Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1862-07-03

the Constitution and shaped the Union
when compromise for the special benefit Of
slavery and its extension, at the demsud Of
the slave power, ruled both Constitution
and Union, and trampled upon Constitu- /
tional liberty Of citizeEs--of speech, the |
press, Post Office, religion and education -
Such are your ADMINISTRATORS stained
with blood-metes and bounds staksd With |
the bludgeon, the Gutts .pcrcfn and the
bowie e-kniie--gallow and stakes for Metho-
dist preachers prisons for women who
would teach coiored children to read the
Bible. closed schools aud sealed Bibks for
the colorcd race--ChArleston prisons for
Massachusetts, free citizens entitled TO the
rights VI citizens In every State by the Con.
Istitution--yes, modern landmarks strewn
with the broken frsgnsentso Of q broken Con
stitution, broken by modern Democracy at
the nod Of the slave power
Republican, Unconditional Union men,
friends Of the administration, aud the sup
porters of the war to put down rebellion,
all use the terms, ''old tandmrrks," &c,
in their common sense scceptation. odd"
as in the days Of old-ss in the days Of our
fathers--as in the days of Washington,
Jefferson, Madison, &c. We understand
the Constitution as they understood and in
terpreted. We understand the Union to be
formed for the ends and purposes rs they
understood aud declared, and as their Ad
ministrations confirm. Sir, the difference
is as wide--just as w:de--as the difference
in the views Of Washington, Jefferson,
Madison, Patrick Henry. and the views of
Davis, Mason, Slidell, Yancey, Vallandig.
ham, and all the other modern leaders aud
managers Of modern Dcmocracy--youro own
Southern brethren.
| Let us now-for you never will--compare
the ''Otd andmarks, with the stakes Of the
modern Democracy--the Democratic party
which brought on this rebellion, because it
could not rule the Union for slavery and for
its extension-because it could not make
the ''peculiar t,stitution" national, and
make liberty peculiarly sectional, and 30
peculiarly modest as TO shut her mouth
forever
Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Patrick
Henry, Mason, and the leading re evolution
AIRY fathers OF :he South as also, Franklin,
BENZ Rush, Adams, Hamilton, Jay, Han
cock, Warren, with all the representative
men of the North, were opposed to slavery,
and openly profesed to be .Abolitionists =
They called their societies, Abolition So
cicties." Franklin a President. Benz
Rush, Secretary. Washington presiding
in one held at Fairfax c. H., Virginia--they
were not ashamed to be called Abolitionists.
Jefferson bent tho whole energies Of his
great mind, till the day Of his death, in
the cause Of the abolition of slavery. These
fathers Al acknowledged .slavery to be in
consistent with the principles OF the Ameri.
can revolution, which they hoped would
finally eradicate the evil.
Accordingly, Washington pledged his
suffrage to secure its abolition by tesasla-
tire authority" So he wrote to Robt. Morris
La Fayette said-'1 would never have
drawn my sword in the cause OF America,
ii could have conceived that thereby was
founding a land Of slavery" He well un-
dcrstood the spirit and men Of the revolu-
ton. He knew they all, with himself, look
ed forward, hopefully, to the time when the
spirit and principles of the revolution would
free the country from the acknowledged
curse. Pursuant to these views, they,
from the very first Congress, bent their
energies and lent the power of the Admin
istration to strike down slavery by striking
at the slave trade, both forign and domestic;
And at the same time, under the working
of the same influences, many Of the States,
co, operating with the Federal Government,
, abolished slavery.
In the first Congress the tariff question
was introduced for the expressed purpose
and with the object Of placing disabilitiel
t upon the slave trade, with the view Of af
: fccting slavery Madison in favoring ta,
upon Slaves said, "By expressing q nationa
disapprobation Of that trade. it is to b.
hoped we may destroy it, and 80 save our
selves from reproaches, and our posterity
from the imbecility ever attendant on
country filed with slaves.
lust Mt the close Of the war of the revo
LUTON it devolved upon the Continental Con
press to pass an ordinance for the govern
n n,ent Of the entire Western territories. Al
:. ordinance was framed by Mr.. Jefferson il
! 1884. Six States voted it. Three agains
a it. Fifteen members voted for it Sil
: voted against it. But the Articles Of Con
n federation requiring vote Of nine States y
carry such proposition, it was lost. Th
i following are its words e.
+ '"That after the year 1900, Of tho Christ
r ian era, there shall be neither slavery no
!, involuntary servitude in any Of the. sal
!. States, otherwise than in punishment @
n crimes, whereof the party shall have bee
n convicted to be personally guilty.
|. In the Congress Of 1887, the famous o.
" dinance passed, at the very time the fedel
n 8l COuVouGOn was oituu8 III nnouoaPo.~
" frame the Constitution, 1t isworded Z
% follows, and passed unanimously: ss
/. ''There shall be neither slavery nor IL
& voluntary servitude in the said territor,
h otherwise than in punishment Of crime
n - whereof the parties shall be duly convio
,e ed" This perpetual compdcf settles Il
"a "a character of the "old landmarks Of 9,
~ ~ fathers, and the design Of the old Unis
~ ~ Eas Il ,cae formed by our fathers. aela.
Is Nearly all the leading statesmen, and Il
~ leading Churches CO operated IN the eau
~ - of an ultimate mancipation--the Quaker
N N Presbyterians, Methodists, Bsptists. Unit
" Bre thren, the New England independent
Al with nearly all the smaller dsnominstio'
a. protested against slavery, and gave the
+ !, influence to It's 'extirpation."
~ ln Numerous petitions on the subject
,v slavery, numerously signed BY North 81
~ ~ South, were poured into the second Co
n grcss. At that time no act could have pas
:. cd, having for Its object the extension
mr. perpetuation of slavery, or the strcngtAe
ing of the slave power
mn Daniel w Nebster--who knew what he 30
Ia Ia declared in Congress- in 1850; in reply
IN Calhoun "That change had taken pla
- since the adoption Of the Constitution.
ia Both sections then held slavery TO be eQu
~ l., On av;l moral and POLITICAL The en-