In the 4th Sect. of Art. IV., the United States guarantee to protect every State in the Union "_against domestic violence_." By the 8th Section of Article 1., congress is empowered "to provide for calling forth the militia to execute the laws of the Union, _suppress insurrections_, and repel invasions." These provisions, however strictly they may apply to cases of disturbance among the white population, were adopted with special reference to the slave population, for the purpose of keeping them in their chains by the combined military force of the country; and were these repealed, and the South left to manage her slaves as best she could, a servile insurrection would ere long be the consequence, as general as it would unquestionably be successful. Says Mr. Madison, respecting these clauses:-- "On application of the legislature or executive, as the case may be, the militia of the other States are to be called to suppress domestic insurrections. Does this bar the States from calling forth their own militia? No; but it gives them a _supplementary_ security to suppress insurrections and domestic violence." The answer to Patrick Henry's objection, as urged against the constitution in the Virginia convention, that there was no power left to the States to quell an insurrection of slaves, as it was wholly vested in congress, George Nicholas asked:-- "Have they it now? If they have, does the constitution take it away? If it does, it must be in one of those clauses which have been mentioned by the worthy member. The first part gives the general government power to call them out when necessary. Does this take it away from the States? No! but _it gives an additional security_; for, beside the power in the State government to use their own militia, it will be _the duty of the general government_ to aid them WITH THE STRENGTH OF THE UNION, when called for."