The weekly mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado County, Calif.) 1861-1862, 1862-04-05

now exist in Europe, nor in any other civ |
liked portions Of the babitable globe
brazil, in 1854, according to COttOn's At
las contained . population Of I, 900, 900,
Of which thenegrO and mulatto races form
about One-haiG, who are held as slaves.
IL Is not Predial slavery. 1t is not anal
ogous to the case Of the Predial slaves, or
slaves gls6Oe adseFipti Of Russia; or Hun
gary, or other States. Il is . peculiar
system Of personal slavery, by which the
person who is called slaves is transfers.
able az ckGtteL, from hand to hand. l
and [ will say further-perhaps other gen.
tlemen may remember the instances that
although slavery as a system of servitude
attached to the earth, existed in various
countries Of Europe, am not at the pres
ent moment aware Of any place on the
globe in which this property of man in
human being as slave transferable as a
chattel, exists except in certain States Of
this Union and the West India Islands.
Now, that existed at the formation Of this
Constitution, and the trainers Of that in
strument and those who adopted il, agreed
that, as far as il existed, it should not be
disturbed. or interfered with by the new
General Government. There is no doubt
Of that. The Constitution of the United
States recognizes It rs an existing fact
an existing relation between the inhabi
tants Of the States.
There is another principle equally clear,
by &Gich mean 70 abide; AID that is,
that in che Convention and in the first
Congress, when appealed to on the subject
by petitions, and all along in the history
Of this Government, it was and has been a
conceded point that slavery in the States
in which It did exist, was a matter Of State
regulation exclusively, and that Congress
had not the least power over il, or right
to interfere with it Therefore, say that
all agitatiOns and attempts to disturb the
relations between master and slave, by
persons not living in the slave States, are
unconstitutional in their spirit, and are,
in my opinion, productive Of nothing but
evil and mischief countenance none of
them. The manner in which the Govern
ments Of those States where slavery exists
are to regulate 1t, is for their own con>id.
eEa&iae> S'n5er their PwD responsibility, to
their constituents, to the general laws.of
PrOprieyy, humanity, and justice. and to
God. Associations formed elSewhere.
springing from feeling Of humanity, or
any other cause, have nothing whatever
to do with it, They have never received
any encouragement from me, and they
never will. In my opinion, they have
done nothing but to delay and defeat their
own professed objects. | have stated, as
| understand it, the state Of things upon
the adoption Of the Constitution of the
United States.
Chief Justice fancy having decided
that Congress had no power to prohibit
slavery in Territory, proceeded to de.
clare:
If Congress itself cannot do this-if it
is beyond the powers conferred on the
federal governmental will be admitted,
we presume, that it could not authorize
a territorial government to exercise them.
It could confer no power on any local gov
eminent, established by its authority, to
violate the provisions of the Constitution.
And il the constitution recognises the
right of property Of the master in slave,
and makes no distinction between that de.
scription Of property and other property
owned by citizen, no tribunal, acting
under the authority Of the United States,
whether legislative, executive, or Judicial,
has right to draw such a distinction, or
deny to it the benefit of the provisions and
guarantees which have been provided for
the protection Of private property against
The entertainments Of the government
The following sentiment was uttered by
the Hon. Levi Woodbury., in Fourth of
July address delivered before the CITY
Government and citizens of Portsmouth,
N. H., at the UniverSalist Church in that
city, in 1850, it being the first year of the
city corporation:
stand not here on this occasion as the
censor of any political party or section,
but as a friend to the Constitution and the
Union, against all and erery aggression
in spirit or IN deed. II the bonds Of a
common language, a common religion, n
common country, common government,
and all the common glOries of the last GEN.
fury cannot make US concliatory and kind
cannot make all sides forgive and forget
something wrong - cannot persuade to
some sacrifice even, if necessary, to hold
US together, FORCE is AS UNPROFIT.
ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH IT AS FRA
TRlCIDE IS TO PERPETUATE PEACE
IN A COMMON FAMILY.
In answer, therefore, to the Unions in
quiry at the head of this article, "Who is
responsible for the WARP" l reply, that
Hinton ROwnn UeIper-he who drafted
the infamous Declaration of war against
the fifteen slaveholding States of this I'm
ion-together with the indorsers, and
contributors in funds for its publication
and distribution broadcast over the Union,
are responsible for the present unnatural
and deplorable war, and are guilty OF
moral treason against the best Govern
ment devised by the wisdom of man, and
are violaters of the Constitution of the
United States.
SUPERSTITION OF GREAT MEN. Most great
men have been superstitious. The cou-
rier bringing a letter from England, in
which the death of his old physician.
PolidOri, was announced. Lord Byron, re-
marked, 4" was convinced something un-
pleasant hung over me last night. | ex-
pectq9 70 hear that somebody knew was