Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-11-23

poor white men, many Of them, would not
allow the tax to be paid for them, nor vote
If It was so paid.
Treason.
The editor Of the New York Tribune and
other northern Republican editors Will find
some food for reflection in the following
able article;
DOVER, DEL, November 20, 1889.
To he Editor Of he Dispatch;
Your leader in your issue of 18th instant
having the caption "ireason-Again." has
induced me to set forth the fact, unknown
bv the masses Of the northern people and
wilfulv ignored by such political northern
;rickstcrs as sherman. Chandler BOutclle,
q null 0hi ebs QeTe1'iS. that the Constltu-
ton itself acknowledges the absolute SOW
croignty of each of the several States when
in section 2. clause 2, OF Article ~, says;
a. person charged In any state with Treason
felony, or other crime, who shall Zee from JUS
tlce and be found IN another state snail. on 100
demand OF the executive authofi : OF the state
from which he hej, DO Delivered up TO be re-
moved 60 the State from which be he'd
That entire clause, with clause 3 next
following il. il an erir0d,b0n treaty between
each State Of the confederation and every
other State in the Union. II recognizes
the fact that citiZon of any State can com
init treason against his own State, which
he could not do 10y any action Whatever IL
| she were not sovereign power, while IL
| does not pretend 10 define what acton on
/ the part of such citizen constitutes treason
against his State. In fact, the trainers OF
! the Constitution well knew that a. the en-
/ tire Constitution was SIMPLY compact De
/ tween several sovereign States, and not
| the act Of one State forming consttu-
! ton for its own one people only,
/ that the States in tho Federal Con-
yenti0n would never have consented
/ To q suCcifc definition If what should be
| deemed 90 be treason against state OF
/ the Union by one of its own citizens. HE
/ trainers knew that they had no business
with sucn definition nor authority To
make IL. They well know that treason
cannot be committed by a resident or
citizen of town OF city or county against
such town. city, OF county, do what he
might. because not ono of those three
municipal organizations Is a sovereign.
| but exercises only delegated powers; dele
/ gated 90 lt by its only sOvereign-t. t., the
State within whose borders 1t may be
situated and which sovereign can at any
! time and at Its own pleasure revoke those
The trainers knew well what the simple
word treason " meant and implied among
AN the political powers OF the civilized
world. and as Jurists and puhhclsts skilled
| IN the tcurts Ot the laws OF nations they
would never have denied had they been
a,krd nm thor hfctlmcs. that the presence
of that underlined word treason IN Aril-
cle ~. ). an unqualified recognition and
| admission of the full sovereignty OF each
separate state IN the Union.
They know that the people Of any State
/ rrl., ,ftfuhf of+ ar fht convention CnD1I0
| close its labors, ratlfy the Constitution and
thereby enter the Union, would not, a.
they did not. ratify 10 as a mere traction OF
| the sO.calleI people of the United states.
lut would ratify IL as being themselves
distinct one sovereign people and for them
selves alone.
Hence arose the necessity for a pro-
/ vision In the great compact, under aud bv
winch any State having within its borders
"a traitor TO another State should be Obl-
gated 10 surrender that traitor TO that
other State when She might demand the
surrender of the traitor
Clause 3 of section Of Article ". IS
another proof that the Constitution un-
uualIhe3ly recognizes aud admits the scpa-
rate. absolute sovereignty of each state,
while n D. au unlimited lntrcnchmeut in
the very Constitution itself of the Institu-
tOn OF slavery. That clause runs thus:
NO person held % service or labor IN one
State uulor no laws thereof. escaping into
another, steu, in consequence u any Jaw OF re-
culntion therein, De discharged from such ser
Sd Is or labor. but shall be delivered 10 on claim
of tho party 10 whom such service CT labor may
De due
Now. while neither the word slave
nor the word "slavcry' occurs m that
clause. even such traitors to the COnStitu-
/ ton as now exist IN the persons Of Sher-
man, Foraker, Chandler. Boutclle, and
! others of that kidney would not have the
! braZeu impudcnce 10 deny at tins day
| that that entire clause 3 meant toy the
| words No person held TO service or
| labor.n not only white apprentices held 70
| service only for few years. but cltyiy and
| io al tH'.JltS ami purposes. negro S'0cfS,
and slaves far hf,.r Those traitors
! 20 the Constitution above spcuhed
/ know well that the delegates 90 the
! Federal Convention from Maryland, Viz
glum. the Carohuas, and Georgia, weakly
| consented ont Of "a foolish cOmplaisance TO
! the schly sentimenta!ism OF some of the
northern delegates. 10 the substitution OF
the words, NO person held TO service or
! labor" Sc, for the words no slave
| owned I'm any State under the laws there
of, DC.
The absence in that clause of the word
| slave was one. and a Welghty one, OF
the t,f1TimG cmtsT that enabled the greedy
| capitalists. the unscrupulous politicians,
| and the religions fanatics of the northern
| Republican party to hound on their lgnO-
| rant musses to the invasion aud subjuga-
ton Of the southern States IN the late war.
70 show that the people of the North IN
| the early DAYS Of the Constitution knew
that clause meant the rendition OF tuei-
tive slaves have Ouly 10 quote from F0ir-
io., an eminent lurst of New York. lie
I saws in reference TO one of the laws enacted
10y Massachusetts, soon after she entered
the Union:
1.-THE Legislature Of Massachusetts,. in aid OF
| that provision Of tho Constitution Intended u
secure the restoration Of fugitive slaves from
their masters, passed law by which negroes
| Wero prohibited, under penalty OF confinement,
hard labor In tho house o. correction, and whip
ping not exceeding ten stripes from taxing up
their residence in the state. thus Nassachusotir
asserted her own state rights and recognize
the rights Of the slaY e-hol0ing States"
Mr.. Fowler saws that other northern
States enacted similar laws for the same
end.
In relation to the obstacles thrown in
the way Of suTreudcrng fugitive slayfs,
in and about 1850 and subsequent years, by
eleven of the northern States VIZ, Maine,
Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin,
Vermont, New York, Michigan, Connect
cut. New Hampshire, New Jersey, and
Rhode lsland), through thor personal
liberty bulls enacted into State laws, what
did Daniel Webster boosted Of by the en-
tire North a. ne great eIpop,dr Of the Con-
stitutiou) say IN his memorable speech at
Capon Springs, Va, in 1851? Why, this:
al 90 not hesitate TO say and repeat hat II the
northern STATES refuse wiifully and deliberately
10 carry into effect mat part OF the Constitution
which respects the restoration OF might've slaves
me south ,c0uli i00grT be bound 10 keep ths
compact \ bargain broken on ono side as broken
on Az SIDES! "
PRAY note that Mr.. Webster calls the
Federal Constitution "a bargain" and
that IS Just what 1t s-a political bargain,
"A compact entered into by equal sovereign
States, and not consolidated government
imposed on the minority by the majority
Of one political community, as IS the case
with respect TO the form of government,
the State constitution OF any one State OF