Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER VIII. IRRESPONSIBILITY OF THE UNITED STATES. Responsibility there is, no doubt, as upon every citizen, so upon the United States, to do what in us lies for the well,being of the whole South, but " not to govern, where God or nature has given no authority;" not to do, what in us does not lie, to regulate or abolish slavery in the States. These assertions are presumed to agree with the general sentiment of the country, and yet there are not wanting scruples and evasions, pretensions and attempts, which require that the irresponsibility of the United States should be carefully stated and illustrated. And this not only to check useless interference, but to quicken the sense of the actual responsibility. If the responsibility is not on the United States, it is tremendously upon each separate State. The plea against action in the General Government does not lighten the charge of three millions of men and their posterity, which Divine Providence has laid upon the responsible States — is for action "with no diminution because it relates to Africans and slaves," " not indeed to loose all bonds, but whether by bonds loosed or bonds retained, to seek their well-being in and with the well-being of the whole people." Still deferring our conception of the detail, our view of a Remedial code; nothing can be more certain than the necessity of some specific and appropriate legislation for a peculiar race settled with us beyond removal, some great and comprehensive measure of Police. Such a legislation, at once merciful and just, regardful of property and labor, suited to man, providing for the well-being of both races, worthy of the Christian philanthropist and the Christian patriarch alike, how would it prove the glory of the South and the joy of the North; the oil of gladness an... --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.