The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1839-02-02
From The Friend of Man.
SPEECH OF ALVAN STEWART, ESD,
WIN. SCALES.
Lyndon, Jan. 10, 1889.
Before the Vermont Legislative Committee,
(Concluded.j

| DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.
| May ii please the Honorable Committee.
We will now look at slavery, in the District of
Columbia. This district has been a sort of ma
imagery, in which the grand experiment has
been tried for thirtyeight years, by the consent of
the nation, to see whether men can be converted
into beasts, or things, by putting them into the
same legal scale, annexing the same legal conse-
quenceS to their acts except where cruelty is to
be practised; there the punishments would, from
their variety, and rigour, assume that the Offend
ers were above men, yea, the compeers of angels
One would think the 200 years of slavery and
debasement on this continent of man, in the shape
of slave, period of sufficient length, to
settle the question: whether slaves could be learn
ed to walk on all tours, like the beasts, or not
But no, the grandeur of his celestial descent his
heavenly lineage, the capital of mind the slave re-
ceves direct from God, will forever make an i'm
FASHIONABLE gulph, between this noble, though a.
bused immortal, and the beasts which perish
10 suppose it necessary to make parade of
constitutional learning, to convince any man, who
feels and acknowledges the common import of
words and sentences is to suppose that nothing
can be made certain in the English language.
tits clearly expressed in the Constitution of the
U. s. that Congress has power given by the Con-
shtution, to 'legislae in all cases whatever over
the District Of Columbia" and therefore has
right to abolish slavery; the same right that it had
to establish it, because that Congress adopted it,
and therefore has right to abrogate it. To say
that Congress has not the power to abolish slavery
in the District, is crime against the English Ian
guage, as well as our common humanity. The
language is explicit beyond the most malignant
carpings of the most fendish criticism To say
it is contrary to the spirit of our Constitution, is
to say that the preamble to the Constitution is
false, which says "t was ordained for the purpose
of establishing jastice and liberty" 1t is as clear
as though it had been written, "Congress shall
have power to abolish slavery in the District of
Columbia" 1t is one of those cases where the
proposition is itself more clear, than any argu-
ment evidence, or illustration assumed as true, can
make it. "Clarius LUCE" more clear than light,
as the Roman orator once said Whoever I'M
derakes by other arguments than the text OF the
Constitution ITSELF to make it appear that Con-
gress has, and should exercise the abolition pow
er it possesses, for the benefit of 1000 persons,
would make the question more doubtful by words,
and might as we'll undertake to prove the exist
ence of the sun, by his light reflected from the
moon, rather than by his own shining in all the
glories of noon.
But many will assert it inexpedient to abolish
slavery in the District of Columbia, because the
STAKEHOLDER is opposed to it.
Shall we wait till the STAKEHOLDER is willing,
where the nation has the power? Shall we re-
verse the first principles of our government, and
allow the minority to rule, and commit crime,
when the majority should rule, and must be res
ponsible for all the wrong and misery which they
have power to prevent?
Is the friendship of wicked men and savehold-
ers more important to a majority of the nation
than an approving conscience, which is the voice
of God, and the opinion of good men all round
the world? If the free states refuse (havng the
power as they really possess it) to abolish slavery
in the District of Columbia, it becomes, truly the
sin of the North OF the free States and on us rests
the responsibility of every pain of mind or body,
which may be endured by these 1000 slaves, which
thew would not suffer, were they free; YEA more,
the horrid counenance we seem to lend to the
shareholders, in the states, where they as states,
claim to have the only power to abolish slavery
Yes, slavery may put forth very plausible de-
tense of the system, by saying that the North
without profit from slavery permit it to exist
when they have power to abolish it, therefore,
they of the North can not consider slaveholding
very wrong, or they would abolish it, where they
have the odium of its existence without the prof
it OF its continuance. Gentlemen of the commit
tee, we now come to the Legislature of Vermont
asking it with great respect, to embody and eX-
press to Congress the desire of this sovereign
state, that slavery should be Immediately and for
ever abolished in the District of Columbia Your
citizens of this state have besought you by their
petitions on this subject to lend suffering human
ty helping hand. l.