Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1820-05-09

alton; an exception that was necessary
to be made in order to preserve inviolate
that clause of the constitution which had
provided that " no tax or duty shall be
laid on articles exported from any state"
Having thus traced this provision in
the constitution to its final adoption, /
think there can be but one opinion, at
least as to the description of persons on
whom it was intended to operate. And
l think the examination will also con-
tribute much to prove that the right was
understood and intended to be vested in
Congress, to prevent the migration of
slaves into the new states, from the time
of the adoption of the constitution, and
even in the old states, after the year
l8oS-a power essentially necessary to
check an evil which produced SO much
difficulty in settling the principles of the
constitution.
Indeed, Mr.. Chairman, it seems to
me that we can plainly see through all
this mysterious arrangement of dates and
restriction to the then existing states, if
we will for moment advert to the
ordinance of '87, by which the faith of
the old Congress was pledged to admit
into the Union the new states to be FORM
ed within the boundaries Of the North
Western Territory, as non-slave holding
republican states. If the power of Con-
gress to restrict slavery had have been
tied up in relation to the admission of
those states until the year 1908, new
states might have come into the Union
prior to that period, from that quarter;
and, if they had desired slavery, the
power of virtually repeating that ordi-
nance might thus have been given to
those new states, which was a compact
between the people of the United States
and of that Territory, uJ-i subjoet 10 be
dissolved only by their mutual consent.
And hence also the delegation of that
discretional power which Congress has,
of admitting new states or not, as ! shall
attempt to prove hereafter.
But, sir, slavery unhappiIy existed in
our country previous to the adoption of
the present constitution, and, in order to
secure the blessings of union of the
states, which, by their joint energies and
with the united sacrifice of their blood
and treasure, had achieved glorious in
dependence, mutual concessions were
necessary to be made to and by the
respective sections Of the empire
Slaves, therefore, because they formed
considerable share of the southern
population, and not because they gave
strength to, for they in fact enfeebled the
physical force of the country, it was
agreed should be represented in Con-
gress, making five slaves equal to three
white persons in the enumeration. And
in the same spirit Of compromise and
concession to the south, the right to I'M
port slaves and also to take them from
state to state, as the states themselves
might ALLOW, until the year 1908, was
also guaranteed by that clause of the
constitution. And, in consideration of
these advantages, the south surrendered
in favor of the north the right to Com
gress to stop both their importation and
migration after that period. And, sir,
the word migration here, is sufficiently
explained, when l say that the right to
import into the states OH the sea-board
might not be construed to imply the right
OF migrating with them to states in the
interior, and hence it was deemed
necessary to guarantee, prior to 1908, as
well the right of migration as of impor-
tation.
To test the correctness of this con-
struction, Mr. Chairman, let US examine
the practical exposition which this arti-
Gle has received since the adoption OF
the constitution down to the present
period. Gentlemen, / am rejoiced to
say, both from the south and north, have
displayed a noble, magnanimous, and
indeed, sir, might say, an equally holy
zeal, toput down that diabolical and UNI
christian practice, which has so long dis
graced the civilized world, the slave
trade. In 1907, Congress passed a law
expressive of the deep adherence OF
that ncfarious traffic, which was felt by
the nation, to take effect on the LIST day
of January, 1903, the first hour that it
could operate after the expiration Of the
restriction imposed by the constitution
on the power of Congress over that sub
ject. That law forbade the importation
of slaves into the United States, or any
of their territories, and imposed heavy
penalty for its violation. On the goth
of April, 1915, a supplement was passed
to that act, providing new guards and
penalties against such importation. Or
the Sd March, 1919, another law was
passed, authorizing the employment Of
the armed vessels of the United States