Rutland herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1823-1847, 1836-04-12

fntur It IN the D,sluct of COLUMBIA
Nat. or. have ano,he, suibotity on this subject.
1 return from the valley cfIhc Mississippi to this
District, and, looking into he L. States Telegraph
II the Alb OF September lssi, ! fad the following;
Spcakinr 10 the name Of ,be Southern people. the
Editor save:
I'VE hold iha, our sole reliance is on ourselves
that VIC have most to fear frnm he GRADUAL opera
iion On pubic opinion amorg ourselves. aud that
those are the most insdiuis md dangerous in'a-
daers OF oar right and interests, who coming TO Us
N The ruise 81 friendship e'deavor to persuade Us
thar slavery IA Elm. core, an evil. II II not
true that the South sleeps On solcHno-;hat "e
afraid 10 60 10 bed u, ,ight-ihai Ne are tear
ul of murder and wllsce. Or greatest cause OF
apprehension II, from the operation OF the m"rhid
sensbilIy which appeals o thc cursicHces at "ur
oNn people ard wuut 1,tc them tbe VOLUNTARY
instruments Of their own tiln.'
So, thcu. the fears a. not Of instruction,
but of oonaeac- bot q the phy-Ica. force of
the slave but Of tho po,er II public opa'o"
Need !, Mr. Speaker, repcai The expression of
ny siCccfe ccn,ictIon that the fears Ga pressed by
gentlemen 90 th.s floor se groundcss Aud is
II not apparent. that TIE true ground OF fear on
tins subiesi Is to be found IN a continuance Of the
OZARK aud growing e," 50 we'll descdbcd by the
eloquent South Catciuiau," To which our ujtcn-
ton has beer directed Permit me to add in the
language of the R'chmo,d enquirer, in the arli.
Gle have read, that 'our w,sest men cannot give
too much attention to this subject, nor can they
give 1t too soon"
But there II another objection sometlmes urged
against leglsintlng the subject T sla,ery which
must not be over looked IN this discussion. Every
attempt to disturb the existing relation of mast, 7
and slave IT IL said tends to disturb The balance otthe
Constitution, inasmuch as IT was among the CON.
promises which entered ln'o the formation 81 that
instrument, lha, three iths Of the slaves should be
| represented in this body.
Now sir, IN the first place let it be observed
that we are not asked to legslaie the abolition
of slavery IN Virginia or s. Carolina, but in the
district of Columbus; aid that our legislation
dIsturbs the balance Of the Constitution only by
the influence of its example on the slayehoding
States.
In the second place, contend that just exer-
else Of all the powers grated in The Constitution
disturb its true balance, but is itself the
preservation of that balan.e.
IL the Constitution authorizes Congress to abol-
ish Slavery in the Dstrc OF Columbia, aud the
tendency of the exercise &C that power should be
to abolish slavery in the Slave States and thus
duce their representation this body, it is con
| sItutiona result Of which no State has right to
complain. As well might we complain of the abo-
liiion of Slavery in the West India Islands by
Great Britain, because It's tendency is TO produce
Congress IN the one case nor Great Britain, in the
other is under any responsibility for the conse-
! guences of q rightul exercise of power-I mean a
responsibility to The constitution in one case, and
the Law Of Naliois in the other.
But SIR the balance oflhe Constitution is already
dis urbed IN the other direction. When the Constl-
tuition adopted, the Mississippi on the west
and Florida on tn. south formed the limits of the
Confcderated Republic. For any thing conlem-
plat, d in the Contution, these boundaries formed
mpasfnble limits. beyond which a slave popula-
ton could not brig into Congress representation
upon that bassis The purchases of Louisiana
and Florida has added two additional slave States:
aud will probably ere long, add two more. And
do gentlemen reflect how much this has disturbed
the balance of thu Constitution
But this is not all. The balance, in point OF
fact, has been disturbed, and mus. be more so by
the great relative increase of the slave population
oi the South, and the diminution, almost the ex-
tincilon, oft al the North. And although this
is not, OF course, an unconstitutional increase, yet
IL is obvious that the enormous and alarming re-
laive Increase the slave population, compared
WIN tHtt OF tB WINES, was not within The
| contemplation OF the men who formed the Cohsti.
tuition.
Thus in the fur Atlantic States South of the
! Potomac, the increase Of the whites from 1890 10
| 1881 was 81 per cent: while that of the slaves
"as during the same period 1876 per cent In s.
sarolina Tie dIsproportIon was still greater the
increase olthe whites during the same period hay
ing been 81 per cent. while that of the slaves was
1914 per cent.
To what results. Mr. Speaker, are the principles
which produce such dsproportiona.e increase Of
/ population % lead as What will, IN the pro.
/ gress offfy yeais, become of the balance of the
/ Constitution These Yoe-,.~.- .I..sL IsspI,
concern he five States.
Bat there is another question which comes home to h
Save sistes with trench ous and appalling interest,"
What will be thou conIiuol hall ury hcncc,in
terence 20 this subject That period wi, roll away;an,
the principles which govern the advance 'of the slav
p"Pu ati"n viii continue 10 oprate Anl yet genhomeI
say, "han1s of Jet as alone "Ne VIII leave II 10 gu
cnHiren. BOD 0ur grand cll ire and great gran,
rhlre', to 'ao -a-e Of themselves an 10 brave lh
! s'pr1i."
ta'' srl F pursue Ihis TRAIN Oh though no IHrhrr
leave %, Hn' vI.hu .nr subject which IRE House h"
20 siae.t indulge! me- lG ii-cus-
/ Deeply convinced or; that tbe pe'''ionrr have
ri-ht To- ass ~ TO sb.in" sas'y aDt tle sieve tTi-
within tils Di,tnc euI t-f Ve hove o." "1.H tHH oh
N.U -