The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1823-02-05

such 0laDOcF as the IfesiueU. oil tue OOtcu
State, shall direct, and whether their feohie |
shall ultimately be constituted into States, re.
presented upon the floor Of your national leg
isla,iye assemblies then viii bs the time for
discovering 10 disisnt perspective, tie full
import and final consequences ut that second
section Of tho act lor taking possession OF
Louisiana.
Let TIE again remind you, thar the question
ID not Of the advantage 20 THIS U0ion 1T the
acquisition OF l.orisisna, nor even Of the pow
ers OF Congress, rs they are now established
by the construction tbon given TO tho const.
tuition The question il, whether my motives
must have been factious or anli.repubbean,be be.
cause believed that the constitution cf ,be
United Safes had not authorised the Con.
grcss TO in,est The President with all the ab.
solute powers o! q Spanish monarch over
Spanish colony 10 annex tho people OF that
colony TO our federal union, and To give chem,
without nolur raiizaIion, aEd 10 thrust upon
them, without their consent, oil ,he fighis,
privileges and inmuniles, duties and BURDEN,
Of the constituent members Of this coDltdera-
,ion.
1t was upoo similar principles, fortified by
additional considerations, that gave the Two
votes from one oil which General Smy,h thinks
he has ised me IN diiemma; either OF &c.
knowledging myself FRIEND TO THE SLAVE
TRADE, or ,hst | was dear Gus TO render The
acquisition Of !.ouisisoo injurious, by permit
tln. the unies,rained Influx Of 10 eign slaves
while upon the other he denies NE the benefit
even OF this sorry die NINA, but ,skes II Ior
proof gn9us y.ioHq6ie, that I an ltiead 10 tho
Slave Trade.
The itst Of these votes, given on ,he 20h
of January 1904, was against a clause which
iot babe the importation OF slaves into Louisi.
ana, from places without the United Sleie.
The sec0nd IN Dece mbcr. l3o5,.wss against
bringing IN bill 10 proh'bit, alter the lst OF
January, 1903, 'hs importation OF slaves into
the Cnited States.
II will be r.collected, .h,t in The cons,ilu-
,ioa Of tho United States, there is clause in
the Golloving words a. The migration or I'm.
! portaiion OF such persons as any Of ,he s'ales
now existing shs, think proper 10 admit,
saaA no! Be prohibited BY the Cong,eSs, p'ior
to The year I3o8." The woes winch Gene.
raj SmyIh wishes now 10 biacken wiiS siavo
trade compley'oos, were given 10 January,
1901, snd D:ccmber, 1905, two and four
years before this express in,e'd;c,ion upoo
the power Of Congress expired AT both
abroad was petmued by the laws os Georgia
and, think oi S,uh Ca oilna. rs TO ,he
first, setting aside The general objection ths,
hcd against the power OF Congress then 10
leGislate upcn the people Of Louisiana Al all,
oi what avail wa. II TO prohibit the importa-
lion of slave, directly from abroad, while no
prohibition could be enacted agoinst lit port
ing them indirectly, by the wy OF Charleston
and Savannah On both occasions, ! thought,
that Congress, by the crms Of the constnu.
tion, had no power 10 act. The bmHaiion Of
The year 1903, by The express letter OF the
clause, bears not only upon the importation
Of the slaves, bu, upon the probiei'o'y power
OF Congress. Ii was my opiuioB, that, until
the year 1903, Congress could not even pass
the &C, OF pfohi6iucn !: and, upon that p, in
oip'c, voted against leave 10 bring in the
bill.
X is remarkable, that the raino,ny. with
whom voted against the clause TO- bidding
the imr.',a'on oi slaves ON ab'o Dad into
Louisiana, consisted OF Ne. Baidwic and Gen.
eral Jane, Jackson, OF Geoigis, Nj. Bradley
and Mr. Israel Smith, of Fstmsn,, aud Mr..
Elle,y oi Rhode Island According TO the
logic Of Gca.r,i Smy,h, they were ai, in the
same dilemma with ne. They were all a.
mong the mo>i ardent Republicans, and the
most devoted friends TO Mr.. Jeflerson's ad.
ninistra,ion--snd NJ. Breclcy was tho man,
who, in December, sos, moved 10, leave 20
bring in The bI, To proh,bi, me slave trade,
afler the hr,, ef Jinua'y, 1908; who actually
brought II p---,nd ct tho succeeding session
OF Congress, carried j, through the Senate
Upon the question Tor !eeve to 5riog in the
Oil, vo,ed sgsiost il, thinking that the let.
ter OF the constitution 10, bsde Ccngress from
acting on the suejert before 1909 But the
principle having becn seuled, that the pro.
h,hi,,on nigh, be enscted in anticipation,
Though noi 20 take effect ill 1908, l voted
for the bill hssif, when il passed In JiAus,y,
1907.
Upon reviewing aI! these votes now, The
only one upon The correctness of which feel
d.Iiidence, is that Of December, sos, a.
ga,nst the leave to bling in u bill. /, was a
question not upon an uDg'snted. bur upon an
al, Il