Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1840-01-02

err 1u,r THEY ARE SOW IY A MINORITY, WHICH is Is
A CONSTANT RELATIVE DIMISuTIoS, AND SHOULD Soi
CERTAINLY BE THE FIRST TO PUT FORTH HoLE VI
ACTION BY WHICH THEY Nooi'b hH 49,
LOSERS p 49,
This was the argument held forth IN terrorem to the
South to induce its silent acGucsccnce IN the seiecoh
of man thoroughly identified with the party IN the
North, arrayed, from the or Gun OF the
AGAINST State RIGHTS and all the principles OF the Re
nnblcan party calculated to maintain the compromises
the checks and balances of the Constitution, ana WIN
them the independence and domestic institutions Oh 'e
Southern section of the Union The colossal power -
which Mr. Clay made obatons IN the North ana soueh
rests was dssipaed by the union OF the Northern anu
Southern Dcmocracy-tlc natural allies TO whom VT
Jefferson has bequeathed his benedctIon. ana we
see in the tendency Of MIR. Adams opinions touchis
the rights of the South, what to be anticipated .o
success of Presidential candidate brought out unaer
tho auspices of the same Federal party, IN conhecoh
with the sect of which he is the representative IN oon
press and which has its origin IN PrnciPe d "u' WIN
the compromises of the Constitution
The letter of Mr.. Adams, which we annex SHOWS
the scope of that fraction OF the reagia pay
prevailed in the nomination OF PRESIDENTIAL eanaiaae
at the Harrisburg Convention and to which the SCUM
ern friends of MIR. Clay las IN the instance OF WI
Adams himself) have given in their adhesion WI.
Adams it will be seen, looks upon the legal owner OF
sIove claiming that ownership under the laws OF Cuba
"a f Snin as bayinr no right to assert 1t under those
laws nor to demand that the jurisdiction OF the naton
10 whom he belongs, and which are bound by treaty
to recoonse shall be asserted in regard to rghts orgi-
natinp Under IT, The fact that Cinquez-who was NM
self kidnapper and dealer IN slaves IN ms ""
was at some time the victim of his own traffic, ana
was sold az slave in Cuba, Mr. Adams insists, atlantis
with the guilt Of the first ransgessor all who acquired
by purchase right to his service in CUBA. II that
purchase was warranted by the laws OF the place "cte
il was made, und it is under their jurisdiction alone
that the question he tred) then the fact that the
original capture against the laws OF nations, or OF
the particular Government to which the claimant be-
lonrs would operate no more against ms tte imam
would the fact that the slaves in this country were de-
scendants of those who were the victims Of the slave
trade Mr. Adams, it would seem holds the doctrine
that this country is exonerated from its treaty stpua-
tons to surrender property and vessels taken from s
zcns of Spain by pirates and robbers and recapurea
US, upon new principle. he says tue negroes ma
rindicated their natural right 10 liberty by conspiracy IN
surrsction homicide andke capture Of the ship IN hich
hev ,oere em6arked and Of her cargo" Upon this he
assumes that il henceforth became thesr snip, having
killed the Captain and the crew TO whom It was entrus-
ed by its owner He insists that, when thrown upon
our shores with this bloody conquest in their hands,
with two white men "eaptircS to sMer tYty mas.
ters" the latter were entitled to "thc compassion,
.sunpathv" and justice, of "a ciriii=cd nation, "a
Christian land and ga Republic rererencing the rights
eff man But submit the whole letter to the read
er's perusal:
Letter from John Quincy 7dams respecting the captured
africans Of the .4mistad
"QulScY, 18th November, 1899
aDear Sir-The restitution of fugitive or rebeliious
slaves never can be claimed under any general stpula
ton for the restitution of property The treaty OF peace
concluded at Client did stpulae that the British forces
should evacuate all places in the United States, with
out carrying away slaves or other property Here, IN
the first place. was dclicery up The stipulation on
" was that they should not carry away; and IN the Sc
:ond place. although slaves recognised as property
vet is property Of peculiar character, which would
not be included under the general denomination, and
was therefore specially named Had they not been spc
.ialy named Great Britain never would have listened
or moment to claim of indemnity for carrying them
lway.
nIhe Africans of the Amistad were cast upon our
oast. in condition perhaps calamous as could be-
all human beings not by their own wlI-not with any
Intention hostile predatory on their part, not even Dy
he act OF God in the OF shpwrcck, but BY their
,wn ignorance of navigation and the deception OF one
If their oppressors whom they had ovepowered, and
whose lie they had spared to enable them by hs know
edge of navigation to reach their native land. Ihey
we're victims of the African slave trade recently i'm
ported into the island of Cuba in gross violation OF the
avs of the island and of Spain; and by acts winch our
wn laws have made pracy-punshable with death.
They had vndcaed their natural right to liberty 6y
irGc suyrecti0 homicide md Me capture Of The ship
}, rhch ticy cere cmJ0rhcdand " her cargo For this
CT Of homicide and capture they accused by the
mnqS and y% 9 them IN the SHIP
alne two Cuban Spanards, accessories after the fact
0 the slave trade piracy by which they had h.r',
roueht from Africa TO Cuba as their property, because
hev had bought them from the slave trade pirates.
They knew nothing Of the Constitution, laws or Ian
,uaGe of the country upon which they were thus
brown and accused az pirates and murdcrers, claimed
IS slaves of the very men who were then their cap
they were deprived OF the faculty OF speech
n their defence. This condition was sorey calami-
Gus; it claimed from the humanity of civilized ma
ion commission: it claimed from the brother love OF
Christian land svnpathy it claimed from Republic
protesting reverence for the lights of man justice;
md what have we done? naval officer OF the United
States seizes Them their ship and cargo, with them
selves; tramplcs the territorial jurisdiction OF the
State Of New York, by selling, disarming and send
ng on board their ship, without warrant OF arrest
eyera of them whom he found shorc releases their
,aptrcs admits the claim of the two captives to the
ty masters their slaves; and claims salvage Tor re-
storing them to scrvude. They then brought be-
fore court of the L. s. at upon the charge OF pr
-acy and murder, upon claim to them as slaves and
upon claim against their pretended masters Tor sal
wage, by kidnapping them again into slavery. Inc
Circuit Judge decides that the IT, 5 do not exercise the
right of all other civilized nations to try piracies COM
mted in foreign vessels that he thcrcupon cannot try
them for piracy or MURDER but that he district court
may try whether they slaves or not and us 1t IS
doubtful whether this trial will be held in Connecticut
or New York, and it must take time to ascertain IN
which, they shall in the time be held as slaves to
abide the issue Is this compassion? Is it synpatay
Is il iusticep But here the case stands.
Truly yours, J. G. ADAMS"
Extract of another letter.
81 it asserted in the newspapers that Governor
Ellsworth has offered his services aid the counsel of
those unfortunate men. Most cheerfully would fol-
low his example and offer mine, could indulge for
moment the hope that any service of mine would save
the lives Of those most distressed and most injured fell
low-men, and country from the deep damnaton OF
delivering them up TO the mercess revenge of their op-
pressors. J. z, a.
Under the principles recognised in this letter, it is
clear that if the slaves in Georgia. were, by conspiracy
insurrecon and homicide to destroy the greater part
OF the white population, and make the remnant cap
tives many black musters and if these latter pos
sessed themselves of their houses and property then
the captves would be "their captves, the houses
their houses, and the murderers would be entitled to
''the compassion, sympathy, and 'jrstce of "a civil
lized nation and so Christian land" and should any
s.eesr Of the United States ssiss them, their houses
their property acquired, deliver the white "caP
tives from their black masters" it would be an Of
fence against humanity, justice, and our Republican
nroEas These are the inevitable results of Mr.