Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1839-08-02
MIR. ADAMS ON ABOLITION.

|
letters on the subject of slavery. His
second letter is devoted to the question oil
immediate abolition, from which we make
the following extract. It will, we are per.
suaded, be read with interest.
| The whole undertaking Of the Colooj.
cation Society to establish colonies of free
negroes on the coast OF Africa, to disbur.
den thus continent from the load of its
colored population, has, from its irst ncep.
ton, appeared to me a visionary and utterly
lmpract'cabIe though BENEVOLENT project
And. IN assigning TO you, friends and fe.
low. citizens, the reasons upon which |
! have declared myself not prepared to vote
for the immediate abolition of slavery in
the District Of Columbia, must frankly
acknowledge that one of my decisive rea
sons against 1t s the same winch has de-.
TERED me from ever giving any aid or
counlenance TO the Colonization Sucietv-
It's impractlcablily.
The immediate abolition of slavery in
the District Of Columbia Is utterly imprac.
ticabie.
FIRST, because the public opinion through
out the Union is against It. This public
| opinion throughout all the slave States is
unanimous, or so nearly so that no one
dares to avow an opinion favorable to the
measure. No member of Congress from
any one Of the States where slavery Is
established would dare to vote for il. nor
could he return with safety to his person
among his constituents if he should.
nor Is the public opinion, IN any one Of
the n'slavehold'ng States, with the Dos
slb|e exception of Vermont, favorable to j,
The party of the present Administration
are universally against it. if not IN opinion,
at least IN action. Al the strength of Mr..
VAN buren, IN the South rests exclusively
opon the pledges tina, he has gwen aealns,
his particular measure. A his friends in
he North must and do sustain him in it
The AboIitIonsts are yet a small, and, I
lament to say. most unjus,y prosecuted
party in all the free States. 1t is their
martyr age. and as they are in great
measure actuated by religious prlnciple
'hey suffer with the spirit of lyTd'jm-
an invInclbe but necessarily an unSuccess
lul principle. lnasmuch as success leaves il
no scope tor action.
The immediate abolition of slavery
therefore, in the District of Columbia is
NJ more in the power of any member of
Congress 10 effect than the immediate
abolition OF polygamy at Consran,Inoplp,
or ne immediate abolition of widow burn.
ing IN H'ndostan; and if it were possible
even to introduce into the House of Reo.
Tesen'a'lves bill to that effect, shout
vote against it so long as should know it
10 be not only unwelcome, but odlous, to a,
east tour fflhs of the People throughout
the Union.
In special manner should be opposed
10 the enactment Of law TO operate ex
cluslvely upon the people of the District of
Columbia, against the will of that people,
ana ~ compance with petitions from per-
sons not TO be affected themselves by the
law. This is contrary to the frs, prnci.
pies OF our institutions. The Declara,,on
OF independence derives all the just powers
OF government from the consent of the
governed. When The People are repre-.
scented in the Legislative Assembly, the
consent OF the whole must be inferred from
the voice o: the representative majority.
but when the People are 10 be bound nv
laws emanatlng from legislative assembly
wherein they have no REPRESENTATIVES. their
will must be ascerlalned by manifestations
from themselves. Now it is certain tina, a
great majority of the Inhabitants of the
District are utterly averse to the abolition
of slavery among them by law. and would
consider 1t as an unconstitutional violation
of their rights of property. | hold the
opinion that one human being cannot he
made the property of another. That per.
sons and things are, by the laws of Nature
and Of Natures God, so distinct that no
human laws can transform either into the
other. But this is not the opinion of the
people OF the District of Columbia; and in
the enactment Of laws to bear exclusively
upon them, and not upon myself or nv
immediate constituents, must be governed
by their will and not by my own.
These TWO reasons-the impracticablitv
OF accomplishing by law measure of tran.
scendent importance against The public
opinion OF four. fif his OF the nation, and the
injustice of enacting law against the will
OF those upon whom it is to bear, and at
the will of others upon whom it is not to
operate at all-have been, and will con.
tlnue to be, decisive with me against any
proposal in Congress, for the Immediate
abolition Of slavery in the District of CO.
umbla. Either of them would, if alone,
bring me to the same conclusion.
And indeed, these have been among the
reasons of my anxious desire that your
petitions, particularly for this measure,
should not only be received by The House,
but deliberately considered; referred to
The Committee for the District of Column
bia, or to a select committee; reported
upon, and free y discussed by the House.
! have believed and still believe, that, fer
such full and free discussion. any bill for
he immediate abolition Of slavery in the
District of Columbia, should a committee
even report such bill, would be rejected
in the house by majority of at least four
to one; and ! have hoped that, if not ALL
great multItudes Of you would, in the re-.