OCR Text |
Show 886 tion into the territories of any species of propel'ty which the Con titt:tion of t.he Unit e~! S tn tcs hns recognized ns property. I roperty 111 slaves r not only recogni zetl by the 0 11 _ sli tnt io11, bnt guaran tees arc given fo r its protec ti on. 'J'he powr r, t hrrcforc, which i,' given to Co n gn:s~ by the third sect ion of the four th nrt ielc, Lo make •• all n<·edful r 111cs and rcguln.tions respec ting the tcn itory or other proprrty belonging to the United States," is merely a right to regu l:ttc, but uot a power to n.boliHlt that which the Conl)tit uti on has rccoguizcd as property. Au obligation to protect or regulate gives no power to }H'Ohibi t or to destroy. ArHl thus while we have the constitutional power to pass lnws for th ~ protection and regulation of slave pt·operly in the terr ito ri es, we have no power to mnkc any legisla tive cr1actmcnt for its prohibition, wheth r in tho Stales or territori es. Jn n. word sir, tho Consti tution of the U nited Stnt cs is tho Con st1tu t io~ of tho territories, nnd n.s llmt Constituti on recogni zes tho right of }11'nperLy in sln.ves, nny prohibition by Congress of 1hat right wonld be in viobtion of the Constitution wh ieh is the supreme lnw of the land. ' Extract from tho Southern A<ldrc:s published in ] 830 said to have been drawn by M1•. Calhoun: ' .w c do not deem it necessary, loo king to the object of tlns address, to examine tho qu estion ~o fnlly discussed at the last session, whether Congress hns tho rio-ht t o exclude tho ci~izcns of the Sonth from immig rating wi th their property 1nto territories belonging to the confederated States of tho Uuion. What we propose in this conn ection is t 0 n.ake a few remarks on what the North alleges, CITo n eo u~ly 1 o he the issue between ns and them. ' So far from maintaining the doctrine, which the issue intplics, we hold that the F ederal Government has no ri <rht h to extend or restrict slavery, no more than to cstabl ish or abolish it; nor has it any right whatever to distinguish be- THE AGI'l'A'l'fON IN 184.7-GO. 387 tween the domestic inst itu tions of one Rtatr, or sect ion, ana another, iu order to f<tvOr the OllO and d iRcou rage the ollwr. As tho fe<lcral rcpresrntat iveH of each an(l nll the Stales, it js bound to tl ca.l out, within t.ho sphere of its powers, equal and cxnct justice arHl fn.vor to all. 'l,o act olh('nviHr, to undertake to discriminate bcLwcCll the domt'slic in~Lil1ttion. • of one and another, would. be to net in Lo!n.l subversion of' the end for whi ch il was csLn.hl ished-t.o be the common protector an<l gunnlian of all. B ntorlaining thcsc opinions, we ask not, n.H the N orlh n.llcges we dn, for the extension of slavery. 'l'hat wo nill make n. disc rimi tatt.ion in our favor, 118 unjust and uncon:titutional n,• the discrimination tlH'Y ask against us in their favor. lL is rwt for them nor for the federal government to clcl<'rminc wh 'Lhrr Olll' clomcstic institu tion is goocl or bad, or whether it should he rCJ)l'eSfH'<l or pre crved. I t helorws to us, nn<l ns only, to dc(·i<lc such questions. What, then, we do in sist on is, not to cxtcud slavery, but thut we shall not be prohi bit d from immigmting wi th our property inl the territo ries of the Unitr<l States bccn.usc we arc ~l aveho1(1e rs; or, in other worrls, that we shalluot on thn.t. accoun t be dis frnnchi:cd of n. privilege possessed by all ol h r , citi zens n.nd foreigners, wiU1011t discrimination ns to character, prof' 's: ion, or color. All, whether savage, bn.rbarian, or civil izccl, may freely enter nnd remain, we only being 11 excluded." |