Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1863-05-05


Among the pro.slayery men Of tie present
day,-and sometimes even among those who have
no peculiar regard for the institution Of enforced,
uncompnsated labor all discussions Of the
rights and duties Of the North and South res.
pcc,Ing slavery, frequent aI.l,ion s made to, AID
much reliance i, plced upon, tue arguments de.
rived from what are called the Compromises of
the Constitution Nothing is more common
than for eIoqueu! and learned conservative
gentlemen, and frequently those not so learned
to discourse, with great gliJaess Of speech, Of
the reconciement and equipOise Of conflicting
interests in the wonderfully perfect articles oil! the
organic law, Of the most complete and beautiful
harmony produced BY the checks aud balances Of
our constitution, of lhe almost marvellous adap-
tation Of our fundamental law to the widely d.
yersGed character and pursuits of the people Of q
broad and extending empire. And We are ad-
monished, sometimes with soIemnty and often
with an assumption Of superior wisdom and a
clearer insight into the future than falls to the ot
Of common men, that there will be no end TO 'he
prcsen, conflict, and no restoration Of our former
Union, until our radical opinions and beIIiger.nl
dispositions are put in subsection, and the spri.
of compromise, Cancellation and concession takes
possession Of our minds and controls our con
duet And while this IS the staple aud chief az
gument Of those who cal. themselves conser
y4tiyes," it may not be space wasted to inquire
what are compromises, so called, Of the constu
ton,
These compromises, -concesiioas would be
more acclr to and appropriate term,-consis,ed
as we all know, in the granting to the sla,ehod
Ing interest the clause in the constitution respect
ing the reclamation OF fugitive servants, aud thC
two.inhs representation. This, the slave inter
est, then as now clearly seeing that i. was onl
through political power that system Of SLAYER
could be made permanently secure in any Govern
meu,, extorted from the trainers Of the constu
ton as the condition Of Union, They CAV
no equivalent for these concessions, though the
we're content to take them subject to some linn
talions. Now, we grant AZ once that these cot
cessions we're made to slavery for the sake {
Union, and because shareholders were known I
be then, as now, turbuleat and dangerous char,
tiers in the Government, to whose demand il wa
necessary to yield in order to obtain their as,eu
: to the constitution, and the Union 10 be fotme
:. through it. We also grant that these concession
! were a departure from the principles Of the ID
cAration of independence, and hom the dsl
:, upon which the Government was founded. W
further admit that they are of the same valdj
aud have the same legal sanction as any other a
tcle Of the organic law, and are to be obeyed
US strictly and according to the letter Of the la
. legally imposing the nme obligations upon US
:, obedience as are imposed by other portions Off
constitution. And when we have granted all Ihj
= we deny that the compromisers, the clnc,iihtor
., the concessouists Of this day, have any precede
N 'ul NutN AuAeVthNut uVVlNi auH eulltuutl 10 u
/, slave power, ia the course which our fathers deer
/, ed it wise to pursue 10 founding the Goyernmer
ar What was it our fathers yielded to the deman
i. of slavery? Slave Representation and Sh
a. Reclamation. We need not argue whether III
,. did right or wrong in THIS. 1t is enough for o
4 purpose to know that they yielded to both
.. these demands reluctantly. They had to m,
- the question ler their times, in the infancy d
weakness Of Nation with but three millions
people, and when it was deemed imp rita
pc that all the colonies should form part of /
4. United States. They Welded to the demands
to those who had shared the perils and suiTsriugs
he the revolution 10 achieve the independence OF ,
" Their object was no, to strengthen slavery
!, give 1t a larger lease Of liie--for Madison wo,
he no, consent iait even the word "Shve shot
n. delace the Constitution TO make il acce
u able to the Slave States The fathers undersio,
N as well as any Of those who have come amer the
al that these concessions were an imperieclion
be their work -imperiections which they bad no,
u courage or the heart TO remove. They left the
\. however, 10 the hope that soon the good 10,
n. meni, the humanity, and the Christian cviliat
m. Of the age,would lead to the gradual and peace