The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1862-05-07

ed IN creating an aOSOlutc sovereignty lU
all purposes, expressed in the instrumei
tself These purposes arc clearly set fort
in the preamble i'll the following language:
"we, the people of the United States, in order
to form mpe perfect Uni establish justice, IN
domestic tranquility, provide for the common
defense, promote the general welfare, aud secure
the blessings OF liberty TO ourselves and our poster
ity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the
United States of America"
Now. whatever other objects, purposes
or aims the people may have had, it is all
solutely certain that unity, Justice, domes-
! tic tranquility, defense, general welfare,
and liberty were intended to be secured to
| themselves and posterity, by ordaining and
! establishing the Constitution. These Oh
iects became the law of the new being thus
created. 1t lives to secure them. A blow
aimed at any or oil of them is blow aimed
at it's own life. As a sovereignty created
for these objects. it has a right to live.
This right to exist Involves the right to
destroy enemies. If it has right to de-
stroy encmiesIfhe must be q correspond
ing right 70 discriminate and determine
who ahd what are or are not enemies. Ii
| thl8 right of discrimination and determine
I1-tion exists, it will hardly be denied that
| Congress, acting in its coordinate capacity,
| is the proper organ of the Government to
exercise this function.
do not go to the preamble in search of
| a distinct grant of power. ! 60 there to
ascertain the purposes for which the Con-
stitution was formed. | assume that the
Government established by that iustrumcnt
| is absolutely sovereign to carry out and Sc
| cure these purposes. TO deny u sovereign
ty thus formed the power necessary to car
ry out and secure the purposes of it's own
creation, really involves the absurdity OF
denying that it is a sovereignty at all.
need not point out specific clauses, because
self-preservation, or, in other words, the
carrying 0Ht ana seouring the purposes OF
| its own creation is the aim, end substance,
and fulfilling of the whole instrument.
No one, surely, can deny that the causes
! of the present most wicked and outrageous
rebellion, which, thus far, has succeeded i'll
destroying the 'unity" aud tranquility 4"
of the nation, are proper subjects of inquiry
and determination and if, upon such III
quiry, il shall be found that slavery is it's
author or if its idcntihcation with this
rebellion is such as to demonstrate its utter
antagonism with the purposes for which
the Constitution was formed - then it is
not only the right but the duty of Congress
to take sach measures as it may deem prop
er for its destruction % q public enemy.
The safety of the people is tne suprcne
law, TO which every interest, every institu-
tion, every mans life. even, must yield obe-
dicmce
But am met at this point with the OBJ
lection that slavery is guaranteed by the
Constitution - that the web ct it's existence
by some mysterious process is so intcrwoV-
Ell with the warp and woof of that instru-
ment that to touch slavery you destroy the
Consultation,
1t is far from my purpose to enter into
nice discussion of constitutional law, but
rather to state facts and to pursue those in
fercnces which seem palpable and open to
the most slender comprehension. 1tis a fact
that nearly all the controversies which have
hitherto prevailed on the subject, related to
the extension of the system or to the return
of fugitive slaves. These controversies are
inQpylicable to proposition to destroy the
system, upon ,hs ,Sr9und that it is q public
enemy. Granting that the LOnslit4Iltn did
guaranty the return of fugitive slaves, II
does not follow that 1t undertook 10 keep
up supply of fugitives. But we may ui.
derS,ana the subject better by inqniring i'll
to the facts OF thE existence of the system
ip this country, and may thas S2e whether
the Constitution is in any way responsible
for it, That slavery in this country had its
origin in the forcible abduction VI ita vic
Tins from foreign country, and that their
bondage ensucd as usual status of cap.
tives taken in war, hut that the persons
now held in slavery are captives taken i'll
war will nat be claimed. The status OF
! those now held i'll slavery la dalerHiped by
applying to each individual an old hoaIhcll
maxim, pootmS SeqWitur rentrrw, the
, child follows the condition of the mother
} From whenGG il that maxim derived? From
Il nation whom God in Ills ~r...i. bag tried
| condemned, executed, and buried ont oi
sight, mainly because it persistently mp
piled that maxim to creatures born in His
} ii8Gge thus perpetuating system which
dishonorrd tii.I, 4id more than anything
, else wrought out it's own national rain.
Now, this great nation, leading the van
) of Christian and democratic progress, digs
out of the fire and birthstone of Roman per
} dition this maxim, makes it the very basis
, aud foundation of a system which dooms
to slavery th6 laboTsra Of half continent
| and then coolly throws the responsibility
of the abhorrent deed upon the Constitu
ton of the United States. Now. let us see
|, how the case stands. The Constitution
! says, no perspa shall be deprived of lib
| erty without due process of iaE' Thi,
heather maxim deprivcs whole race o
l liberty, and assigns az the only reason, no
that they are black, not that they are cap
| tives, bur that the mother was slave
Here IS direct. positive, fatal conflict ~i'i
: the Constitution.
It may be claimed that this maxim has
been recognized W jGdiciel and Legislative
action, and has become the lncnteOlnnol
law of the slave States. Grant that il ia so
This assumption relieves the Constitution o
any paternity Of the system, and to this ex
: tent surely. there is no guarantee. No 10
. cal or common law can repeal or abrogat'
the Bill of flights. More than this, th'
: heathen maxim - partuS sequif1tr CehlleD
: works a corruption of blood. Now,
. there is any one of the Odd feudal principle
of despotisu uGro thoroughly condemned
5 and abhorrcd than another, lhis idSa cf cor
ruption Of blood is that one. 1t was no
only buried by common consent of th'
8 Anglo-Saxon race, long before the formation
t OF TIC Constitution, but the possibility o
its resurrection waS farsY2r precluded il
: that instrument and yet it is the very iiil
indeed the only blood the system OF slav
cry has i'll it,
4 So far is il from being true that SLAYER.
! ia based upon the Constitution, ii may b
1 stated as general proposition, that Meth
: er the organic as statutory laws Of the sav
!, States themselves und6t t~ke 70 create III
\ relation of master and slave, but treat II a
! an existing fact. The constitution of Ken
a lucky, adopted in 1850, however, was prot
ably intended 10 form an exception TO thi
n rule. 1t is there provided, (artlcle l3, sec
J. ton 3
= "That the right Of property is before and highe
than any constitutional sanction that the right
n IN and its l.