The Portland gazette. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1818-1824, 1821-01-02

room aud verge enough to do our part IN the
great work Of their relief and not coop us up in
20 corners and pinch our faculties OF affordng it.
Otherwiss instead Of extermioating the free
blacks only, they may end in extermiaating the
free states.
Ii may be observed, that the very attempt on
the part Of Missouri to exclude free blacks from
the rights OF citizenship is m itself striking com
mentsry upon the practice Of slavery. These
people were taught by insiinci-for il is ne dis
respect but rather due to them, remote as they
are from the rest Of the world, like the inhsbi
tants OF the Orkneys, TO consider them yet IN
rather an uneiviliZed state-they were unn-
structed by an instinSt Superior 20 reason and
strong a. the sense Of self interest and the ne
cessity Of self preservation could suggest TO minds
Of rude energy and wild sagacity, that in order
to hold slaves successfully they must be enabled
10 exclude all other coloured persons. Upon this
subject in the first place, they have fairly shown
their teeth. And since they have now been in
formed from sources Of the highest authority thro'
the government gazette that will be no obstacle
In their way 10 expnnse the Obnoxious clause from
their constitution and that the praotice of the
other states will bear them out IN the police they
wish to adept, we have at least one satisfaction
that of knowing distinctly VIVA. We have TO
expect from putting it IN their power 10 establish
slavery.
-
population must be distributed among the United
States and divided between the different sections
SO that the one shall have all the advantage Of
their La6onr and the ether be exposed TO all the
Inconvenience of their hberTg, a important ques-
ton Is presented for the decilion Of Congress.
That 10 now, whether cnother nev s!ais shall he
admitted to augment o. TO reduce the existing
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES Missouri shall become
nuisance or a relief to the union-whether she
shall be suffered TO quarter hsr ysgabonds upon
the free states assist the N in sharing the gener
al surthea Kentucky, Tennessee, Louisiana,
mis'isnppi and Alabama have been admitted, If
not improvidsntly, at least in suehla manner as to
add to the injustice OF the partition. The sxtsn
sion OF slavery has already been carried too far,
and the prsr0gative pressed with too much peril
nssity. 1t has placed the subject in a nsw Light.
The slave states must make their election. hey
must either consent to keep their slaves ut home
or else their free negroes. The free states have
some Interests and feelings on thsse psiats thsm-
selves. The position that there must bs new
slave state as an offset for every tree state
goes tso far. Upon that principls no such state
can ever be permitted TO diVsst itself ef that
sharacter; and to preserve the balance IN the
senate upon this pretensisn, slavery must be
psrpstuated within its present sompaH-to say
nothing OF the dlsproportion Of slave representa-
ton IN the popular brasch. The question than
comes TO this f; whether the compromise estab-
iished BY the constitution shall now bs disturb
ed by extending the sphere of slavery ; and
whether it is net accordingly the duty of the
government to adopt some saectuzl aethod Of
disarming Missouri of the means of doing ta,s
mischief and having 1t IN her power to unite
with the old establishments of this evil IA direct
ing the Increased food Of black population
upon the free states and penning all the parti.
hat al hon
within their frontiers2
This being the plain state of the case, Con
sress to use familiar phrase, is in a cul dc sac
The TACT IL they besas wrong IN the first instance.
There is no way but to retrase their steps Let
hem travail back therefore, and set out again
upon the right prime pie. The whole embsrras-
msnt that has arisen Ia this business, has been
ewing to the absence Of original prohibition. IF
they allow the right to hold slaves thew must
extend It to the incidents Of slavery If inq uity
is ordained by law, the public must take the
consequences of the institution. There is no way
to avoid 1t and the people of Missouri will avail
themselves OF their privilege. Ths Intslligsn.
Ger tells tAem they can and the Enquirer SAYS
thsy must At this rate then the labour Of
Congreis has been lost the subject has been
merely trifed with and every thing is lust "A il
was before, only rather worse. In rejecting the
constitution of Missouri they have only scotched
tne haKe-and increased its venom. But il is
isle and worse than idle for Congress to tamper
with the subject and play rssnd the surfsce-or
apply its surgery to the SKIN when the chs.
requires ncIsion. These dwelling expedisnts
only aggravate the evil The only way ia the
present exisency is to girdle the tree below the
6ranches-or rather lay the axe 10 the root and
cut i up oole and branch--te dry up the feun-
tam OF Bitter waters-and apply the remedy to
the source Of the evil. There 10 no ether way
10 do any thing. There is no ether way 10 pre-
serve the constitution but to prohibit slavery.
And It is for Congress therefore as the present
period to take such order on this subject with
view TO the fnture admission of Missouri, az 10
natural justice and national order may equally
aPperiain, and the rights of the union, as well as
the principles OF liberty imperiously require.