American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1878-12-21
THE LaIT OF RETRIBCTYON.

States as auoptcd Nv tHe con NeH~
ton which met at Philadelphia, OF
which the immortal George Wash
ton was President, was emphatical
ly constitution OF compromises.
The trainers OF til instI ument-
many of them participants in the
Revolution which had just TERMS
mated, and resulting in the Jude.
pendence of the colonies from the
dominion of the English Govern>
ment-were true patriots and decid
ed lovers of their country In tiu h
and in tact, they knew no North,
no South, no East, no West but
only their entire country. and la
framing the organic law by which
that country, they and their pos
terity. were to be governed, they
looked to what they regarded as
the best interest of The whole people.
In that instrument, Article One,
Section Two, and Ivy way ct com-
promise, it was ord and estab
lisbed, that three .fif' hs Of all per>
sons then and afterwards held as
slaves, should be added to the mum
Der of white Inhabitants in appor-
tioning Representatives in the low
err House OF Congress. That is to
say, every Southern State where
slavery existed at the time of the
adoption of the Constitution, aud
every slave State which might be
afterwards admitted into the Uaion,
according to the terms of the fund:
amental law, should be entitled to
representation in the lower House
of Congress, according to the num-
Der of all the white inhabitants i'll
said State, at the time OF its almis
81 on, with three>fifths OF the slaves
added.
This was the Constitution of the
fatltrs. plainly to be read and un>
derstood by all and although it was
carried out, up to the time OF com
mencpment of the late war. many
northern men, in aud OUT OF Con
gress, never let an opportunity
pass without denouncing it as un-
fair, and unjust, and as an agrees
sion OF the slave power.
BY the same Constitution, An.
Gle -Four, Section Two,it was ordain-
ed and established that ssnO person
held tn service or labor in one s ate,
under the laws thereof, esq .ping
into ano;her, shall in consequence OF
any law or reguiatio, therein, ne
discharged from such service or
labor, but shall be delivered up on
claim OF the party to whom such
service or labor may be due"
This provision of the Constitution
10 the early and purer days OF the
Republic Was strictly adhered tn /;
but when the Abolitionists cons
meDced their crusade against tue
Constitution of their country for
the purpose of building up What is
now known as the Republican
Party, State after State in the
North aud West enacted hostile
and penal legislation, and absO>
iutely nuIIitipd this constitutional
provision, SD that just before the
late war commenced, thirteen states
bad virtually abolished the cOnsti>
tuition of the United States, so far
as this particular provision WAS
thereby saying to the
people of tile Southern States: Eve
admit that our fathers entered into
this Constitutional compact with
your fathers, but we intend TO vin>
late aud Disregard it, because by
so doing we hope and believe that
we shall be able 10 build up Ger
tain polisical party, for the benefit
OF our section.p
And right here We will say that
Que of the prime causes which in~
duced the Southern people to r..sort
to the arbitration OF the sword III
our late unfortunate rOn1ict, Was
this very hostile legislation above
re ferred TO. Had OHIO, Massacl,u-
Sets, Michi gan and other Northern
and Western states, repealed in
time their obnoxious aud unconsti-
tutional laws, there would have been
no war. The South might have
to the election of Mr..
Lincoln, under all the circumstances;
but she could not submit to viola
ton of the constitutional compact
by her confedeiates without present
disgrace and subsequent destruction
Ia the Near future.
But the war was waGed-the
1attle has been fought-tbe South
vas overpowered BY mere brute
ofce and had to Submit, because
n the nature of things she could
light no longer. Aud now comes
he trouble. The South, According
20 the theory OF Northern RrpuDii-
;ams, was taiatei by the STA of