The Charlotte journal. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1835-1851, 1836-04-22


be liberated, and the Constitution never gives Con.
gress The power to act upon any subject, without,
al tue same time, furnishing the means for lis ac-
comPlishment. To iherate slaves is not taking
Tor public use 1t is declaring that neither indi.
Wduas nor the public shall use them. ] will not
weaken the honorable members argument by 20
ing over it.
This District was intended as the place where
the great business Of the nation should be trans.
acted Tor the good Of the whole. Congress, under
the Constitution is placed here to legislate upon
those subjects enumerated and specified in the
Constitution, that we might be able to protect our
selves, and the officers residing here, and be out OF
the reach of the laws of any State. 1t was never
intended that we should have any local legislation,
except such as would meet the wants and wishes
OF the People residing within the ten mile square
we should never permit this place to be convert
ed into political workshop, where plans would be
devised, or carried into operation, that will have
the effect of DESTROYING the interest of any of the
States.
Members of Congress, executive and judicial
officers were TO come from any and every section
of the Union, from the slayeholdng and the non-
slayeholding States, and their property was ts be
as secure here, IN this ten miles square, it was
in the States from which they respectively came.
They would bring their habits and their domestic
servants with them; those from the none.save-
holding States their hired servants and those from
the slaveholding States their slaves. And who
can believe it was intended to vest the power in
Congress TO liberate them if brought within the
District
i Again: the right of property in slaves in the
States Is sacred and beyond the power Of Congress
to interfere WITH in any respect; yet if it be con-
ceded that we have the power to lilerate them in
the District we can as effectually ruin the owners
as If we had the power TO lIberatc slaves in the
States. By abolishing slavery here, We not only
make place of refuge for runaways, but we pro-
duee a spirit of discomfort and rebellion in the
minds Of slaves in the nelghboring States, which
will soon spread over ALL and which cannot fail to
compel owners - destroy their own slaves, to pre-
serve their own lives and those of their wives and
children, | beseech gentlemen TO look at this
matter II is. Take for Illustration the case Of
a small planter in Mississippi, living on his own
land with thirty slaves to cultivate it. Suddenly
is discovered that half of them are concern
ed in plot TO destroy the lives of their master, his
family, and nelghbors, with view to produce their
freedom, and Immediately, with or without law,
they are tucked up and hanged The man is thus
deprived Of his property without any chance tor
an indemnity, besides the dsqulet and anxiety OF
mind occasloned by loss of confidence in his re-
naming slaves. 1t cannot have been intended
that Congress, by acting on this subject, should
have power thus to occasion destruction OF slave
property
To me it seems that we ought to treat these pc
tltions precisely as we would do ifthey prayed u
TO abolish slavery in one Of Tie States, We have
no more power to abolish it here than we have
there. think, in either case, we ought TO refuse
10 receive them. hold that ifthe petitioners ask
us to do that which we have no power to do, or TO
do that which will he productive ola great and last
ing mischief, we not only have the right, but that
It is our dHtg to refuse to receive them.
By the Constitution, no man can be held to an
swer for criminal charge but by presentment or
Indictment. Suppose petition presented here,
alleging that some citizen in the District had been
guilty Of crime, and that he was so influential
that he could not he reached BY the ordinary forms
of law in court and therefore we are asked to pass
bill of attaiuder; ought we to receive the petition
Suppose petition 10 ask US TO pass law to pro-
hibit any member OF this body from making a
speech against the prayer of the petitioners, would
we receive il 2 Suppose petition to be offered
asking lis to establish particular religion in this
District, or to prohibit any publication in d news
paper on the subject OF aboshing slavery, unless
it was previously approved of by a committee
would we, ought we, to receive any such petition /!
| think, most certainly, we ought not. But sup
pose we have the power, is there any Senator who
believes we ought 10 exercise it, / trust not
Those who urge the reception Of this petition,
which is from the Society OF Friends, have spoken
most highly of the petitioners and the class of clt-
zens to which they belong. In all this | cheerful
" concur. These particular persons are strangers
to me. doubt not the purity OF their motives :;
the sect TO which they belong is worthy of all the
encomums passed upon ii. | respect and esteem
them most highly, and do not feel that IN my COM
! position there is particle OF unklndness towards
| them; but | think they would have US do that
| which we have 10 power to do, and If we had the
power, by exercising it, should do infinite mis-
chief. This theS. petitioners do not desire. They
have discharged what they think is their duty by
having Their petitions presented; only discharge
mine, when say, consistently with what feel 10
be my duty, | cannot receive them.
! But it is further insisted that the right of Pc
ttion is sacred one, that it belongs to the nature
! of free government, and existed before the torma-
| ton of our Constitution, and that instrument did
not gtre the night 10 petition, but intended only to
secure it, This is sound doctrine, and has nv
| hearty assent. The People are sovereign men,
bers their agents or servants they have right
to make known their grievances, real or magma
| ry We can pass no tGtr, we can make no rule TO
abridge or destroy that right. But what do gen.
tlemen mean when they speak of the right oF pc
| titon Do they mean that, when the petition is
| presented we must receive il, and do that which
is PRAYED for No. Not one member contended
for this so far from it, they say, that if the Ian.
guage of the petitioner is diSresptcfulto the body
or to any member Of it, we may and ought to refuse
10 rccere il.
| Hsw is this | beg that we may reflect seri-
ously upon this matter We are about to estab.
fish doctrine to which can never yield my as
sent. Are we TO be exalted above our employers
Is our dignity to be of higher consideration than