Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1864-05-12
The Death OF Slavery.


brszsn shield which always has protecteC
and saved slavery will be changed into |
sword for its destruction. The Fedora
Constitution, heretofore its palladium, mus
serve now to eivo averyits death blow.
IrcW hat the Constitution was for slavery, i
as yet, Enthusiastically understood. 1t pre-
vented Che slave from fight, in dsmandin:
his delivery. 1t presented every rebellion
in pledging the whole power of the nation
tor Overpowering it. II cut off the slav,
from all outward aid, in guaranteeing thu
sovereignty of the individual States, will
provisions which did not touch the exclusive
control ofthe State over domestic in5ttu
tons. Thus it entirely and closely shut ur
the slave, and rendered every outward
intervention unnecessary. 1t did the institu.
tion not only this material service, but also
amoral one of equal moment. The Federal
Constitution, an object of respect and
admiration for the whole civilized world,
on account Of the magnifcence ofits sublime
plan, and the blessingsrof its efficacy, rehec-
ted much of its own dignity and sacreduess
upon the evils which it protected.
But slavery received through the
Constitution, stll more important adYan.
tnge. Although itself moral evil slavery
could enly be attacked by another moral
evil of no less corruptibiIity, namely, BY a
violation Of the organic law of the Govern
lnent, to the maintenance OF which the
States and the people were bound by every
sanction OF civil hon nasty and patriotism and
every motive of social security. Thus il
came that we saw the mass Of the honest,
moral men of the North stand perploxed and
motienless between two positive duties for
years-the duty. to combat slavery, and the
duty not TO do it--and finally saw them
fulfill their obligations in aboiishing the
institution in the Territories where it never
existed, and ncyer clnld have existed but as
a shadow, and nevertheless charged them
selves with extensive duties against the same,
as their fathers ever have done in ayowing to
maintain inIiolatc The Institutions in every
State in all future. s....5 60. % ... -
Tne convention which nominated Lincoln,
banlshed slavery. from the territories, con-
h.med, on the other hand, in their fourth
resolution, as an absolute and permanent
f. .truth-that the maintenance. of the rights of
the States, and particularly the right of
every State to regulate and eentrel its own
domestic institutionsaecordin to its own ex.
elusive judgment, is essential for the balance
of power, upon which the perfection and
stability Of our political system depend.
! The Republican party brought this after
ward into.execution.iu in uniting themselves in
/ Congress almost TO the last man with the
! Northern Democracy in the adoption of a
resolution to present to the people constitu-
tional amendment of the following import:
"No amendment shall be made to the Con-
stitution which may authorize. or give the
power to Congress, to abolish the domestic
} institutions ola State, or to Interfere with
/ the same, inclusive of the institution of per-
sons bound to labor or slavery" s-l
a. No one doubts that every Northern State
would have ratified this amendment, if the
rebellion would not have broken out. Thus
the Constitution was to be made the eternal
advancer fslsvery. AS preservatiye Of the
liberty of the whites, it might be altered but
as rampant of slavery OF the blacks il was to
be firm like the pyramid T.
The amendment TO the Constitution,
already adopted by the Senate, overthrows
all this with one blow. The same formidable
power of altering the Constitution, which
/ wssinvoked to secure the institution per-
retual existence, now destroys the same.
This also happens ia the one case, just as it
would have happened in the other, without
: compromising hair-breadth Of the reserved
State rights. The Constitution, according
its own language, is the highest law of
fthe land, and according to the sane Ian
( guage, thrse-fourths of the States can make
an amendment thereto, which, then, ''shall
be valid to alfintents and purposes, as pert of
the CONSTITUTIONS The. slave States, by the
adoption OF a aGonstitutioswhic granted to
! threefourths the States this absolute pow
e.of amending the Constitution, gave up for
lever every Constitutional right to complain
about auch an
The reform Of the Federal Constitution
against slavery is not only right, but it is
/ also a necessity Might the conflict between
! freedom and slavery. before the outbreak of
the rebellion, be irrepressible, or not, it was
in all cases thereafter irremediabls 1t is
against humannature, that both forms of
:, society shsllsYer again CO exist in tranquility
under the same Government. Was it
formerly already hard for the people of the
North to tolerate slavery with all its
guarantees as an Inheritance oftheir fathers
: now they, in no case, when it is indellibly
tsstained with the blood of their brothers
! tolerate it. But ara people who deem such
an,amendment to the Constitution super
ficial; who say that slavery will die by the
Hmereinfi1encelofthe war, or ifnot, then at
all eyests By the Emancipation Proclamation
or soma law or other by Congressional
a ienae etmsats 1Ehe influence of the war is Of
a purely physieal nature, and has purely
physical ie ults. Ii iwpairs slave property
4 aIa destroysit it to a certain ex'ent, but II
. 3tneither impairs nor destroys tho legal right
to snch property. According to ouropision,
the war has exercised no more lnfiuencc
It-upen 4he property in slaves in Tennessee
,Iahsn upon that in horses; and ithas no more
\ right to render this prpportyin TENNESSEE
/. impossible hencsforth than the other
ba The IIpioancipation Proclamation leave
| even slavery 10 the Border States expressl!
: untouched, and Instability as to the othe
States is an lotject OF the most seriou
doubts.j 70 sd o. hsaoqqH6 Fl Enam
a 1t has not been sufficiently shown, al get
how the war powerupop which tho mani
: testo is founded, mas effect beyond the ply /,
Z cal ranges ofthis power, Ibowit can on
Il live the war, from which it arose, 1--we
i admitting that the war power, in case c
= necessity, could put an end to the Leg
-ilright of property living slaves and
all living horses within ITS gssge, tits har
10 be perceived how a mere paper edic
I ifcealdi dihave such anetfect beyon this exten
, in the one case any more tbaa in the othe'
H. .saa