Year: 1861




the consent Of the Inhabitants, nor With
out compensation first made TO owners
OF slaves not consenting to such abol.
ishmeut. Nor shall Congress at anv
time prohibit officers of the Federal
Government or members of Congress.
whose duties require them to be in said
District from bringing with them their
slaves and holding them as such during
the time their duties may require them
to remain there, and afterwards takinp
them from the District.


Art 4. Congress shall have no DOW.
or to prohibit or hinder the transport
ton Of slaves from one State to anoth-
er, or to a Territory in which slaves
are by law permitted to be held; wheth-
er the transportation be by land, navi.
gable rivers, or by the sea


Art D. Congress shall have power To
provide by law, and shall be its duty so
to provide, thatthe United States shall
pay to theowner who shall apply forittho
tullvalue Of his fugitive slave in all cases
whore the marshal or other officer whose
duty 1t was to arrest said fugitive was
prevented from doing so by violence or
intimidation; or when, after arrest. said
fugitive was rescued by force and tho
owner thereby prevented or obstructed
.in the pursuit of his remedy for the re-
covery Of his said fugitive slave under
the said clause Of the Constitution and
the laws made in pursuance thereof
And IN all cases when the United States
shall pay for such fugitive, they shall


have the right in their own name To suo


the county in which said violence or in


timidation or rescue was committed.
and to recover from it with interest and


damages the amount paid by them for
sald fugitive slave. And the said coun-


| ty, after it has paid said amount to tho


United States, may, for its indemnity.
sue and recover from the wrong-doers
Tor rescuers by whom the owner was
prevented from the recovery Of his fu-


gitivo slave in like manner as the own


er himself might have sued and recov-


cred


Art 6. No future amendment of the


Constitution shall affect the FIVE -preced-


ing articles, nor the third paragraph
OF the second section of the first arti


Gle of the Constitution, nor the third


paragraph Of the said section of the


fourth article Of said Constitution: and
no amendment shall be made to the


Constitution which will authorize or give
| to Congress any power to abolish or in


teriere with slavery in any Of the States


by whose laws it is or may be allowed


or permitted.


And whereas also, besides the causes
Iof dlssenslon embraced i'm the forero-
ing amendments proposed to the Con-


sututIon OF the United States, there are


others which come within the iurisdic-


ton OF Congress, and may be remedied
by ITS legislative power; and whereas il


is the desire Of Congress, as far as its


power will extend to remove all inst


cause for the popular discomfort and
agitation which now disturbs the peace


OF the country and threatens the stabil-
ity Of its institutions. Therefore


HesoIrcd, dc. That the laws now in
q force for the recovery Of fugitive slaves
are IN strict pursuance of the plain and
mandatory provisions of the Constitu-
ton, and have been sanctioned as valid
and constitutional by the Judgment of
J the Supreme Court OF the United States
That the slavcholding States are enti-


tied to the faithful Observance and ex-


ecutlon Of those laws, and that thew
p ought not to be repealed or so modif-
e. ed OF changed as to impair their eGicien-
cy, and that laws ought to be made for
the punishment Of those who attempt.
by rescue Of the slave or other illegnl
means, to hinder or defeat the due ex.
ccution of said laws.


o 2. That all State laws which conflict
with tho fugitive slave acts Of Congress.
or any other constitutional act of Con.
gress, or which in their operation i'm
D pede, hinder or delay the free course
and due execution Of any of said acts.
d arc null and void by the plain provis .
To- ions Of the Constitution of the United
y States. Yet those State laws, void as


they are, have given color to practices
- and led TO consequences which have OBJ
- structed the due administration and ex-
S ecutlon of acts Of Congress. and espe.
g cialIy the act for the delivery Of fugi.
] tive slaves, and have thereby contributed
q much to the discord and commotion now
s prevailing, Congress, therefore, in the
,: present Derllous juncture, does not deem
g it improper respectfully and earnestly
o TO recommend the repeal of these laws
e to the said States which have enacted
p them, or such legislative corrections or
}, explanations Of them as may prevent
their being used or perverted to such
] mischievous purposes,


3. That the act Of Septembor / g, 1850,
s commonly called the fugitive slave law,
q ought to be so amended as to make the
3 fee Of tho commissioner, mentioned
y in the eighth section Of the act, equal
- in amount in the cases decided by him,
d whether his decision be in favor of or
against the claimants. And, to avoid
S misooustruction, the last clause Of the
u fifth section OF said act, which authori-
r yes the person holding warrant for the
' arrest or detention Of a fugitive slave
n to summon to his aid the posse oomiqtps,
1t and which declares it to be the duty
j. Of all good citizens to assist him In its
u execution, ought to be so amended us
Al expressly to limit the authority aud du-
e ty to cases Ia which there shall be re-
sistanco or danger Of resistance or res


cue


p f.. That the laws for the suppression
|H Al