The Jeffersonian Democrat. [volume] (Chardon, Ohio) 1854-1865, 1862-02-14
CHARDON GEAUGA COUNTY OHIO FRIDAY. FEBRUARY "a 1852

its heathen founder. t-"
Sir, tho election OF Mr.. lincoln bad l,,ic
10 do With this war. and " would uoayoida.
oily have takcn place had Mr.. Douglas been
! elected. The cnurso Of evunts had conduct.
cd ho struggle to this stage, and the annie
and thorough preparation uf tho slayehol,l.
ors, which they could not afford 10 loso
proves that thoy had predetermined the
timo OF hostillties Tho cnnkor, long gnaw.
ing within. had eaten it's way to the surface
| THIS rebel war makes us tho Inevitable
allies of the slave in his war against bis mas.
ter; aud every stakeholder Is. in soms sense.
involuntarily Il may botho ally of tho robels:
and II Is a most wonderful Indication thar
the limits Of tho Infected region exao,lv
coincide with tho boundary lines of the
slave States. lfauy OF those Statcs tomain
nominnllv loyal. it argues not only the
depth aud strength of tho patriotism of tho
noble men who control them. but also tho
weakness and poverty of slavery in them.
and shows that IL may DO wholly overcome
in a rational schome OF emancipation.
lmust here discuss another elementary
question. less trite, of vnst Importance la
The slave wholly onvolopotl, submerged, and
lost ia tho power aud control of tho master.
or is there, outside of tho master aud above
him. still another and greater power TO
which the slave sustains relations indcpend.
eut of his master Did it ever occur 10
gentlemen that the slave had such rotations
to power higher than The master. through
which claims upon him might be asserted
at utter variance with the masters claims :
know that, without question or argument.
il has been conceded that no such rcla ion
exists. am bound by no such concession :
and l am TO establish the contrary. and
moiutain il IL may 80 'Fs y
In our fundamental law, slaves are
known only as persons-recoonized as
part OF the great mass Of persons. Does
that instrument erase from them the uni
versal qualty Of subjects, or stamp upon
them ore inconsistent with that character Z?
They are ''persons owing service" which
is a recognition Of an obligation imposed
upon them by another power; but thew
themselves are subordinated TO the power
created by The Constitution, within which
they are brought by apt words OF descrip.
ton, and this new power may impose
upon them obligations INCONSISTENT with
the old. They are "persons owing
service" just rs are minors and appren
tees, and, in the same sense, are subjects.
So lar ms this Constitution has created leg.
islatiye sovereignty stall, it has con ierred
II on the Two Houses of Congress- Ii
makes them sovereign over all persons,
with no exception whatever. The rela-
lion, then, between this legislature and
your slaves. is that Of sovereign and sub.
jects; and Idemand to know wha, power
is there on. earth that can come between
this sovereign and, these subjects. Do
they owe you service They owe us al
legiance. Are they youi slaves9 They
are our subjects. We are :he lord para
mount with the, highest tile. States
alone are prohibited from dischsrging
slaves from the deb, o. service they are
said to owe this limitation does moi ex.
teud TO US, nor can it be construed TO
come between US and our subjects. Il
would dethrone the sovereign.
This reasoning is moi subtle and re-
lined. depending on technical and arli-
fetal rules, but rests on broad. well known
principles. Our right 10 legislate upon
the person OF the, slave, rests on the broad
ground Ct great sovereign dealing with
his subject, in opposition 10 private des-
pot lordiog over cringing serf. 1t is no
reply TO this to say that slavery is older
than the Constitution, and was established
by sovereigns not within the contro, OF
the Constitution; because those sever
eigns, who. as between themselves and
their subjects, called these persons slaves,
when. for our purposes, they came to
surrender the mass Of their subjects TO our
sovereignty, put ia these slaves, not as
slaves, but as persons (; so that, while 10
them { the former sovereigns) they re-
main slaves, they are TO us subjects, and
by the consent Of their masters. II a
State can by disabilities withdraw one
class OF persons within its borders from
our jurisdiction, II may another, and all
others, which is absurd / am not here
contending for power on our part TO abol-
ish slavery. or any other relation or ins,i-
tuuion established by the States. am
only contending for the right OF the SOW.
ereign paramount to control the persons
OF all bis subjects alike. in the presence OF
which right all the privileges and disabili.
ties impaired hy interior power are abro.
gated, OF course. And here assert that
this right extends TO al! persons not aliens.
the subjects OF foreign powers. oa3o.t
Not only on general principles does
this right result 10 us, from the relation
Of sovereign and subject, but the Cons,i-
tuition, in specific terms, confers a power
for gwen purpose. under which we can
lrgislate upon ''persons owing service"
in a manner wholly inconsistent with the
supposed rights OF the master or parent.
The eighth section Of the first article
authorizes us "to raise and support ar
mics" and "to provide for organizing,
armiug and disciplnipg the militia" DC.
This power OF raising armies and OF Or
ganzng the militia necessarily involves
the power TO designate what persons shall
constitute the army or militia. "4
We cannot legislate upon States; and
they might fail ia furnish us with the
necessary material VIC do legislate, in all
cases, upon persons, and may upon all
persons, Suppose we should declare
that all male citizens owning unincum-
bered estates of the value OF $50, 900,
should constitute the militia; what power
could stand between them and this bur-
den? Or, Sipposelhat we enact that all
persons having visible admixlure of Al