Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1864-06-16
Amendment of the Constitution.

Ask Northern democrats of the "cop-
perhead persuasion" if theirs is not
pro-slavery party, and probably as
general rule they will not admit it.
They will, at least, profess that they
themselves have no sympathy with the
institution that in fact they regard it
as an evil, but as there has been no legal
or constitutional mode of interfering
with it, their party could not, to their
great sorrow, act upon any principle but
that of non-intervention in the premises.
There are many among them, we know,
who openly and defiantly defend slavery
as of divine origin and sanction, as just
and right in itself, and as the only proper
and normal condition of those who
happen to be enslaved. These are the
ones who get up the campaign tracts
upon the subject, whicht he rest take so
much pride in commencing and circula
ting but nevertheless, it is, privately
and confdentially, protested cause Of
profound grief with the latter that there
has been no legitimate method of abol-
ishing the institution. The course OF
the party before the rebellion upon the
question of slavery extension into new
territory their ceaseless anxiety du-
ring the last three years to save the in
stitution for traitors, after it has pre-
cipitated upon us the worst rebellion
ever devised and deluged the land with
blood, are abundantly satisfactory evil
dence that their protested convictions
of the evils of slavery, as well as of duty
to country, are so very feeble as to be
easily overcome by anything tending
to increase their chances for party rule
and plumber.
But an opportunity has been offered
in congress to do away with the treason
begetting, misunderstanding, institution
of slavery, now and forever, in perfect
ly legal and constitutional way. The
following resolution, as an amendment
to the constitution, was recently before
the House:
Neither slavery nor involuntary SER
vitude, except in the punishment of
crime, of which the party shall be duly
convicted, shall exist within the United
States, or in any place within their juris-
diction, and congress shall have power,
by appropriate legislation, to carry the
foregoing articles into effect"
Here was a fair test of the anti-slavery
professions of Northern democrats.
Here was no legal barrier to the full
expression of their sentiments. The
passage of the resolution would not
alone amend the constitution. The
question was whether by adopting it,
an opportunity should be given the
states to vote upon it, and adopt or re-
ject it as they saw fit. When the reso-
luton came up in the House for its sec
snd reading, .dfty.fre members, all demo-
Gratis, objected to it. Not a democratic
press, that we are aware Of has spoken
In favor of it.
Non-intervention against slavery but
Intervention by all means, in its favor,
is evidently the democratic "princi-
ple."
And here it may be said, by the way,
that the Cleveland convention adopted
rs one Of the planks of its platform, that
slavery should be abolished by amend
ment of the constitution. The partici-
pators in that convention propose to do
all they can to help the copperhead de-
mocrats into power, by dividing and
distracting" the Union party. They
know that their movement con have no
other tendency. The fate of an anti
slavery amendment of the constitution
under democratic rule is easily foreseen.
And SO the Cleveland faction frame a
platform and then propose to do what
they may be able themselves, to knock
1t to pieces. Happily their power of mis-
chief will be inconsiderable.