Cheraw gazette and Pee Dee farmer. [volume] (Cheraw S.C.) 1838-1839, 1839-04-12

this city, or IN the city OF Georgetown, or ol
Alexandra, or to repeal the charters ofths
Incorporated companies within this District,
or otherwise to change, alter, or in any Wy
to affect the municipal institutions or intern.
al police of The District No man. I appre.
hend, will so allege. And why not! For
tho reason, sir, that the petitioners would
have no right or authority to intermeddle
with the local rights and interests OF an IN
dependent community--a commonly q
absolutely independent of the petitioners
in all the respects just mentioned, a. are the
municipalities of France? And as tie b.
s;i,ution of slavery in the Distris ofCoIum.
bia, as well as in the slave States, is, in all
respects, and to all in;en:s an purposes, lo-
cal in its character, Congress are no more
bound 10 entertain petitions from citizens q
the States, asking for it's abolition. than u
such petitions related to the municipal! ins:t.
tutions of foreign country. II Congress
would not be bound to receive petiioIs ID
the one case, they would not 10 the cher.
[ repeat, then, that whether Congress hs.s
the power to abolish slavery within The DIP.
irict Of Columbia, or not, it cannot be regsr.
ded as a denial Of the light of petition Tor
Congress TO rej CT petitions from citizsns OF
the States, praying for the exercise OF
such right, no. more than It would be for
them to reject petitions from the subjects Of
a foreign power, asking for similar acll1n.
Were the institution of sla very, in thepls.
trict ofColnmbia, general and national in its
character, instead Of being, as il is. strictly
md essentially local and municipal. then
would the citizens OF the S'a'es, gram, be
authorized 10 petition the National Legisft.
ture concerning it: and the National Legis.
lature. recognising the right OF petition.
wouJ be bound to receive such petitions, II
eouched in respectful language. But uH::
der our existing form ofgovcrnneB,, md
un Ter existing circumstances, Congress arc
not bound, and III truth have no legitimate
right, TO entertain petitions from individual
residing without the limits Of this District,
touching the abolition Of slavery, or any
other subject of a local or municipal char.
acter, affecting, merely, the citizens residing
within the District.
Such being my views, then, can but re.
gard those pethionars-residents OF the
States--prayirs Congress to abolish slavery
in the District Of Columbia, as gpil:y Of al
imperlinent and unvarrantable interference
with The rights, privileges, and interests Of
free and Independent cornmunity.--And 90
long. sir, as entertain my present opinions,
shall feel constrained 10 reprobate any ac.
lion on the par ofthe Congress which may
be calculated 10 give countenance and cd.
couragen,ent to such misclievous and an-
dacious interference. Sir, by receiving
these petitions, we tac'tly yield our assohf'so
acts Of aggression on the rights OF those
whom it Is our peculiar duty and provinces
to defend and protect. .,[..
lie, Congress promptly reject all petitions.
emanating from citizens of,he States. pray.
| ing for the abolition of slavery in tho Dis:
trict Of Columbia, and this eorroding att
vile spreading evil will be speedily arrested.
The halls of Congress, sir, have been con.
serted inIabolition laboratories, where 'h'sac'
cumula,ing mischiefis compounded and re.
fined, whore j, receives its point and poten.
cv, and whence tits Eliminated upon tie
country.
But ugain, sir, Congress have no eonsi.
tutona authority to abolish slavery in the
District of Columbia. ei:l,out tho consent
the slave owners. The constitution de-
clares "no person shall DO deprived 'cf hiS
property without due process oflaW |; and
that private prop shall net be taken for
public use without compcusation." An at.
tempt 10 render this language oflbe consti-
tuition more explicit or more emphatic II
any comments Of mine, could bu, BE- regard.
ed as reflection upon the intelligence OF
this house. If Congress cannot consti;u,
tionally take private property, except it be
for public use, and only then by making
compensation to the owners thereof, and
this is the only true and legitimate cons!ruc-
ton, by what authority can they wrcst from
citizens Of this District Their private proper.
ty? Such acts unqursionabiy would ts
without the shadow Of constitutional was.
rant. The advocates OF abo!itIonismst t1oE
fore, in order TO smrmouEt this conS
,ional impejment to lhsir schemes, must
show, in the first place, that the citizens os
the District Of Columbia con titu'e no par.
of the citizens of the United States; and, in
the second place, that slave properly Is no:
private property. Whenever they shall sue
cessfully do this, viii admit that the
American constitution affords no guarantee
agaius' the violation Of The rights ofproPerty.
and that Congress may, cons'itu;ionaliy,
absish slavery in the District OF Columbia,
without the consent Of the slave owners;
but not till then.
1.-The citizens OF this distric. may nave
one species fproperty arrested from them
by the high hand Of power, what security