Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1865-02-04

II d 10 the heights Of the Trejsn citade
and coiled thsir Shiny lengths around ib,
feet Of the tu,elsr goddess. and we're GOV
cred by the orb Of her shield. So, undei
the guidance Of my colleague, Mr. Pen
dleton, slavery, gorged with the blood o.
ten thousand freemen, has climbed to the
high citadel of American nationality. and
coiled itself securely, az he believes, around
the feet OF the statne Of justice and under
the shield Of the Constitution of the Uni
ted States. We desire to follow It even
there, and kill 1t beside the very altar oI
liberty. It's blood can never make atone
ment for the least Of it's crimes. l.0
But the gentleman has gone further
He 10 not conteot that the snaky sorceres,
shall be merely under tie protection OF The
Constitution. In bis view, by strange
metamorphosis. slavery becomes on iuvsi
BILE essence and takes up bis abode in TIC
very grain and 6bsr Of the Constitution
and when we would strike it he says. al
cannot point out any express clause that
prohibits you from destroying slavery but
fad prohibition 10 the intent and mean.
ing OF the Constitution. / go under the
surface. out Of sight, iuto the very genius
of il, and in that invisible domain slavery
is enshrined. and there is no power in the
republic to drive 1t thence. That may
do no injustice to my colleague, / will read
from his speech Of yesterday the passage
to which I refer i, i-a' -sH 1ns 2
"My colleague from the Toledo district rMr.
ASHLEY. in the speech which be made the 9th
er day, told Us with reference to this point:
"'If l send the Constitution Alright, aud uu.
ders,and the force of language, the section
which have just quoted is to-day free from
all limitations aud conditions savc two, one OF
which provides that the suffrage of the several
States in the Senate shall be equal aud that
no State shall lose this eqaity by any amend.
ment Of the Constitution ihout its consent
the otheI relates to taxation. These are the
only conditions and mtatons' ,as9!etS
Il deny it. | assert that there Is another
Limitation stronger even than the letter Of the
Constitution and that is to be found in its ia
tent aud its spirit and its foundation idea.
put the question which has been put before in
this debate can three fourths OF the States
constitu!ionally change this Government. aud
make it an autocrasyH 1t is not prohibited BY
the letter OF the Constitution .l3jr2
. e. n. #fgfara "
ut does not come within the two classes of
limitations and conditions asserted by my col.
league. Why is it that this change cannot be
made will tell you why. II is because re-
publicanism lies at the very foundation of our
system OF government, and TO overthrow that
idea is MOTTO amend, butto subvert the Con.
sttution of the United States and say that
if three.fourths Of the States should und ertake
to pass an amendment of that kind, aud Rhode
Island alone dissented, she would have the
right to resist by force 1t would be her duty
to resist by force and her cause would be ss.
cred in the eyes Of just men, and saneliGed in
the eyes or AUST God"
Jefferson Davis and bis fellow conspira
tors will ask for no better defence Of their
rebellion. South Carolina will ask nc
thore han to be placed in the same cate
CORY with Rhode Island-in the gentle
mans argument. South CIroina being
her own Judge. her cause is sacred 10 the
eyes OF just men, and sanclifed in The eyes
Of a just God" ..t'-............
He goes behind the letter OF the Consli.
tuition, and finds a refuge for slavery in its
intent, he declares we have no right to
deal in the way OF amendment.
But he has gone even deeper than the
spirit and intelt of the Constitution He
has announced discovery to which am
su" e no other statesman will lay claim. He
has found domain where slavery eau no
more be reached by human law than the
life of Satan by the sword Of Michael
He has marked the hither boundary Of this
newly discovered continent, iu his response
TO the question Of the gentleman from
lowe, Nj. WILSON ] will read it j.
will not be drawn now into discussion
with .he gentleman as to the origin Of slavery
nor to the law which lies behind the Constitu
| tiou of the United States and behind the gov
erninent OF the States. by which these peopI
are held to slavery 'ai .i iF's sal 15'.
Not finding anything 10 ths words ant
phrases of the Constitution that forbids at
amendment abolishing slavery. he'goes be
hind all human enactments, and far away
amorg the eternal equities, he finds pri
NAL law which overshadows states, nations
and constitutions, as space envelopes the
universe, aud by its solemn sanctions one
human being can hold another in perpetna
slavery. Surely, human Ingenuity has ucv
er gone farther to protect malefactor, OF
defend o crime. / shall make no argu
ment with my colleague on this point, 70
in that high court TO which he appeals
eternal justice dwells with freedom, an,
slavery has never entered. ''.
now turn to the main point Of his ar
lgument He has given us the key to hi
theory Of the Constitution in the thre
words which the gentleman from Rhod
Island. Mr.. JEseKEs. commented upo
last evening Upon these words rests til
siresgth or weakness OF bis position III
describes the Constitution of the Unite
States as = "eOniPaet Of confederation" boa
If / understand the gentleman, be hold
thai each State is sovereign; that in the
sovereign capacity, as The source aud foul
tain Of power, the States, each fSr itsei
sati6ed the Constitution which the CONVEX
tion had framed. What powers they di
not grant, they reserved They did nj
! grant 10 the Federal government the rigt
10 control the subject of slavery. In.
! right still resides iu the States severallg. :
, Hence no amendment OF the CoBstlia,ie
: by three fourths Of the States can legal
! atfec. slavery in the remaining fourth
! Hence no amendment by the modes poiu
} led out 10 the Constitution can reach ia
, This, i believe, Is asuccinct aud Just stat