Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1861-03-06

eAOIdDlC utluduu1-
The resolution of the committee of thirt,
three is in these words;
"Be t reSoiUed By the Senate and Hon.
of Representatives. of the United States I
Americd az Congress assembled, (tW
thirds of both Houses concurring.) Tn;
the following article be proposed to IL
Legislatures of the several States as a
amendment to the Constitution of ii
United States. which when ratified b
three -fouTths of said Legislatures, shall /
valid, to all intents and purposes, as pal
of the said Constitution:
"ART. H. No amendment of this Cor
stitution having for its object any interfeI
ence within the States with the relatiO
between their citizens and those describe
in section second of the first article of tn
Constitution as all other persons shal
originate with any State that does not rec
ognize that relation within its own limits
or shall be valid without the assent of ever,
one of the States composing the Union"
l affirm that l never heard Republi
can anywhere who claimed the right to in
terfere, by an act of Congress, with the in
stitutiOn of slavery as it exists in the sew
eral States of this Union. l object to thi
amendment, as being against the spirit o
the age. If a simple proposition had beer
reported by the committee, that Congress
should not Interfere with the question o
slavery in the States, do not know but i
would have commanded my assent, for
understand that to be the Constitution
now. But here is proposition which
undertakes to pre,ent an amendment of thu
Constitution upon certain subject, with
out the consent of all the States. In 9th
er words, it makes amendment upon thai
subject impossible. Why should the peO-
pie of this country on one subject be pre-
vented from amending the Constitution,
when they are at liberty to amend it on all
other subjects.
The next proposition is the admission Of
New Mexico into the Union as State
While am not disposed to regard the ad-
mission of New Mexico under certain cir
cumstances as anything wrong, yet assert
that at the present time there is no neces-
sity for its admission. 1t is said that
Territory is secured to slavery by virtue
Of the compromise measures of 1850, and
the Dred Scott decision. If so, ought not
the South to be content with that? When
ever New Mexico applies for admission
into this Union with proper constitution,
l will take her case in consideration.
There is one other portion of the report
of the committee which, l think, is more
Objectionable than any other. l am sorry
that | have not the time to argue it at
length. 1t is proposition to take by law
from the executive officers of the several
States of this Union, who are elected by
and are responsible to the people, the duty
of surrendering fugitives from justice, and
to lodge it in the judges of The district
courts of the United States, appointed by
the President of the United States for life,
and who arc net responsible to the people.
l object to itas mOnstrOus proposition,
and full of danger to the liberties of the
people. Before 1 would vote for 1t, Imust
have coupled with it proposition to amend
the Constitution of the United States,
making the judges of the circuit courts of
the United States elective by vote of the
people in the districts where they serve,
and to hold their offices, not for life, but
for a term of years.
l will next refer to what is called the
Critenden proposition. They have been pre-
sented to US many petitions for the adop-
tion of these propositions as an amend
ment to the Constitution, and l have no
doubt that many signatures have been OBJ
tanned on the suppOsition that these prop
ositioRs are identical with the Missouri
compromise, which was repealed in 1854.
They are, in form and substance, materi-
ally different. The Missouri compromise
simply prohibited slavery in all the Louis
lana Territory. not included in the State
of Missouri, north of 367 so, and left its
existence south of that line an open ques-
ton.
The Crittenden propositions provide:
l. That in all the Territory of the
United States, now held or hereafter ac-
guired, south of latitude So 80, slavery
Of the African race is hereby recognised as
and shall not be intertered loith
By Congress; but shall be protected as prop
,rty, by all the departments of the terrific
rial government, during its continuance.
.. THAT Congress shall have no pow
er to abolish slavery in places under its
jurisdiction, and situated within
he limits of States that permit the hold
ng of slaves" "
3. That Congress shall have no power
70 abolish slavery in the District of Column
9ia, so long as it exists in the States of
Maryland and Virginia, nor without the
,cnsent of the inhabitants, nor without
ust compensation.
t. That Congress shall not interfere
With the transportations of slaves from I
me State to another, or to a Territory, in |
which slaves arc permitted to be'held,
whether that transportation be by sea, by /
and, or by navigable rivers.
.. That the United States shall p:y
he owner. who shall apply for it, the full
-alue of his fugitive slave, in all cases
when the marshal or other officer, whose
luty it was to arrest fugitive, was pre-
-ented from arresting by violence or IN
imidation, or when, after arrest, the fu-
.itive was rescued by force. And that the
United States shall have power to reim-
,urse themselves by imposing and collect
nc a tax on the county or city IN which
he violence, intimidation, or rescue was
ommitted, equal in amount to the sum
aid, with interest and the costs of collec-
ion. And the county or city may sue the
ersons who prevented the arrest or COM
nitted the rescue, and recover the amount
aid.
6. That no future amendment shall af-
ect the five preceding propositions, nor
he third paragraph of the second section,
f the Grst article of the Constitution, nor
be third paragraph of the second section
the fourth article of the Constitution;
nd no amendment shall be made to the
constitution which shall give power to
L L Al L