True American. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1835-18??, 1839-03-08

thai would seriously invite every consid
craze man IN the country solemnly to pause
and deliberately to reflect, not merely O,
our existing posture, but upon that dreadful
prec'p1ce down which they would hurry us
IL IS because these ulra: abolitionists have
ceased to employ the Instruments of rcaso,
and persuasion, having made their caus.
political, and have appealed to the balo
box, that am induced, upon this occasion
to address you.
There have been three epoclls in the his
tory OF our country at which the spirit O
abolition displayed ITSELF The first was i'm
medlately after the formation of the present
Federal Government. When the Consti
tuition was about going into operation, its
powers were not well understood by the
community at large, and remained to be &C.
curately interpreted and defined At that
period numerous abolition societies were
formed, comprising not merely the Society
Of Friends, but many other good men. Pc
1tIons were presented to Congress, praying
Tor the abolition of slavery. They were
received without serious opposition, REFER
ed, and reported upon by a committee
The report stated that the General Govern.
mcnt had no power to abolish slavery as it
existed i'll the several States, and that these
States themselves had exclusive jurisdiction
over the subject The report was generally
acquiesccd inland satisfaction and tranquilli-
ty ensued; the abolition societies thereafter
limiting their exertions, in respect to the
black population, to Offices of humanity
within the scope of existing law.
The next period when the subiec, of
slavery, and abolition incidentally, was
brought into notice and discussion, was that
on the memorable occasion ofthc admission
fthc State of Missouri into the Uniou.-
The struggle was long, strenuous, and fear
tui. 1t is too recent to make it necessary
to do more than merely advert to it, and to
say; that it was finally composed by one of
those compromises characteristic of ou1 in
slit,ltions, and of which the Constitution it.
selfis the most signal instance
The third is that in which we now find
ourselves. Various causes Mr. President.
have contributed to produce the existing
excitement on the Inject of abolition. The
principle one, perhaps, is the example of
British emancipation of the slaves in the is
lands adjacent to our country. Such is the
similarity in laws, in language, in the insti-
buttons, and in common origin, between
Great Britain and the United States. that
no great measure of national policy can be
adopted in the one country without produ-
cling a considerable degree of influence in
the other. Contounding the totally differ
ent cases together, of the powers of the
British Parliament and those of the Con-
gress of the United States, and the totally
different situations Of the British West In
dia islands, and the slaves in the sovereign
and Independent States ofthis Confcderacv
men have inferred from the I'M
decided British experiment the practicable
ty Of the abolition ofslavery in these States
The powers Of the British Parliament are
unlimitcd and are often described to be
omni potent The powers of the American
Congress, on the contrary, are few, cauti-
ously limited, scrupulously excluding all
that are not granted and, above all, care
fully and absolutely excluding all power
over the existence or continuance of slavery
in the several States. The slaves, too, upon
which British legislation operated, were not
in the bosom Of the kingdom, but in remote
and feeble colonies having no voice in Par
Lament. And whilst most fcrvently wish
success to the British experiment
Of West India emancipation, | conicsss that
have fearful torebodings of a disastrous de-
termination Oft. Whatever it NAV be,
think it must be admitted that, if the British
Parliament treated the West India slaves
as trcemen, it also treated the West India
treemen as slaves. If, instead of these slaves
being separated by a wide ocean from the
parent country three OF four millions of AT.
rican negro slaves had been dispersed over
England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, and
their owners had been members ofthe Brit
ish Pariament-a case which would have
presented some analogy to that of our own
any one believe that it would
have been expedient or practicable to have
them, leaving them to remain,
with all their embittered feelings, in the
United Kingdom, boundess as tile powers
ofthe British Parliament are!
Other causes have conspircd with the Brit
lsh example to produce the existing excite
mcnt from abolition. l say it with profound
regret, but with no intention to occasion H.
ritation here or elsewhere, that there are
persons in both parts ofthc Union who have
sought to ningle abolition with politics, and
to array one portion of the Union against
the other. 1t is the misfortune in free conn
tries that, i'll high party times, a disposition
too often prevails to seize hold Of every
thing which can strengthen the one side or
weaken the other. Charges of fosterino
abolition desi gns have been hecdlcssly and
unjustly made by one party against the 9TH
en- Prior to the late election OF the present
President of the United States, he was
charged with being an abolitionist, and abo-
lition designs were imputed to many of his
Much as was opposed to his
and am to his Administration
neither shared in making nor believing I he
truth of the charge. He was scarcely in
stalled in office before the same charge was
directed against those who opposed his ell
ection.
Mr.. President, it is not true and rejoice
that it is not true: that either of the two orea
parties in this country has any designs or
aim at abolition. should deeply lament
it if it were true. | should consider, if it
were true, that the danger to the stability
of our system would be infinitely greater
than any which does, hope, actually ex-
list. While neither party can be, think,
Justly accused of any abolition tendency
or purpose, both have profted, and both
have been injured, in particular localities,
by the accession or abstraction of abolition
support. 1.-THE account were fairly stated.
| believe the party tn which On, n,,,,,,al