, 1865-01-26

Ing Sambo held up before me. hare seen him
in broad daylight tuntil I cannot be frightened By
gro il ii most but q co1aterat one in IL bearing
upon the proposed amendment
| The Federal Gorernment was formed to pre-.
by The framers Of the constitution were all pr1tec-
| tive, not aggressive Anameudmept not geru,ane
to tie Original, and 1nbyefstse Of it, eh,ef pas-
Is In fact ncw government to the extent or its
| power and force. The iraner. Of the constituhon
merely responded to the dem1nd Of the States and
to perform the functions named IN tLe proyisions
| Of that instrument Before the formation Of the
Federal Constitution, tho right to hold property
fill force in the colonies; and the right to resn-
late the character and tenure of that pfupert7 8ns
| also colony Eight. and IVES rot given up when
esal Union. The power and r,ght 10 Segulate i by
legislative enactment all the reEu1stious Of socie
y, including that Of father and child, husband
ana vile, aLd master dse'vant and to settle and
which 1t is held, extsted antecadent to he fnr,ns
ton Of t. the eons,itution, and were never Yielded
Gp bY tae states. And whenever the Federal
Ccnsh.udon II amended in such manner az
to destroy Tint power and that right, those Ststes
which 90 not arcept the amendment ara not sub-
1ect to 1fs operations, THIS Federal Constitution
a compact, not IN the sense contemplated By
Mr. Calhoun, which recognized the light Of 4
State to eecedc at her will but 1t IL eouapact in
I'll. respect; the Union was formed By aritten
ID.
well understood fundamental principles; most
nromtnent among which was the principle hat
ne Government formed BY the Constitution lei
dnS dI, 2s9pIe Ga Zach State wholly fee 70 requisite
lsNs; and Whenever any ono Of these fandamen.
ta Principles is destroyed the cnmpact Il. IN ms
ee to teason. reccfnded. aqd the States so ratiy-
1ng an amendment destructive Of such principle,
arc W their OWL act placed outside the Original
Cnion, the original Cons stitndon and its secoenfz
cd principles xl9ne operating npon the States
hl Thich d9 not rally he s9bversve amendment
WIS formed is changed-if the form Of the Gov
eminent Is changed from the popular to the aFts-
toe1a1c oT its present representa-.
capital OF territory-those States not conscntins
to the amendments arc not bou1d By them.
however n, much a t5s proposed amendment maY
negro, itnone the lessstzlkes at the doctrine oi1en
called the Douglas doctrine, really the corner
stone Of our Republic that is, that to the States
and to The Territories belongs the sacred, inhe-
rent and tndeteastble right to regulate their D.
mestic institutions in their cWn way. seek not
to call the great nane Of Douglas to give cnrren-
to ny opinions, and yet it's true that he a1ways
the Iadtcal ground that 1t one OF the be-
longing to AZ organized communities, ante.daung
!hat Instrument for 1ts existence: And here to-
day, II VIC pronounce in fayor OF this proposed
amendment, VIC overthrow the Douglas doctrine,
past, and yield party triumph to the Abolltion
party. And u yoa may amend the Constitution
70 as to interfere with the relations OF master and
aud change all the domestic relations aud Laws of
property In any State, II cannot be done, str ex-
eept By force. Good order, jnstlce, rcason all
when yoa adopt shis a@enamenti 81 tho To,es as
Of three.fourths Of the States, you take away tie
rights Of the other fourth AgBinst their will you
(which they became members Of Tho Union, and
deny to them that great American principle, The
right to govern themselves. All thls, and more,
you do IN adopting The abolition theory OF pro-
grces; md In doing 70, your Juggernaut Cur goes
rampant through the Constitution and dcstroJAit.
AND let US look further and zee what the eject OF
ea1r5iu= out this precedent viii be-the precedent
that you may, under the letter aud form Of The
Constitution. amend any and Ill Of iis provisions,
The third division Of the second section Of tho
frsta1tele Of The Federal Constitution reads thus:
TONED among the several Slatea which mar &c In
ciudca within this Union, according to their re-
speedEe 9umbers." This claase established the
government In whlch the people should rule.
suppose the proposition should be made to amend
thar e!s1se 20 a. to provide that representation
square miles. tins making Oregon and the Ststss
OF the far West, the dominant section, with their
sparse population and bouudlcss square miles.
Would that, dunk you. be binding upon New Eng
land With her teemIug population and Hunted ter
litofys But to state a more probable and more
dangerous contingency. suppose 1t should Be
pIAPUSGu ~ luAAt Capital Tue O3sla u EfpIeaEHta-
don--to upIor,ian Representation according to the
wealth Of State, w0uid itnot oycrturn the fonn.
tatton Of the Government, and cancel I'LL cblfya
lions under 1t, thus to snbsert and tessroy t6at
fundamental principle embodied iu the clause
have quoted. and which alone makes ours popu-
lar Government?
viii clio but s1n<lo other illustration, The
eth artic1e provides that no State ehx be deprived
o! It's equal suffrage in the Se late. Un1es the
forms Of the Constitution, the entire clause
may be stricken out aud smother inserted, giving
to Ill New England but single Senator for The
eix States. But to do so won1d be to release the
New England States from oil obligation to the
nights guaranteed by the compact, and asainss
their wishes.