Elizabeth-Town gazette. [volume] (Elizabeth-Town, N.J.) 1818-1821, 1819-11-30

united into her Union or, whether thai
new empire is to be composed Of men who
shall have constitutional, as well as nat"
ural right, ito life, liberty, and the Pnr-
suit Of happiness"
The power Of Congress TO control the
character, as it respects slavery, OF TINS
great prospective population, has been
denied, and lis efforts to impose the re-
striction, have been branded ia terms OF
violence aud menace, as high handed
usurpation. IL Congress possess the power,
1t is important that they should exercise IT
without fear, aud as they would answer
to posterily, TO conscience, a0d 10 God {;
ard that they may be sure Of being sus-
taiued in thus exercising it, it is desirable,
that, in addition to the spirit OF our in-
situations, aud the laws of a majority Of
the states, they should. be animated by
fresh and strong expressions oil the public
opinion.
The constitution gives Congress au-
lthority ''to admit new states into the
Union" and il requires that there should
be guaranteed to every state republican
form Of government" The treaty OF ces-
sion OF Louisiana stipulates " Tor the ad
mission OF the inhabitants into the Union
according TO the principles Of the federal
constitution" Hence, it is inferred, thai
| their right TO admission is absolute, and
that the power of congress is limited TO
single enquiry respecting the form q
government.
II this Inference were true, We should
submit in silence, but with sorrow; aud
have only 10 regret, that the great and
good men who framed The constitution,
had 10 this particular lost not only their
moral sentiments, but their political
forecast, aud withheld from The charter
of our Union, principle, vitality essen
;ial 10 justice aud to its own perpetuity.
They were not thus blind. They
found the evil Of slavery IN existence and
IN strength. 1t could not be eradicated
at once, but it could be circumscribed
and restrained; and time would pave The
way for the introduction Of more powerful
aud controlling laws. They therefore de-
clared in reference to the domestic condi-
lion OF slavery, as well as the slave trade,
6 that the migration and importation OF
such persons as any Of the states now ex-
isting, shall think proper to admit, shall
not be prohibited by the Congress prior
TO the year 1905"
The right to prevent the migration of
slaves, rests upon the same basis with the
right to prevent their importation and
the more effectuaily to confine the evil
within the limits where II was then found, |
the prohibition was confined to the states
then existing. Over the territories, and
The new states that might thereafter be
formed, the authority of Congress was
left absolute !; and in the indisputed ex-
ercise Of that authority, the importation
of slaves into the Mississippi Territory
from abroad was prohibited in 1898; the
entire exclusion Of slavery from the North.
western Territory re- confirmed in 1889
and subsequently, from the latter territory,
he states of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois
admitted into the Union. We therefore
are fully convinced that it is within the
Constitutional power Of Congress to pro.
hibit the introduction of slavery into any
of the new states or territories, and that il
is competent for them to enforce such pro-
hibition by the legislative acts under
which they are organized or admitted into
the Union.
We forbear TO enumerate which we
might easily do, other constitutional con-
sideratious leading to the same result.
We forbesr, also, to enlarge on the i'm
policy of our southern brethren in wish
ing to extend an evil--the terrors Of
which they even now acknowledge to be
appalling land to lose their safe guard
against the dangers Of some future serviie
war, which they will look for in vain un-
less the western states are peopled exclu'
sively by race of freemen. Nor shall
we dwell upon the injustice of further ex-
tending that principle Of representation,
that was granted 10 a spirit OF concession
by which feeemen are Iegislated for,
through votes derived from the possession
Of slaves. We feel constrained, however,
to declare, ia relation TO all the conside,
ratons connected with this subject. that
| in our opinion, the dictates Of sound poll
cy, the principles Of morality and the
best Interests of the ua'ion, imperiousIy
urge the Introduction Of the further pro-
gress of slavery in our country.
A majority of the legislature 10 both
houses of Congress, represent states from
which slavery may be considered as ex-
Guided; aud we ardently hope that none
of their representatives will assist in lay
ing the foundation and rearing the fabric
of that injustice in other states which
they have nobly Frustrated and demolish-
I'd in their own.
MATTHEW GARRISON,