The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1839-02-12

FROM VIZ a olsest of the acquisition Of the tsfn'o.
10 -. amer arse The part ofCongfess- S.aa-
~ tho District available, comionap's, IN sr.;
!. seat Of Government Of the Whole On, -
ahsr IL 10 govern the people within we Ds ..;,y
~ ~. 10 prosnote their happiness ana p "a l,
.,,hsss objects totally distinct IN ihem nass
,s,a,e,,pg and exercising the grant OF me Po~o'
s. l.y,sation, thai distinction should DC ooss'y
49, = mind Il ID ascsssary IN order 70 tenoei 'n's
~. comfortable ssat al ihs General oose1hhe =.
phal.h slavery within I,s iinns no one an =. ~"
ssa,.a .neh 4 proposition. The oovefnmen. mas TO
sosa - a.,r (orty wears without the slightest IN
mA'"o. , rom the presence OF domestic slavery
- nsres.ary 10 the wsll-belng OF the people " the
n.,,c, ,hat slavery should be abolished rom amo"g''
D''I The, not only neither ask nor DESIRE but are
mem .,,aously opposed to IT, Il exists here in the
49,, VA most mtigaied form. 10 population Of
on 4 there were the last enumeration Of The Fopu
I.ton OF the United States, but OLD slaves, Inc
number has not probably much increased since they
-, d.persed over the miles square, engaged IN the
an;o pursuits OF husbandry, in mental offices in do
nestle life n il necessary TO the efficiency OF
this place as scat Of the General Government 10 aoo
sh slavery which is utterly denied. The abolition should
he confined the necessv which prompts IT, that w.
10 the limits Of the city OF Washington itself Beyond
those limits. persons concerned IN the Government OF
the United States have more 10 do with me inhao
tsnts Of the District than they have with The inhabitants
OF the adjacent counties Of Maryland aud Virginia which
lie beyond the District
bia, whilst Il remains in Virginia and Maryland,
situated as that District is within the very heart OF
those States, would expose them TO great practical
Inconvenience and annoyance The District would
become place OF refuge aud escape for fugitive
slaves from the two States, and a place from which
spirit OF discomfort, characterization, and insurrec
ton might be fosered and encouraged in the two
States. Suppose, was at one time under conside-
ration Pennsylvania had granted ten miles square
within its limits for the purpose of a seat Of the &C.
neral Government: could Congress, withoat vio-
lation OF good faith, have introduced and established
slavery within the bosom of that Commonwealih, In
the ceded territory after she had abolished II so long
ago as the year 1901 Yet the inconvenience u
Pennsylvania In the case supposed would have been
much les, than that to Virginia and Maryland in the
case we are arguing
Il was upon this view Of the subject that the Sc
nate, at It's last session, soemnly declared that 1t
would be violation Of implied tailh, resulting from
the transaction of the cesion, 10 abolish slavery
within The District Of Columbia. And would il not
ba3 By implied filth Is meant that, when grant is
made ior one avowed and declared purpose, known
to the parties the grant should not be perverted to
another purpose unavowed and undeclared, and in
furious to the grantor The grant, in the case we
are considering, of the territory OF Columbia was
for seat of Goperament. Whatsoever power is ne
cessary TO accomplish that object Is carried along by
the grant But the abolition of slavery is not
sary to the enjoyment OF this site as seat of the
General Government. The grant IN the Constitu-
ton, of exclusive power of legislation the Dis
trict made 10 ensure the exercise Of an exclu-
sive authority of the General Government TO render
this place safe and secure seat of Government, and
10 promote the well being OF the inhabitants of the
District The power granted ought to be interpre-
ted and exercised solely 10 the end for which il
granted. The language of the grant was necessa-
ry broad, comprehensive and exclusive because all
the exigencies which might arise der this Sc
cure seat Of the General Government could not have
been foreseen aud provided for. The language may
possibly b. sufficiently comprehensive TO include
power OF abolition, but il would not al all thence fol-
low that the power could be rightfully exercised
The case may be reSembed to that Of plenipoten-
tiary Invested with plenary power but Who at the
same time, has positive instructions from his Co
verlment as TO the kind of treaty which he is to
goate and conclude, II he violates those instruc-
tions, and concludes different treaty. his Govern
ment is not bound BY it. And if the foreign Go
vernment Is aware of the violation, 1t acts in bad
faith. Or Il may BE- illustrated by example drawn
from private life. am an endorser for my friend on
note discounted in bank. He applies 10 me to en-
dorse aher to renew il, which do in blank Now,
this gives him power TO make any other use OF my
note which he pleases. But IT, instead OF applying
1t 70 the intended purpose, he goes 10 broker and
sells It, thereby doubling my responsibility for him,
he commits breach of trus' and violation of the
good faith implied in the whole transaction.
But Mr. President, il this reasoning were as
erroneous as believe il to be correct and conclusive,
is the affair Of the liberation Of six thousand negro
slaves In this District, disconnected with the three
millions Of slaves in the United States, of sufficient
magni,u oagate, distract and embitter this great
Confederacy
The mex case in which the petitioners ask the
exercise of the power of Congress relates 10 slavery
In the Territory Of Florida.
Florida Is the extreme southern portion of the
United States II is bound on all its land sides by
slave States and is several hundred miles from the
nearest free State. II almost extends within the
tropics, and the nearest important island to il on the
water side OF It Is Cuba, slave island This simple
statement OF its geographical position should Of il.
self decide the question When, by the treaty OF
1919 with Spain, 1t was coded to The United States,
slavery existed within it. BY The terms of thai
treaty. the etecs and properly Of the inhabitants are
secured to them, and they are allowed to remove
and take them away, if they think proper to do so,
without limitation as to time. If it were expedent
therefore, to abolish slavery in it, it could n be
done consistently with the treaty, without granting
to the ancient inhabitants reasonable time To re.
move their slaves. But further. By the conpro-
mise which took place the passage of the act for
the admission Of Missouri into the Union, in The
year $50 was agreed and understood thai the line
OF SO deg 80 min. OF north Latitude should mark the
boundary between the free States and the slave
States to be created in the territories OF The United
81 lies cedcd BY the treaty Of louisiana those stu
ated south OF Il being slave States and those north
oil Il Tree States. But Florida is south of that line
ana, consequently, according to the spirit OF the
understanding which prevailed at the period alluded
to, should be slave State Ii NAV be true Thai The
compromise does not IN terms embrace Florida and
that Is not absolutely binding and Obligatory bnt
all candid and impartial men mus apree "a !,
ought not to be dsregarded without the most wei
considerations and that nothing could be more IL he
deprecated than to open anew The bleeding wounds
which were happily bound up and healed by thai
compromise. Florida is'lhe only remaining Terri.
tory TO be admitted into the Union with the nstitn
ton OF domestic slavery, while Wisconsin and Iowa
are now nearly ripe for admission without it,
The next instance in which the exercise of the
power OF Congress Is solicited is that Of prohibiting
what Is denomnated by the petitioners the slave-
trade between the Staes or described in abo-
lilion petitions, the traffic In human beings between
the States. This exercise of the power OF Congress
IS claimed under the clause of the Constitution which
invests il with authority to regulate commerce with
foreign nations, and among The several States and
with the Indian tribes. The power to regulate com
merce among the several States like other powers In
the Constitution, has hitherto remained dorma 1t In
respect 70 the inferior Trade hx land bel u cen lie