course of policy
leading to its ultimate extinction Under this state of
circumstances, Congress meets and members from !
the border slave States introduce proposition after
proposition, and implore the Northern anti-slavery
Representatives, to give them satisfactory guaran-
tees as to enable them to hold the Southern States
in the Confederacy. So far they have done nothing
to satisfy any but the most determined submission
lists, and the very party who have been engaged for
the last ten years, less, defeating those
provisions of the Constitution intended for the ben
eft of the South declare that they will conquer the
Southern States, and hold thomas subjugated pro-
vinces if they do not submit. What is to be done
by Tennessee! l wait the Developments of events
| anxiously desire that the Union of these States
should be preserved. if the rights and interests of
the Southern people can be securely protected and
maintained. At no time of my life have | ever had
any other desire than the preservation CT the Con
stituti0n and the Union created by it.
But the time has arrived in my Judgment when