Cheraw gazette. [volume] (Cheraw, S.C.) 1835-1838, 1836-05-24
MAY IS.
REPORT UPON ABOLITION.

May is.
REPORT UPON ABOLITION.
Mr.. Pinckncy, from the select committee
on the subject Of the abolition Of slavery in
the District Of Columbia, by general con-
sent, made q report, which he said had
received the unanimous assent of the com.
mittce, and which he hoped would be un-
aninously approved by the House.
Mr.. p. asked that the report be read; {;
which was objected to.
Mr.. Claiborne insisted upon the reading
of the report; and it was read through to
the conclusion, which is as follows:
"Nor committee conclude by reporting
the following resolutions, conformably to
the instructions given them by the House:
"ReSolUed, That Congress possesses no
constitutional authority to interfere, in any
way, with the institution of slavery in any
Of the States of this Contedcracy.
"Resolrcd, That Congress ought not to
interfere, in any way, with slavery in the
District Of Columbia
"And whereas it is extremely important
and desirable that the agitation of this sub.
iect should be finally arrested. for the pur.
pose Of restoring tranquility to the public
mind, Your committee respectfully recon-
mend the adoption Of the following ad-
ditional resolution, viz.
"Resolred, That all petitions, memorials,
resolutions, propositions. orpapers, relating,
in any way, or to any extent whatever, to
the subject Of slavery, or the abolition of
slavery, shall. without being either printed
or referred, be laid upon the table, and that
no further action whatever shall be had
thereon"
Mr.. Pinckncy said he was instructed to
move that 5000 extra copies be printed.
Mr.. Hardin said hdfelt bound to explain.
He had not acted with the committee in
framing the report, but he had told the
chairman he might report what he pleased,
and he Mr.. H. would reserve his right TO
dissent from it. The report stated that the
committee were unanimous; and he would
protest against that fact. The report said
the abolitionists at the North were few and
insignificant. He did not think so. He
thought they were numerous and increasing,
and as soon as they could get majority
ofboth Houses in Congress, then the rights
of the South would be lost.
Mr.. Pinckney said the gentleman had
been regularly summoned to attend every
meeting of the committee, and might have
assisted in making the report. In relation
to the number of the abolitionists at the
North, he had taken pains, because there
were various statements, to count the names
on the abolition memorials. His conclusion
was that they were few. The whole
number of names was 10000, of whom
fully one.half were females, and many of
the rest, he had good reason to believe,
were children.
lLr. Wise said the report had come at
last, though he had never expected to see
it. He was opposed to the principles of
the report, and also to the printing of 1t.
If Southern men were TO agree to that re.
port, they were gone, swept away. There
was not an inch of ground left for them to
stand upon. 1t only contended for what
abolitionists never denied, and conceded all
that they claimed. 1t conceded the con-
stitutionality of Congress interfering in the
question ofslavcry in the District of Colum-
bia, and that was the only question at issue.
He had another ground Of opposition.
There had been pledge given to him that
the ground should decidedly, unequivocally
be taken that Congress has not the power
to abolish slavery in the District of Colum-
bia. Such pledge was made, and was
made to him; but he could see no such
ground taken in the report. The whole
amount of what was said was, that it is not
expcdient now TO interfere in the subject.
He expected that the committee would have
declared that Congress had no power.
There was another point far more I'm.
portant than any other which he should
have liked to have seen treated in the report.
1t was, whether Congress has power TO
limit or prohibit the slave trade between the
States, Of the Union. He would rather
vote to print, recognise and give effect TO
all the abolition memorials, than to print and
recognise the principles o.. that report, and