“
[313]
Territories to all the citizens of the United States, together with their property of every description; and that the same should be protected by the United States while the Territories are under its authority.”
4. Resolved further, That the Constitution of the United States is a compact between sovereign and co-ëqual States, united upon the basis of perfect equality of rights and privileges.
5. Resolved further, That the Territories of the United States are common property, in which the States have equal rights, and to which the citizens of every State may rightfully emigrate, with their slaves or other property recognized as such in any of the States of the Union, or by the Constitution of the United States.
6. Resolred further, That the Congress of the United States has no power to abolish Slavery in the Territories, or to prohibit its introduction into any of them.
7. Resolved further, That the Territorial Legislatures, created by the legislation of Congress, have no lower to abolish Slavery, or to prohibit the introduction of the same, or to impair by unfriendly legislation the security and full enjoyment of the same within the Territories; and such constitutional power certainly does not belong to the people of the Territories in any capacity, before, in the exercise of a lawful authority, they form a Constitution preparatory to admission as a State into the Union; and their action, in the exercise of such lawful authority, certainly cannot operate or take effect before their actual admission as a State into the Union.
8. Resolved further, That the principles enunciated by Chief Justice Taney, in his opinion in the Dred Scott case, deny Territorial Legislature the power to destroy or impair, by any legislation whatever, the right of property in slaves, and maintain it to be the duty of the Federal Government, in all of its departments, to protect the rights of the owner of such property in the Territories; and the principles so declared are hereby asserted to be the rights of the South, and the South should maintain them.
9. Resolved further, That we hold all of the foregoing propositions to contain cardinal principles--true in themselves — and just and proper and necessary for the safety of all that is dear to us; and we do hereby instruct our delegates to the Charleston Convention to present them for the calm consideration and approval of that body — from whose justice and patriotism we anticipate their adoption.
10. Resolved further, That our delegates to the Charleston Convention are hereby expressly instructed to insist that said Convention shall adopt a platform of principles, recognizing distinctly the rights of the South, as asserted in the foregoing resolutions; and if the said National Convention shall refuse to adopt, in substance, the propositions embraced in the preceding resolutions, prior to nominating candidates, our delegates to said Convention are hereby positively instructed to withdraw therefrom.
11. Resolved further, That our delegates to the Charleston Convention shall cast the vote of Alabama as a unit, and a majority of our delegates shall determine how tile vote of this State shall be given.
12. Resolved further, That an Executive Committee, to consist of one from each Congressional District, be appointed, whose duty it shall be, in the event that our delegates withdraw from the Charleston Convention, in obedience to the 10th resolution, to call a Convention of the Democracy of Alabama, to meet at an early day to consider what is best to be done.
The
Alabama delegation concluded with the following statement:
The points of difference between the Northern and the Southern Democracy are:
1. As regards the status of Slavery as a political institution in the Territories whilst they remain Territories, and the power of the people of a Territory to exclude it by unfriendly legislation; and
2. As regards the duty of the Federal Government to protect the owner of slaves in the enjoyment of his property in the Territories so long as they remain such.
This Convention has refused, by the Platform adopted, to settle either of these propositions in favor of the South.
We deny to the to the people of a Territory any power to legislate against the institution of Slavery; and we assert that it is the duty of the Federal Government, in all its departments, to protect the owner of slaves in the enjoyment of his property in the Territories.
These principles, as we state them, are embodied in the Alabama Platform.
Here, then, is a plain, explicit and direct issue between this Convention and the constituency which we have the honor to represent in this body.
Instructed, as we are, not to waive this issue, the contingency, therefore, has arisen, when, in our opinion, it becomes our duty to withdraw from this Convention.
We beg, Sir, to communicate this fact through you, and to assure the Convention that we do so in no spirit of anger, but under a sense of imperative obligation, properly appreciating its responsibilities and cheerfully submitting to its consequences.
The
Alabama delegation, which
