Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1839-02-21
NV No. 464.

unanimously opposed to it. II exists here in
! the mildest and most mtigated form
! In a population of 1884 there were, st
/ the last enumeration of the population Of
the United States, but 6,ll9 slaves. Tha
number has not probably much increased
since. They are dispersed over the ten
miles square, engaged 10 the quiet pursuits
Of husbandry, or in menial ofices in domestic
life. If it were necessary to the efficiency
of this place as a seat Of the General Gov
ernment to abolish slavery, which is utterly
denied, the abolition should be confined to
| the necessity which prompts il, that is, to the
| limits of the city of Washington itself Be-
yond those limits, persons concerned In tho
4 Government of the United States have no
more TO do with the inhabitants Of the Dis
trict than they have with the inhabitants OF
the adjacent counties Of Maryland and Vir;
| gina which lie beyond the District.
Il TO abolish slavery within the District OF
| Columbia whilst il remains in Virginia and
Maryla situated as that District is, within
the very heart Of those States, would expose
them TO greut practical Inconvenience and
ANNOYANCE. The District would become .
place of refuge and escape for fugitive slaves
from the two States, and place from which
spirit Of discomfort, INSTRUMENTATION, and
nsurrection might be fostered and encoura-
ged in the two States. Suppose, az was at
one time under consideration, Pennsylvania
had granted ten miles square within its limlts
| for the purpose of seat Of the General Gov
! ernmcnt: could Congress, without violation
! Of good fath, have introduced and established
SLAYER within the bosom Of that Common
wealth, in the ceded territory, after she had
abolished il so long ago as the year 1852,
! Yet the inconvenience to Pennsylvania in
1.-THE case supposed would have been much less
than that to Virginia and Maryland, in the
case we are arguing.
II II was upon this view Of tho subject that
the Senate at its last session, solemny de-
| clared that it would be violation Of implied
! faith, resulting from the transaction OF the
| cession. to abolish slavery within the DE-
| trct Of Columbia. And would II not be ?
| By implied faith is meant that when grant
| is made for one avowed md declared purpose.
know to the parties, the grant should not
! be perverted to another purpose, unavowed
and undeclared, and injurious to the grantor.
! The grant, in the case we are considering, OF
tho territory Of Columbia, was for seat cf
i Government. Whatever power is necessary
to accomplish that object is carried along by
| the grant. But the abolition of slavery 10 not
necessary TO the enjoyment OF this site as
seat of the General Government. The grant
| in the Constitution, of exclusive power OF
Legislation over the District, wns made to en-
! sure the exercise Of an exclusive authority
! Of the General Government to. render this
i place safe and secure soat Of Government,
and to promote the well being Of the inhabi-
tant. of the District. The power granted
r ought to be interpreted and exercised solely
I TO tho end for which it was granted. The
h language OF the grant was necessarily broad,
s comprehensive and exclusive, because all The
: exigepcies which might arise to render this
A a secure seat of the General Government
, could not have been foreseen and provided
for. The language may possibly be snfhcI-
, ently comprehensive to include power OF
abolition, but il would not at oil thence fol-
low that the power could be. rightfully exer-
cised. The case may be resembcd to that
Of plenipotentiary invested with P'enary
! power but who, at the same time has positive
| instructions from his Government as to tho
kind of treaty which he is to negotiate and
/ conclude. If he violates those instructions
! and concludes a different treaty, his Gov
ernment is not bound by it. And it the
! foreign Government is aware OF the violation,
it acts in bad faith. Or it may be illustrated
by an example drawn from private life. ] am
+, an endorscr for my friend OF note discoon-
. ted in the bank. lie applies to me to en-
I dorse another to renew it, which do IN
i blank. Now, this gives him power to make
| any other use Of my note which he pleases.
n But if, instead Of applying it to the intended
# purpose he goes to broker ana selis III
thereby doubling my responsibility for hun,
he commits breach oftrust, and violation
. of the good faith implied in the whole trans
oction.
Bot, Mr.. President, if this reasoning wero
: as erroneous as believe it 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 magnitude
to ugitate, distract, ard embt.er this Con-
lederacy?
The next case in which the petitioners ask
:, the exercise Of the power OF Congress, relates
to slavery in the Territory OF Florida.
Florida is the extreme southern portion OF
!, the United States. 1t is bounded on oil its
e land sides By slave States, and is several
: hundred miles from the nearest tree State
q |, almost extends within the tropics, aud tho
e nearest important island 10 it on the water
: side is Cuba, q slave island. This simple
: statement of it's geographical position should
Q of itself decide the question. When, by the
j treaty Of 1919 with Spain, it was ceded "a
" the United States, slavery existed within ~
Al By the terms Of that treaty, the effects and
l. property of the inhabitants are secured tt
10 Them, and they are allowed to remove and
p takc them away, if they think proper to Dc
80, without limitation ss to time. IL II were
d. cxpedient, therefore, to abolish slavery ~ u
tn it could not be done consistently with the
r. treaty, without granting TO the ancient IN
of habi,nnts a reasonable time to remove the''
Id slaves. But farther. by the compromise
,n which took place on the passage OF ii,e sc'
It's for the admission Of Missouri into the un,on'
ss in tho wear 1920, it was agreed and under,
m stood ,ha, the line Of 36 deg. 30 min. ot
el north latitude should mark the boundary oe-
ch tween the free States and the slave states
to bc created in the territories OF the United
bo states ceded by the treaty Of Loulslans
bc those situated south Of il being sloye States
,ol and those north of it FREQ Sta,es. But Flori
10 In i, south Of that line, aud, consequently
of according to the spirit Of the understanding
he which prevailed at the period alluded IL
o. should be q slave State. II may he true tina
SO the compromise does not in terms cmbrac
g. Florida, and it is not absolutely binding an
nj obligatory but all candid and impartial me
ut must agree thu, 1t ought no, to be disregard
in cd without tho most weighty consideration
cr and that nothing could be moro 10 be depr'
A