Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1861-03-09

delivered up on claim of the party to whom
such service or labor may bs due"
II ia scarcely questioned that this pro-
vision was intended by those who made
it for the rcclaiming Of what we call fugi-
tive slaves and tho intention Of the law5iy-
or is the law.
All members of Congress swear tholr
support to the whole Constitution to this
provision as much as to any other
To the proposition then that slaves
whose cases come within the terms OF this
clause and shall be delivered up, their
oaths are unanimous. Now,if they would
make the effort in good temper, could they
not with nearly equal unanimity frame and
pass a law by means of which to keep
good that unanimous oath. There is some
difference of opinion whether this clause
should be enforced by National or State
authority, but surely that difference is
not very material one. If the slaves is
to be surrendered it can be of but of little
consequence to him or to others, by which
authority it is done, and should any one
in any ease be content that his oath shall
be unkept on a merely unsubstantial con.
troversy as to how it shall be kept.
Again, in any law upon this subject
ought not all the safeguards of liberty
known in civilized and humane jurispru-
dence to be introduced so that freeman
may not be in any case surrendered as a
slave. And mig ht it not be well at the
same time to provide by law for the en-
forccment of that clause in the Constitution
Y which guarantees that the citizens Of each
J State shall be entitled to all the provisions
and immunitics of citizens in the several
States.
| take the Official oath to day, with no
mental reservations and with no purpose
to construe the Constitution or laws by
any hypercritical rules, and while l do not
choose now to specify particular acts OF
Congress as proper to be enforced. l do
suggest that it will be much safer for all
both in official and private stations, to
conform to aud abide by all those acts
which stand unrcpcalcd, than to violate
any of them, trusting to find impunity in
having them held to be unconstitutional.
1t is sevcnty.two years since the first
Inauguration Of President under our
National Constitution, during that period
fifteen different and greatly distinguished
citizens have, in succession, administered
the Executive branch of the Government
They have conducted it through many
perils and generally with great success,
yet with all this scope for precedent l now
enter upon tho same task for the brief
Constitutional term of four years under
great and peculiar difficulty. A disrup-
ton of the Federal Union, heretofore only
mcnaccd, is now formidably attempted
hold that in contemplation of universal
law and of the Constitution the Union o.
these States is perpetual; pcrpctuity is
J.. implied if not expressed in the fundamen-
tai law Of all national governments.
1t is safe to assert that government,
properly ever had provision in its or.
ganic law for its own termination. Com
tinuo to exclude all the express provisions
) of our National Constitution and the Union
will endure forever, it being Impossible to
- - ----r.i ~ s-.--~----.:~. ..vl-rr~-
vldcd for in the instrument itself. Again,
the United States be not government
proper, but an association Of States in the
nature Of contract merely, can it as a coz.
trsct be peaceably unmadc by less than
all the parties who made One party to a
contract may violate it, break it so to
speak, but does it not require all to law.
} fully rescind it
: Descending from these general princi-
pies we find the proposition that in legal
contemplation the Union is perpetually
confirmed by the history of the Union it.
self. The Union is much older than the
Constitution. 1t was formed in fact by
the Articles of Association in I774. 1t
was matured and continued by the Dec.
laration of Independence in l77G. 1t
was further matured and the faith of all
the then thirteen States expressly plightcd
and engaged that it should be perpetual
by the articles of confederation in i77S
And finally, in 1857 one of the declar.
ed objects for ordaining and establishing
the Constitution was to form q more per.
feet Union, but if destruction of the Union
by one or by part only of the States be
lawfully possible, the Union is less than
before, the Constitution having lost the
vital element of perpetuity; it follows from
those views that no State upon its own
mere motion can lawfully get out of the
Union that resolves and ordinances to
that effect are legally void; and that
acts OF violence within any State or States
against the authority of the United States
are llnsurrectlonary or revolutionary &C.
eording to circumstances.
L therefore consider that in view of the
! Constitution and laws, the Union is mn.
broken, and to the extent of my ability
Shall take care, as the Constitution itself
expressly enjoins on me, the laws of the
Union be faithfully executed in all the
states Doing this, l deem to be only
simple duty on my part, and l shall per-
form 1t SO far as practicable unless nv
righttul masters, the American people
shall withhold requisite means or in some
4uthorItlye manner direct the CONTRARY.
l trust this will not be regarded as a
menace, but only as declared purpose
OF Unions that it will constiiutionally de.
! tenQ and m main