Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1864-04-04

} for ratification to the States, did, uudon st.
J ~, notice the fact of the existence OF
slavery in the several States under the
! State law, and provided for the represen
tatiOn Of tbree.fitths of the slaves 10 Csc
gress; ebnt there was, then, no provision
10 the Instrument which made 1t tie duty
} of the National Government to maiutain
slavery in the States. Much less was there
any provision which would warrant COu .
gress in establishing or coutipuing sla very
} 10 any territory or district within its ex /.
elusive jurisdiction. But the Constitution
after being ratified by the States, was
amended BY the people in 1875. One ef
the amendments proposed by Virginia, de.
clared explicitly that mo person." not "no
fireman." or "no citizen" but "no person !"
.shall be deprived of life, liberty or. prop.
erty, without due process of law" 1t has
been argued that the continuance of slaV.
cry evea under State law, is incoupatible
With this amendment. Without stopping
to discuss the validity Of this argument.
We may at least assert, that the National
Government cannot by any Law or treaty
create or continue slavery within the limits
OF its peculiar iprisdietioas belanguage
i Tot9the 'duelmehtssWhi hich we ihaye cited. tIhe
policy of the Government as Indicated and
settled by the ordinance of 1887, the bis.
tory of the times, the recorded opinions
OF all the Leading men of that day, and
the provisions OF the Constitution itself,
clearly show that it was the understand.
ing OF the people. that the powers Of the
government should never be exerted for
the support or the extension of slavery.
Il is not unknown to you, fel ow citizens,
that q large aud rapidly increasing portion
OF the American people, feel deeply ag
grIeyed by the departure OF the GeueraI
Government from tnis plain, salutary, aud
indispensable principle. They complain
that slavery has been continued ia the
District of Columbia, by acts of Congress
without constitutional authority: that
Louisiana and Florida have been success
fully acquired at the common expense, aud
that slavery has been continued in both
BY Congress, in manifest disregard of
Treaty stipulations, aud 10 plain violation
OF the provisions of the Constitution
They complain, moreover, that the Nation
81 Government has strenuousIy exerted
itself TO extend by negotiation, the mar.
kets for the products of slave labor, while
the interests OF free labor have been
sligh'ed-that the offices Of the nation
have been chiefly filed by shareholders,
and that slavery rather than liberty is the |
leading object Of Governmental care II |
ls very manifest to any one who will ex
anime the history of the country that these |
complaints are not without fOundHIiOn.-I
They daily become louder aud deeper. |
They compel us oIook forward to a dis. |
solution OF the Union, an event almost
certain to occur, if the wrongs complained |
of be not redresssd. III
And why should no'Ithese complaints be |
heard2 Why should not these wrongs be |
redressed? What interest have the people
OF Virginia 10 this perversiou Of the pow
ers of the General Government 10 the
maintenance of q system which has Grip. |
pied her eaersies add destroyed her pros.
peri W.betinirrest Bsgelthes bsOpie of 7
yttflnia:ins pf5Ftaior home maj lSet tor
me slave eotfu suls sgs Sott E19isiA Jana, or
foreign iIdltke for tle lslaye grsvd cotton
ot lUAroitu4' 'a1df 0eOEg tS. At.an expense to i
d millions of dollars per an
NUN! Is there anything 10 the system of
slnvehoiding so attractive and SO dear that
for it We are willing to give up substan.
tial wealth, honor and powsr2
Does anybody in Virginia believe that
slavebolding is right in itself? that it will
bear the test of the golden rule. "whatso.
ever yc would that men should do unto
you, do even so TO them2" There NAV be
here and there AT individual stakeholder.
who wilt maintain thar he is warranted in
holding slaves by the precepls of the
Christian religion. But such persons are
few, Most admit the wrong and depIore
the evil. Bur, they say, what can we tio2
We answer to the individual stakeholder,
cease from doing what you feel to be
wong. Give fair wnges to your laOorer,
aud let their services be not compulsory
but voluntary. We. answer to the people
collectively, repeal the laws which sanc.
tiou slavehUldlng. Purify the statute
book tom all Gnactmenls which authorize
one man to take another mans work with.
out wages. Look the monster evil, slavery,
directly in the lace and go about getting
rid of it, as you weuld 10 the case OF auy A
other statute made evil. Surely the msn of
Western Virginia, especially, ought to con.
slider this matter. 10 all the Western Dis.
trtct, there were, according to the census
of 1870, only SO T27 slaves, while the free
population was 37l,57O In the E4steru
District. the tree white population was
369, ,3S9 while the slaves numbe 395, $50
Toe Western District has, in the House Of
Delegates Sc Representatlves-the Eastern
70 In the Senate, the Western has l3
Representatives-lhe Eastern 10. The eodious
principle of representation for slaves,
which has been allowed to prevail in the
National Governments, prevails also in the
States, and with the same consequences.
The fixed interests ofthe majority concern
ed in tree tlAbor, are sacrificed to the claims
and caprices Of the minority interested in
slave labor. The pJlitIcal power of the
State is East of the Biue Ridge. Ought
this so TO bel We appeal 70 the candid
and dispassionate among the Shareholders
themselves, and repeat ought this SO to
be? we appeal!to the non -slaveholdIug
Farmers. Mechanics, Laborers, aud other
industrious citizens of the State, aud ask
them it a system which subjects the major
ity to the minority. which crushes labor.
aud makes it dishouorable, which
must forever prevent the establish.
msnt.of an efficient system of general ed
ncasion, ought. to be upheld by them?
puLation 80. 900; that these may divide