"The Union of the Democracy - Resolutions of '98" - March 17, 1852

The question of slave vs. non-slave state was on the agenda, with arguments being made that Congress did not have any right to enter this fray, since the Constitution did not give them the power to legislate the living condition of the state's inhabitants. The Union of the Democracy - Resolutions of '98 -- Speech of Hon. N S Townshend, of Ohio, delivered to the House of Representatives, March 17, 1852 was intended to contribute to these discussions by introducing material from two "Resolutions of '98" that were relative to the slavery/anti-slavery confrontations of the 1850s. These resolutions, which are contained in their entirety in this paper, are "Kentucky Resolutions of 1798" (Original draft prepared by Thomas Jefferson) and "The Virginia Resolutions of 1798" (Drawn up by James Madison). Mr. Townshend starts his speech with "I desire to avail myself of the latitude of debate usually tolerated in this committee, to present what I conceive to be the true method to secure the pacification of the country in general, and of the Democratic party in particular...".

The paper, which is approximately 6 x 8 7/8 inches, contains seven double-column pages of text plus a front end paper. The covers are missing. The pages are tanned, with mild foxing. The text is clear and easily read. There are various marks and stamping on the first page relating to prior ownership of the paper by the Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio. The illustrations accompanying this description show the first page of the paper and two pages containing the 1798 Resolutions. The overall condition of the paper is good. The item is a first edition, as printed at the Congressional Globe Office, Washington, in 1852.

Norton Strange Townshend (December 25, 1815 – July 13, 1895) was a United States Representative from Ohio. Townsend was a delegate to the World's Anti-Slavery Convention in London in 1840. He was a member of the Ohio House of Representatives in 1848 and 1849. He was a delegate to the State constitutional convention in 1850, and was elected as a Democrat to the Thirty-second Congress (March 4, 1851 to March 3, 1853) [Wikipedia]