State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1831-1836, 1836-09-19
THE CONSTITUTION AND SLAVE

10y.
The Northern and Southern aristocrncy
are anxious TO make the people believe
that the constitution of the United States
has guaranteed and sanctioned SIaUery
This is q now doctrine. BY the following,
it will be seen that one of the oldest and
ablest statesmen does not admit that the
constitution even recognizes the eliStence of
slavery!
Extract from the Speech Of .Iohn Q. .adan,s
on the admission Of arkansas anto The
Union.
"Thut instrument, containing in four
different places arrangements having refer
ence to slavery, doeS not, IN any Of them,
recognise the eriStencc Of SLAVERY or SinUes
neither of the words is to be found through
out the Constitution. Its founders were
unwilling that the frame of government,
ordained expressly by the people, to secure
to themselves and to their postcrity the
blessings of liberty, should he polluted even
by the name of slavery. Thus when they
provided that the shareholders should enjoy
that most extraordinary privilege of repre-
senation of the persons Of the slaves in
this Hall, they adopted Il circumlocution,
and after enumernting free porsons, those
bound 10 service for IL term of years, land
ton ofhulnan beings, slaves alone excepted
then endowed their masters with the right
of representation for three tiths of 'all other
persons."
Thus, in the ninth section Of the first
article which denies to Congress the power
prior to the year 1908, of prohibiting the
slave trade, that detestablc traffic was de-
scribeG, not by its proper name, but under
he. Ia 1f a. inn mr.
importation Of such persons as any of the
States now existing shall think proper to
admd"
Again: The second section of the fourth
article which stpulates for the arrest und
delivery up ofiugitive slaves, does not name
them as such. 1t says: "No person held to
SerUice or tabor in any one State, under the
laws thereof, escaping into another, shall in
consequence of any law or regulation
therein, be discharged from such service or
labor, but shall he delivered up on claim Of
the party to whom such service or labor
may be due"
And in the fourth section Of the fourth
article, it is provided that the United States
shall, OH the application of the Legislature
or the Executive of any one Of the States,
protect the same against domestic uiOlence-
an expression, if not exclusively referring 10
servile insurrectioD, undoubtedly selected
with special and emphatic reference TO it.
III 10 one of these four passages arc
slaves recognized as property. In the firs
three, where reference to them is direct
they are expressly designated as persons-
persons to lie Represented in Congress, no
! by themselves, but by the votes of thei
masters; persons held TO service or labo
to he delivered up on claim Of the party t.
whom sCcl service or labor might he due
Not only is there no recognition of slave
as property-not only are they constantly
referred to us persons, but IN every instance
they are so described that the engagement
contracted with relation to them might b.
applicable to persons other than slaves an,
this studious uniformity of languag,
: throughout the whole constitution coult
only arise from the determination to ex
clude from it any acknowledgment Of slav
cry, as forming component part Of tn,
supreme law OF the land.
1t was in this spirit OF mutual cOncessio,
and cancellation that the Constitution 9th,
United States was formed and adopted, ant
it is III this spirit that offer an amendmen
now before the committee. | will trespas!
no longer upon their indulgence, but vii
submit a few observations more on the
subject, when the bill shall he reported t
the House."