, 1862-02-14

and immediate emancipation constitutes a
crime equal to felony or treason. Hacker
assumes no such position. He is too smart
for that. It is the removal ofthe condition
Of bondage that constitutes the crime in hi
eyes; the velocity Of the act is only mat
ter Of aggrayation, but is no part Of the
body Of the ofense.
An Abo1itionist may be in favor Of mak-
ing full pecuniary compensation by way Of
ransom to the claimant Gf he be 1oyal),
Indeed, all the Abolitionists VIC have ever
known, advocated indemnity to the mas
tcrs.. A man may be an Aboliionist, and
IN favor fully compensating the claimant;
he may also advocate colonization Of the
freed slaves, still he is no better than
horse-thicf or traitor, in tho Judgment Of
1l1. Hacker.
The British Abolitionists coupled com
pensation Of masters with liberation Of
slaves, and through their influence the Coy
ernment paid the owners one ehundrea4mil-
lions Of dollars, and 100000 slaves were in .
stantly set at liberty. This noble act Of the
British nation is regarded,as crime Of the
basest character by the delegate from Un-
ion, and "hc has asmuch respect for horse
thieves" as he has for Englishmen who
promoted that glorious deed! Il he was
not entirely beneath their notice, they
would tell him that they respect horse
thief much more than they do the barba-
rous man who utters so base sentiment
The aniants Of Mr.. Hacker is exhibited
inthe Ordinance to lie up the hands Of the
Government in its dealings with rebels,
which he drafted and thrust upon the Con
yention by the machinery Of q partisan
caucus, and actually forced it through by
vote Of A ayes to "a noes: a proposition
that AIr. Underwood, 3 Democratic mem
ber, declared sat the present time would
"be confession to oppressioz, a ,j,lsttca-
"tion Of traitors, degrading to tue Coz.
"esnment," elc.
The proposition thus fit1y characterized,
reads as follows:
mo amendment shall be made to the Constitu-
ton Of the United States, which will authorize OF
give to Congress the power to interfere, within
any State, with the domestic institutions thereof
including that Of persons held to labor Or service
bylaws Of said state,'' be and the same is hereby
ratified
The effect Of the adoption Of this as an
amendment to the Constitution would be,
to prevent the Government from confscat-
ing the slaves Of rebels. Even if they were
taken in battle as prisoners of war, the
Government would he required to sur
render them back to the enemy. The
amendment does not say within any loyal
State,' but within any State,"-South
Carolina, Mississippi, or any seeded
rebel State. It is premium on re-
bellion, guarantee to parricides; a
blow struck at the Government, in the III
terests Of the sccessionists and justifca-
ton Of treason It is also treason against
the citizens Of Illinois, for the attempt was
made to declare it in force without ratifca-
ton by the people. And yet this person
has the sublime inpudence to say that he
believed he was as loyal as any man!'
Loyal to Whom-to sccessia? Certainly he
could not have meant to the Union, which
he tries, with his infamous Ordinance, to
| cripple and gag for the benefit Of the slave
holding traitors Of Jcffdona.
The first subject for investigation by the
Thornton Committee should be the Presi-
dent Of the Convention. Ills own public
declarations and his Ordinance to protect
rebels against confscation, furnish the evi-
dencc that cast grave doubt over that
mans loyalty.