Political text-book for 1860 : comprising a brief view of presidential nominations and elections, including all the national platforms ever yet adopted ... with the most notable speeches and letters of Messrs. Lincoln, Douglas, Bell, Cass, Seward, Everett, Breckinridge, H.V. Johnson, etc., etc., touching the questions of the day : and returns of all presidential elections since 1836

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254 A POLITICAL TEXT-BOOK FOR 1860. State!~ haTe ddci!n lctl to it certain enumerated pow~:rs, anti forbidd en It to t·xc rciMc others. It haH no power over the JWrson or ))l'opcrty of a cit izen but whut the citizens of the United Statt•:~ htLve grnnted. And no laws !Jr u~agcs of otltcr nat io ns, 01· reu~onin.g of statesmen or j url~ts upon the rei at ionR of ma11tcr and ~lave, cc~n en­large the powers c,f the (lovcrnmcnt, or ta~e from the citizens the right.ll tltey hnve reserved. And 1f the Con­stitution n:cofltdzt: the right or property of the master in <L t>llLVc, <UHl 111akcs no di~tlnction between thnt rle­, cript ion of prOIH!rty ancl 01 her property owned by <L citi:r.en, no tnbunal. ILI'tin~ under the authority. of the Unite<! ~tn te~. wltcthcr it lie lcgiRlntive, executiVe, or jud icial, has a right to dmw such n tlistlnctlon, or deny to It the benefit. of the provi~ions and guaranties which ltavc been provided for the protection or private oroperty again!'it the cucroacltruents of Ute Government. "Now, ns we huve nlrenrly said In nn earlier pnrt or th is opi nion, upon R different. point, the right of p•·opcrty In R 1dave is distinctly and exprcRsly ll ffinn ed In the Constitution. 'l'hc right. or tndl:i <: In it, like no ordinary arti cle of merchnnrll~<c .UHI property, wns gu~trantccd to the citizens or the United Stutes In every State thal might dcRiro It, for twenty years. And the Government in expn·ss terms l!l plet!g<·d to protect it in nil future time, If the slave esca pes from ft.~ owner. l'hls iR dono In plain words, too plain to be miRunderstood. Anrl no word can he found in the Constitution which gives Con­gre~ s a great er power over s lave property, or which entit les property of thot kind to les~ prot c<:tl on thnn property of nny other dcsc ripti(in. 'J'IJe only powt:r conferred is the power, coupl ecl with the duty, of gull rd­ing and protecting the owner in hi· r ights." • • • LA ·vERY IN NEW MEXICO. IN 1859, the Territorial Legislature of New Mexico pa. sed "Ao Act to provide for the pro­tection of property in slaves." This net, with­out, in terms, legalizing Slavery in th? Ten:itory, proceeds at great leng th and purt1cula.nty to protect slave-masters in the po:-scssion of their slaves, by enacting- sever·e penalti s against " stealing" or " euticing" them away, against '' inciting them to discontent" or " insurrec­tion " etc. 'l'hc spil'it of the· Act may be gathered from tlte following extracts from its provi ion : "s~:c. 20.-Any slave who shall conduct himself dis· orderly In a pulllic plncc, or shall give inso lent language, or signs, to any free white pcn10n , may be arrested and taken by such pe rson hcfore a justice of the peace, who, upon trial and conviction in a summary manner, shall cause his COD.!'t.able to give !!uch slave any number of stripes upon his or her bare back, u ot exceeding th irty­nine. "Sll:C. 21.-When any s lave shall be convicted or nny crime or misdemeanor for which the penalty a..<~slgned hy law Is In whole o1· in Jl<U't the fine of a. sum of money, the court passing sentence upon him may, In Its discre­tion, substitute for such floe corporal punlahment, or branding or stripes. " •;c. 24.-Any slave, free negro or mulatto who shall commit or atterupt to commit a rape upon the person of daneayt hw. hite woman, shall, upon conviction thereof, suO'er " EC, 25.-The Emancipation of Slaves within this Territory is totally prohibiLcd." PEON A G~: , OR WUIT.!t S!.:RFD0:\1. In January, 1859, the Territorial Legislature of New Mexico paR ·ed "an act amendatory of the law relative to controcts between mastcr·s and servan ts," from which we ext1·act the fol­lowing: neglect of their duties as servants, for they are con· sidercd ns domestic scrvnnts to t.hcir maRtcrs, and they sh:>uld correct their n eglect. and faults ; for as scldlers are punished by their chiefs, wlt.hont the intervention of the civil authority, by r eason of the salary they enjoy, an equal right should be granted t.hose pe•·sons who pay thcii' money to be served In the protect.lon of their pro­perty: Pt·ovlded, 1'bat such correction shall not be in­flicted in a cruel n1anner with clubs or stripes." On the lOth of Uny, 1860, :&It-. Bingham, of Ohio, from the Judiciary Committee of the House of Represe utatives, repor ted A bill to dlsnpprove and d eclare n ull anti void all Territorial acts or parts of acts, h erctofo1·e passed by the Legislative As11embly of N cw l\Icxico, which establ!ah, protect, or legalize involunta1·y servitude, or Slavery , within said Territory, except as n puni:llunent for cthne, upon due convictJon. Tltil\ uill pnRsed the IIou.-c the same da.,v by the following vot.e: YRA ~.- 1\f essre. Chari<'~ F. A rh lll~ Altll'ieh , All (•y, Ash­lry. n ,,bbitt, De11.l r , Binl(ham, lllatr, llhkp, HnlJ ton, ll iltlington. llurlingl\m t:', llllrnl1a., , 11 111 l'l'fil•ld, C·11np­h ·II, Onrt'.Y, Case, Clark B. Oochr:tlll' 1 Colfax. Conkling, Covoclc, Dawe~, Delano, Duell, Dunu, J<:dgcrton, ~:11- wardq, Eliot., Ely, Farn~worth, l<'cnton, l<'crry, J<'oster, l<'rnnk. }l'r·rnch, Oooclt, Grow, OUI·Jey, Hale, Helmick, ll oard, llumpltrey, Hutchins, Irvine, Junkin, FranclR W. Kello,~rg, Wi! . il~m Kl'll ogl!, Kenyon, Kilgore, K ill inger, DcWllt C. Leach, J.ec. Longnecker, Loomis Lovej oy, l\lnrRtr,n, McKcn n, Mc Knight, l\lcPhc rson , kroorheacl, 1\Ior•e, Nix on, Olin, P a lmer, Perry , Pettit, Porter, Pot­ter, lt 11·e. Chri.!tophcr Robinson, Royce, Scrant on, Scrlg­wi ck, • herman, Somes, , plnner, Stan tor,, Stevens, Wil­lilun Stt-wart., Strntt on, Tappan, 'l'ornpkins, 'l'ra ln, 'l'r irnhh·, Vaudever, Verrec, \Vndc, Walrlron, Walton, Cadw1tlatler C. Wa~hburn, El ihu n. Wnshburne, I~mel rWutlrl.N hburn, Wells, Wilson, Windom, Woo<l, and Wood· .All Repuulicn. rH!, 97. "Seo. 1. When any servant Rht:t.ll run away from the service of his master. he shall be considered as a fu gi­tive from justice, and in such case It shall be the duty of a ll officers or the 'l'erritory, judicial or minlsteri11l, on being Informed that such persons are within the limits of their jurisdiction, to ascertain whether such persons arc runaw:t.v servants or not, and if they aacertnln that they arc, said oflicers ~:~hall Immediately arrest them and put them to work :tt pulJiic labor, or hire th em out to any person, o that they may be employed, with security, until their ma~ter~ sha ll be informed thereof, In order that they mny demanct them, and to whom th ey shall llllmccli;ttcly he deli vcred. "f)~;c, 2. F.:very 1wr~on of this Territory, either a con­tracted serv1tnt a~:corcliug to t.hc law of contracts, or e11gagcd on trips, or as ~h eph erds, shall be compelled ttl serve for the time ~Li pul~ttcd for In the contract; and any servant '>O contrnctcd who Rhall fall to serve by ahandoninf( his magtcr or property plncerl under his care, shall he held responsib le for all cost8 and damages which through his neglect may result to the owner. NAYS.-Mell~r~. Oree11.Arlam.R, A on.uN, Allen Thomas L. Anclcr~on, JVill i(J;Tlt 0. Anderxon , Ashmore, A n ry, ll >&rk~clalr, Darr, llancrt , llo<·ock, llonhnm, B"yce, llrnnc h, IJI'illtoto, nurrh Ulll'llt'tt, Jol,n n. ChLrk, Clop­ton Cnhh. ,T.,IJn Co··h '''Ill e. Cnnp•·r. Cnx, J11 mes Craig, C1'11Wft!rd. Cll' r ,v, rr lVintel' Dlll)i,q, J OHN G. Oi~VI!', De J arnctt<>, EtJurridoe, ~'lnn·ncr. (.h J' fll'f! , Oartrcll, J ohn T. llani>~, II AF!Kt~, ll ;t'\\'ki nll. Hollllun. llo u~ron, Jl l)warcl. Hughclj, J :Lckson, J t:nkinl', Jo u r~ . Keitt, J(u nkcl, LamH r, Lnnclrum, Larmhec. Jam.es .Jf. Leach, T, .. ake, Logan, Love, Charles 0. 1\lartln, McQueen, M ile~. M i l l.~o n, Mont­jlnmery, 8y1lenltarn Moore, Isaac N. l\Torr iM, Niblack, Pendleton, Peyton, l'ltclps, Pryor, Pu~lt . Rt)uga n, lt•·y­n oitll', Rroos, Jam e~ C. Rnhinson, ltuffin, SCHWA RTz. Scott., 8imrnR, Si ngleton, William Snlith, l'tnllworth, Ste­V\ ·nRon, Stout, 1'~tyl or, 'J'hnycr, 'l'hnml\~1 Underwood, Vallang,Jighnm, Vance, Webster, Wldre ley , Winslow, Wo od~o n, nod Wright-89. Ht.:c. 4. No Court of this Territory shall have juris­d 'ction nor shall take cognizance of any cause for th~ co; rcctlon that masters may give their servants tor Democrats, in roman, 74; Arnt' l'icans, in italic.<t, 8; Anti-Lf'compt.on Dentocr·at$, in s~rALr. CAPS, 5; Independent ( Reynol d::~, in romnn ), J ; Republicans (Thayer, in roman), 1. Total, 89. This bill failed to pasa the Senate. .. '