Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, IA [i.e. Ind.]) 1839-1854, 1839-02-23

the last enumeration of the United States, but r
OILS slaves The number has not probably 9
much increased since. They are dispersed over c
the ten miles square, engaged in the quiet pur Ia
suits OF husbandry, mental offices IN do :,
mestlc life. If it were necessary to the efficien-
cy OF this place a of general gov eminent
to abolish slavery, which is utterly denied, then
abolition should be confined to the necessity
which prompts 1t, that Is, TO the limits of the
city OF Washington itself Beyond those limits, Il
persons concerned in the government of the u |,
nited States have no more to do with the inhabi-
tan's Of the District than they have with the in
habItants of the ad accent counties of Mary
land ana Virginia which lie beyond the District
To abolish slavery within tho District of Co
iumba. whilst ii remains IN Virginia and Mary
land situated as tha, District is, within the very |
heart of those states, would expose them /
TO great inconvenience and annoyance. The |
Dsstric: would become a place of for I
refuge and escape for fugative slaves from the I
two states, and place from which spirit of dis
content, INSTRUMENTATION, and insurrectIon might
be fostered and encouraged in the two states
Suppose, a, one time under consideration
Pennsy wanna had granted ten miles square with
IN It's limits for the purpose of seat of the Gen
eral government: could Congress, without vio
lation of good faith, have introduced estab-
/ llshed slavery within the bosom of that Common
wealth, after she had abolished it long ago
the year 1850? Yet the Inconvenience of Peun-
sylvania in the case supposed would have been
much less than that to Virginia and Maryland in
the arguing.
/ 1t was upon this view of the subject that the
Senate, its last session, solemnly declared that
1t would be violation of implied faith, resulting
from the transaction of the session, to abolish
slavery within the District Of Columbia. And
would it not be? By implied faith is meant that
when u grant Is made for avowed and de-
clared purpose, known to the parties, the grant
should not be perverted to another purpose,
vowed and undeclared, and IN urious to the gran
tor. The grant, in the case we are considering,
of the territory of Columbia, for a seat of
government. Whatever power is necessary to
compllsh that object is carried along by the
grant But the abolition of slavery is not
!, cessary to the enjoyment of this site seat
Dt the general government. The grant in the
Constitution, of exclusive power of legislation
over the District, made to the exer-
else OF exclusive authority of the general gov
eminent to render this place safe and secure
seat of government, and to promote the well-be-
ing of the inhabitants of the District. The pow
er granted ought to be interpreted and exercised
solely to the end for which it granted. The
: language OF tho grant was necessarily broad,
cora--ehensi..- 80 -o',-i,o te-.-..e ali the ex
i igencies which might arise to render -
3 cure seat of the general government could not
n have been foreseen and provided for. Tho Ian
n guage may possibly be sufficiently comprehen-
}. sve to include pswer of abolition, but II would
not at all thence follow that the power could be
J. rphtfully exercised. The may be resem
t plenary power, but who, at the same tIme hat
3 positive instructions FROM his government &c
j. the kind Of treaty which he IS to negotiate ant
conclude. Ifhe violates these instructions, ant
n concludes different treaty, his government is
V not bound by it. And If the foreign govern
& ment is aware of the violation, il acts in bae
" faith Orit may be illustrated by examp!,
h drawn from private life. l am an endorser 70
r nv friend on a note discounted in bank. He ap
n plies TO to indorse an other to renew il, whic
IS | do in blank. Now. this gives him power
ID make anv other use of my note whch he peases
h But if,insead Of applying il TO the intended pun
r pose, he goes to broker and sells II, thereb
/, doubling my responsibility for him, he cornmi;
breach of trust, and the violation of the goo
,e faith implied in the whole transaction.
IS But. Mr. President, if this reasonin
,e were as erroneous as believe it be correct
to conclusive is the affair Of the liberation Of 81
ne thousand negro slaves in this District, disconne'
,e ted with the three millions of slaves In the I'm
ted States, sufficient magnitude to agtate, di
es tract, and embitter this great contedracy-
en- The next in which the petitioners ask tn
ar exercise of the power OF Congress, relates
ne slavery in the territory of Florida
Florida is the extreme southern point OF III
he United States. II is bounded all It's land side
Of BY slave States, and Is several hundred male
7s- from the nearest free State. 1t almost extent
he within the topics, and the nearest important
on land to it on the water side is Cuba, a slave !
nd land This simple statement of its geograph
on cal position should of itself decide the question
ill When by the treaty of ISIS with Spain, 1t VIZ
,at coded to the United States, slavery existed wit
mt in it. By the terms Of that treaty, the effec
of of the inhabitants secured to them. and the
led allowed to remove and take them away. if the
TO think proper to do SO, without limitation as
i it the time- If it were exPedient, therefore, to
led bolish slavery in il, could not be done cons
led tentlv with the treaty, without granting TO ii
1e, ancient inhabitants reasonable time TO remo
ed. their slaves. But further. By the CONFRONT
cir which took place the passage of the act
o,- the admission of Missouri into the Union, IN Il
,er wear 1920, it was agreed and understood tn
.ii- the line of 36 deg. 80 min. of north l.titu
,ch should mark the boundary between the fir
states and the slave states to be created in Il
on territories Of the United States ceded by Il
ISL treaty of louisiana those situated South OF
the being slave states, and those north of it fr
the states. But Florida IS south of that line. ar
mt. consequently, according to the spirit of the u
On Outstanding which prevailed at the period all
)is- ded to- should be a slave state. l. may be II
md that the compromise does no, in terms embra
in Florida, and that it is not absolutely binding
ing obligatory; but all candid and impartial m
IL. -. IL H. "A