Santa Fe gazette. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1859-1864, 1861-01-05

shed in cvllwar III cannot live in the allec-
tons Of the people, itmust one day perish, Con
gress possesses many means Of preserving it by
cancellation, but the sword is not placed in their
: hands to preserve it by force. But may | not be-
permitted solemnly to invoke my countrynen to
pause aud deliberate before they determine to des
troy this the grandest temple which has ever been
dedicated to human freedom since the world be-
gan, 1t has been consecrated by the blood Of our
Fa theirs, by the glory Of the past, and by the
hopes OF the future, and the Union has already
made us the most prosperous, and ere long will il
preserved render US the most powerful nation on
the face Of the earth.
In every foreign region on the globe, tho title
of American citizen Is held in ths highest respect,
and when pronounced in foraiga lands, it causes
the heart Of our cOuntymen to swell with honest
pride. Surely, Shen we reach the brink of the
yawing abyss, We shall recoil with horror from
that last fatal plunge By such dread cltistro
phc, the hopes Of the friends Of freedom through
out the world would be destroyed and long
night Of lealen despotism would enshroud the
nation, Our example for more than eighty years
would not only bo lost, but it would be quoted az
a conclusive proof that man is unfit for selfgov
ernment. 1t is not every wrong, nay, it is not
every greyious wrong which can Justify resort
to such fearful alternative. This ought to be
the last desperate remedy Of desparng people,
raFter every other constitutional means Of concl-
alton had been exhausted.
We should reflect that under this free govern
nent there is an incessaAt ebb and flow Of public
opinion. The slavery question like everything
human, willhage its day. | firmly believe that it
assready reached and passed the eliminating
point; but it, in the midst Of the existing excite
ment, the Union shall perish, tho evil may then
become rreparbe. Congress can contribute
much to arrest it, by proposing and recommending
to the Legislature of the respective States the
remedy for existing evils which the Constitution
has itself provided for its own preservation. This
has been tried at different critical periods Of our
history, and always with eminent success, 1t is
to be found in the jth article providing for its
own amendment
Under this article amendments have been pro-
posedb two-thirds of both Houses Of Congress,
and have been ratified by the Legislatures Of three
fouths of the several States and have conse-
quently become parts Of the Constitution. To
this process the country is indebted for the clause
prohibiting Congress from passing any law re.
spectng an establishment Of religion or bridging
the freedom ofspeech or Of the press, or the right
Of petition To this we are also indebted for tho
bill of rights which secured the people against
any abuse Of power by the Federal Government
Such were the apprehenslonsj Justly enter aimed by
the friends Of State-rights at that period as to
have rendered. it extremely doubtful whether the
Constitution could have long survived without
these amendments
Again tho Constitution was amandel by the
same process, after tho election Of President JEFF
Gerson by the House Of Representatives, in Feb
ruary, 1903 This amendment was rendered ne
cessay to proycnta recurrence of tho dangers
whicA ha seriously threatened tho existence of
the Government during the tendency of that el.
ection The article forts amendment was intan.
de1 to secure the amiclbc adjustment of tho con :.
fcting Constitutional questions like the present
which might arise between the Government Of the
States and Of the United States. This appears
from contomporaneous history
In this connection, Ishal mer,y call attention
to few instances in Mr.. Malison's justly ccle-
brated report, in l779, to the legislature Of yir
ginia, In this he ably anil concusiyely defended
the resolutions Of the preceding Legislature u
gains the structures of several other State L,gs-
atures. These were mainly founded upon the pro-
test Of the Virginia Legislature against the alien
and sedltcn acts, as papable and alarming in(rac-
tions the Constitution. In pointing out the
peaceful and constitutional remalies-and he re-
IeTed to mono othcr-to which the States were
authorized to resort on such occasions; he con-
oludes by saying that tho Legislatures of the
States might have made direct representation to
Congress, with view to obtain resembling Of
the two offensive acts, Or they might have repre-
sented in their respective Senators in Congress,
their wishes that wo-thirls thereof would propose
any explanatory amendment to the Constitution
or ortwothrds of themselves, il such had been their
opinion, might by an application to Congress,
have obtained Convention for tho very same
object
This Is the very course which earnestly recon-
mend, in order to obtain an explanatory amend
ment the Constitution ont the subject Of slavery.
This might originate with Congress or tho State
Legislatures as may be deemed most advisable to
attain the object. The explanatory amendment
might be confined to the final settlement Of
the true uonstruction Of the Constitution on
three special points; First, an express recogni-
ton Of the rights Of property in slaves in tho
States where it now exists Or may hereafter exist,
Second the duty Of protecting this right inall the
common territories throughout their territorial ex-
istence until they shall be admitted as States into