The Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1822-1829, 1823-01-17

rav of Charleston anu Savannah Oh
I'm occasions ! thought that Congress,
10 the terms of the constitution, had no
liver 10 act. The limitation of the year
,saa. hy the express letter of the clause,
boar, not only upon the importation of
% slaves, hut urea the prohibi.ofy
,,over of Congress. 1t was my opinion
,,.t until the year 1903, Congress could
not even pass the act of prohibition; and
"noa mat principle, voted against leave
"a hing in the bill,
II + remarkable, that the minority, with
,h,.n Iyotel against the clause tprhidding
,te ipt,,ortaton of slaves from ahruad, in
- I.al,,iana. consisted of Nr Baldwin aud
r.aeral james jackson, of Georgia, Mr.
pr,dIey and Mr.. Israel Smith, of Nerrout,
aod Mr. Ellery. of Rhode Island. Aceor-
Ior to the logic Of General Smyth, they
u.r,. all IN the same dilemma with me-
qh,y were all among the most ardent re-
,,,blie,ns. and the most devoted friends of
liz Jelierson's adminlsi ration, IN the coun-
tty-and Mr.. Bradley was the man who, in
Deerm5er, 1905, moved for leave tn bring
in the bill IN prohsit the slave trade after
,he ist of January, 1903; who actually
h onpht il in--ad At the succeeding ses-
,,,n Of Congress carried il through the Sc
m Iruon the question for leave To bring
IN The bill voted against it, thinking that
the letter of the constitution forbade Con
srrss from acting ON the subject before
igoa. But the principle having been set
del that the prohibition might be acted in
,otieipa,ion. though not TO take effect till
IAog.I voted for the bill itself, when IT pass
rd IL Janury, 1907.
d. ppon reviewing all these votes now, the
only one upon the correctness of which
feel diidence, is that Of December, 1903,
against the leave To- bring ina bill. II was
question, nol upon an ungranted, but up
OF AN interdictcd power. Inclinng al
ways against the assumption by Congress
Of any power not clearly granted, perhaps
| lndalgrd unnecessary scruples against
thai OF a power expressly forbidden. Had
Il temper of the Times, in relation TO the
Iyc trade, been in 1909, when the bill was
brought in, the same as il had been in
iid7, when the Introduction Of The power
Of prohibition to Congress MAS inserted in
the constitution, have little doubt that
the construction Of the CLAUSE, upon which
lao.td, would have been held To he The OIL
" one o. which it would f'itl7 lnit. But,
in The interval, great and happy change
The public mind had taken place. The
shfe.trade, which, in 1897, had been re-
served as privilege too precious 10 be sub
nited even to the prohlbltory power of
Congress, in 1905 had palled upou the
tlse, and become an object VI general abb
horrence and disgust. Even those, to
whose interests and desires the original n-
terdielion had been conceded. were willing
q lorrgo tine remnant olbenelit which they
night have claimed from it, md 10 Join,
tao years before It's tint, i'm prescribing the
Erohlbiion, which, until then, could not
b. carried into effect. Butt |, from an o.
yefweening scruple against the exercise Of
apower, ore day before ii BEGAN anegu-
Nocally Lawful, am tn ke doalned as euques-
tondbiy Il tfeud To the s.ase- trade, what
Is to be said oi those paIrois aAd sa&es,
with " Ashugion at helrhead, "hu, inl7G7,
expressly dehi.d to Congress for 20 years,
ths power OF prohibiting this fl oltlou- trails
al Az
4 vdfe upon another eraye subject IS
r'arset upon me az evidence Of my lOsti-
hty 10 the republicans;a vote against iroor-
ulg Grape one month, in memory Of Sa-
null Adams and Edmund Pendleton, two
sL the most distinguished friends of rirtue
and LIBERTY
Ny objection TO il was as 4 precedent,
Ont tue same day an unanimous vote had
? ssed In wear Grape for one month, for
Stevens Thompson Mason, Il member Of
flp Srlntp fhAp rNcnt,tlK IupnaSaI A.
USUAL compliment TO member Of the bo-
ty had assented to this. But when Oh
tle SINE day resolution WAS offered to
wear Grape for one month, for two per-
sous, neither o. them member Of the ho-
ny, and oIu OF the Usual course Of pro, erd
hlSs, It's obvious tendency was 10 Introduce
apractee OF passing such resolutions up
On the decedsc ol every eminent man IN
lie laion. Il had the appearance, too. OF
adlspostIun 10 otter them by pairs from
&iblent sections OF the Jalan !; and of
hlimg tod. cIssloHs afconparalive merits,
sntto dispositions upon characters nei
her suitable ID the fine uar the place
TIE characters OF 81 maeI Adams and Ed
nund Peudletun were venerable aud illus
o1ous but others equally distinguish d
Nd died without that sort of notice, which,
tle example once given, might and proba-
bly, would be demanded for others less me-
ntorious, until it should lose all value, T.. s
unmeaning formality. These were tie
motives, upon which |, witha very respec-
table minority, voted against that resolu-
ton; aud, although majority voted for
n, because they thought Il rejection OF ii,
alter it was once offered, would have APP
Pelred dlsrespeclfuI 10 the persons whom
L was then speciaiiy intended 10 homo /
Rae rcasoG to believe tlat they were
convinced, by the result Of thai day 5 de
Bate, that it would be advisable to offer no
ni'fe such compound resolutions, and tnat
LIS mode Of political canonlaation, II ever