13. Resolved, That the practical operation of the second of these provisions is seen in the enactment of the act of Congress respecting persons escaping from their masters, which act, if the construction given to it by the Supreme Court of the United States in the case of Prigg v. Pennsylvania be correct, nullifies the habeas corpus acts of all the states, takes away the whole legal security of personal freedom, and ought, therefore, to be immediately repealed. 14. Resolved, That the peculiar patronage and support hitherto extended to slavery and slaveholding by the general government ought to be immediately withdrawn, and the example and influence of national authority ought to be arrayed on the side of liberty and free labor. 15. Resolved, That the practice of the general government, which prevails in the slave states, of employing slaves upon the public works, instead of free laborers, and paying aristocratic masters, with a view to secure or reward political services, is utterly indefensible and ought to be abandoned. 16. Resolved, That freedom of speech and of the press, and the right of petition, and the right of trial by jury, are sacred and inviolable; and that all rules, regulations, and laws in derogation of either are oppressive, unconstitutional, and not to be endured by a free people. 17. Resolved, That we regard voting, in an eminent degree, as a moral and religious duty, which, when exercised, should be by voting for those who will do all in their power for immediate emancipation. 18. Resolved, That this convention recommend to the friends of liberty in all those free states where any inequality of rights and privileges exists on account of color, to employ their utmost energies to remove all such remnants and effects of the slave system. Whereas, The Constitution of these United States is a series of agreements, covenants, or contracts between the people of the United States, each with all and all with each; and Whereas, It is a principle of universal morality that the moral laws of the Creator are paramount to all human laws; or, in the language of an Apostle, that " we ought to obey God rather than men "; and Whereas, The principle of common law that any contract, covenant, or agreement to do an act derogatory to natural right is vitiated and annulled by its inherent immorality, has been recognized by one of the justices of the Supreme Court of the United States, who in a recent case expressly holds that any contract that rests upon such a basis is void"; and 66 Whereas, The third clause of the second section of the fourth article of the Constitution of the United States, when construed as providing for the surrender of a fugitive slave, does "rest upon such a basis," in that it is a contract to rob a man of a natural right—namely, his natural right to his own liberties, and is, therefore, absolutely void; therefore, 19. Resolved, That we hereby give it to be distinctly understood by this nation and the world, that, as Abolitionists, considering that the strength of our cause lies in its righteousness, and our hope for it in our conformity to the laws of God and our respect for the rights of man, we owe it to the Sovereign Ruler of the Universe as a proof of our allegiance to Him, in all our civil relations and offices, whether as private citizens or public functionaries sworn to support the Constitution of the United States, to regard and treat the third clause of the fourth article of that instrument, whenever applied to the case of a fugitive slave, as utterly null and void, and consequently as forming no part of the Constitution of the United States, whenever we are called upon or sworn to support it. 20. Resolved, That the power given to Congress by the Constitution to provide for calling out the militia to suppress insurrection does not make it the duty of the government to maintain slavery by military force, much less does it make it the duty of the citizens to form a part of such military force. When freemen unsheathe the sword it should be to strike for liberty, not for despotism. 21. Resolved, That to preserve the peace of the citizens and secure the blessings of freedom, the legislature of each of the free states ought to keep in force suitable statutes rendering it penal for any of its inhabitants to transport, or aid in transporting, from such state, any person sought to be thus transported merely because subject to the slave laws of any other state; this remnant of independence being accorded to the free states by the decision of the Supreme Court in the case of Prigg v. the State of Pennsylvania. The election occurred on November 5, 1844. TWENTY-SIX STATES VOTED. STATES. ELECTORAL VOTE. Counted on February 12, 1845. PRESIDENT. VICE-PRESIDENT. 12 Maryland Massachusetts ::: ::: ayaq: : oa: 105:: wo 17 17 36 23 26 26 26 3 George M. Dallas, of Pennsylvania. 6 : at: A: 8: ~: : : : 50: : : : 5w:: FROAD818Low No. entitled to vote. 6 36 Virginia Total. James K. Polk was elected President and George M. Dallas as Vice-President. During this period Congress was divided politically as follows: Twenty-ninth Congress. Senate 30 Democrats, 25 Whigs, 1 vacancy Thirtieth Congress. Senate 37 Democrats, 21 Whigs House-108 Democrats, 115 Whigs, 4 Independents Total, 56 66 225 Total, 58 66 227 Election of 1848 DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION. Baltimore, Md., May 22-26, 1848. Chairman pro tem., J. S. BRYCE, of Louisiana. Chairman, ANDREW STEVENSON, of Virginia. NOMINATED For President, Lewis Cass, of Michigan. For Vice-President, William O. Butler, of Kentucky. All the states were represented at this convention. Three days were spent in perfecting the organization. This convention directed the appointment of the first national committee ever organized. The following is the result of the balloting for a candidate: |