Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1861-03-07

cure my support, it must be taken as a fall anC
final settlement. 70 that end, guarantee,
against the hereses of secession would be in
dispensable.
know of no one who claims or desires the
constitutional power to interfere with the do
nestle institutions of any State. Whenever
the affirmative of that doctrine shall be main.
tanned it will be in some remote age, when all
! State rights shall have become extinct and the
spirit of the people so tanned as to be ready to
submit to imperial despotism Then the Fede.
raj Government may as easily establish slavery
in ii free State as to abolish it in a slave State.
The particular form which this proposition
las assumed appears to me Objectionable and
unnecessarily complicated and all that part
which makes a discrimination between the
States should be stricken out. But if the sub.
stance Of such declaration could serve the
great purpose of Cancellation in the present ex.
igencies Of the country, would 90 to the ex-
tremc verge of liberality in order to give it my
| assent. We are either in favor Of ultimate in
| reference with slavery in the States where it
exists, or we are against it. Now. If against
t-tboughwe may consider tsurplusage-why
may we not put the subject beyond even the
| power Of willful Misrepresentation As a mere
matter Of taste, | would not vote for it; but |
would be willing to sacrifice taste for the Tn.
zion The proof is abundant that southern
men have INDUCED and do indulge, in serious
charges, If not real apprcheHsons, on this
point; and if the measure proposed would car
ry healing on its wings it appears to me to be
one that may be rendered without sacrifice
presume. however, it will fail to receive that
support from gentleman Of the South which
would indicate that it sufficient for the evils
mphined Of; and then it will be useless to
Offer as a remedy what the patient ayows will
be fang out Of the window, and may properly
be Abandoned Should the seeding States
stand aloof, it would be VAN To attempt to give
efficacy to the measure. as its only indictment
general cooperation would be wanting
/ If it be said that this would be surrender
Of any principle, ask how? We have al.
ready soemny abiured it. ltisnot, unless you
intend to accomplish an unconstitutional end
by constitutional means, and the chance Of DO
ing that even, can be computed by tracing out
the process As it requires three fourths Of
all the States TO carry any amendment of the
Constitution, with fifteen slave States sure TO
vote against it, no amendment authorizing in
reference with Slavery in the States could sue
coed, until the whole number Of States amount.
ed to sixty and Of these it would require the
entire concurrence OF forty five II is uunec-
cssary to spend more time in discussing a meas
IRE that cannot pass, and which. il it could
pass, would not give the slave States one whit
mora Of security that they now practically
enjoy.
The present fugitive slave law. confdcd to
magistrates unknown to the Constitution. who,
it was assumed would need five dollars more u
bc persuaded % decide Z. case in favor Of Slave
~ than for freedom, mereiless in its summary
process and with no trial by jury, compulsory
upon all citizens to Join in the hunt of any run
away, so obnoxious in its features that would
almost seem to have been made reJuslye hy de-
sign. has yet been held by the highest judicial
tribunal legally and te,s cally constitutional
Such being the decision lshfication by inieri
or courts or Legislatures IS no remedy for il,
faults as their action is I.self nullty. The
amendments proposed by the committee al
though they may not reach 70 the extent Of
amelioration that they IN ght have done with.
out impairing the constitutional purposes OF
the law, are yet steps in the right direction
and though they will not secure alacrty in the
ordinary execution Of the law, SO long as life
and liberty are more precious than property
they will remove the general excuse for mobs =
No proposition to amend the law Of 1850 would
We likely to TAIL of being an improvement and
these amendments ought not to be refused by
any Just legislator, unless other provisions OF
an Objectionable character shall be engraftcd
upon them in their progress through this House
calculated to defeat the substantial improve
monts here rendered.
Another proposition of the committee is an
enabling act for the admission of the Territory
of New Mexico as Smts in the course of tho
ensuing year. am ready to admit that thi,
would practically dispose Of all the territory we
now have 10 which the savehodiug States set
up any claim in their Hhmafum OF restora-
ton of the Missouri line but it leaves open
what they bold to he the paramount question
Of the disposal of t,rrt0rg hereafter 10 be dc
gtarcd, aud will not therefore be satisfactory
even if the question that it would become d
slayeholding State was free from doubt
The fatal objection to tins measure is thai
the civilization Of the territory is unequal t
the task of supporting State government.
trust that they are making progress in wealth
and education; but there is no evidence pres
ent showing either their capacity or desire t
embark in the experiment
10 be entirely frank, do not think it cal
ever practically become slave State. 1t mus
forever remain a pastoral country. Whatoyei
tsmines, real or fabulous, may attract, its til
age land skirring the the borders of streams
only, its ard wastes destitute of water, car
never support II population, much beyond 1T
present numbers; nor can cheaper labor b,
substituted for that which now prevails.
BY the organic act passed ten years ago, il
addition to the rights obtained by treaty, New
Mexico obtained the right Of admission int,
the Union with or without slavery aud du
ring eight years Of that time, the whole Fede
rel patronage of the Government has succtede,
in permanently forcing into that Territory clever
slaves only, ten Of whom are women. Will
this state Of facts cannot hut think whenever
sooner or later, the subject shall be discussed
as itwould be at the formation Of a consltu
: ton, aud all outside pr sSure on the peopl
shall be removed, they will decide the question
Ia ftva~ ,r human, frso1nrl Rnt ar,. 80, I