Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1840-03-10
POLITICAL.
(From The Lo"isrii, (ky.J .9icert,ser, FEB. 25.J
KENTUCKY LEGISLATURE.
House Of Representatives,, Saturday, Feb. 20


House of Representatives,. Saturday, Feb. %.
ABOLITION.
After a motion TO adjourn had been made, C"lon"
Thomas MARSHALL, Of Lewis begged that II might be
withdrawn, to give him an opportunity to oher IRE
smble and Resolutions the subject OF Abolition
The motion was accordingly withdrawn, and Col. u
sent to the Clerks table the documsnt 70 which he re-
farred, remarking that, as il late, and the House
anxious to adjourn, he willing 10 dispense WITH the
reading of it until Monday. The preamble and reso
luons having been received, the motion to ADJOURN was
renewed and carried
Monday, FEB. 1.-THE preamble aud resolutions OF
Mr. r. Marshall taken up, and read as follows:
Whereas, vital interest 10 Kentucky, and Other
States in the South and West, having been systema
cay and boldly assailed il is deemed the duty Of the
General Assembly of this Commonwealth 10 express
the sentiments of It's members and their constituents
on the subject. Session after session the National
Legislature has been annoyed with petitions for the
Abolition of slavery in the District of Columbia and
for the suppression of the slave trade between the CT
tzens of the States Of this Union. Much of the time
of Congress has been consumed, in attempts TO dispose
satisfactorily of question, which is mrnacing the
peace of the slaveholdng States, and producing feel
mos of bitterness between different sections othe Con-
iederacy OF the present session, weeks were con-
sumcd before the friends Of the institutions of the South
succeeded in excluding from the House petitions pray
inr Congress for the Abolition of slavery the Dis
trct Of Columbia ''and The prohibition OF ,raihc IN
slaves between the several States. These are but 50
many masked batteries c1nccaiing the real and uIt.-
mate pom, of attack That point ci attack IS the in
stuton of slavery, It exists IN these States $40
llbcrate three millions OF slaves, thousands OF snce-
ties have been formed, whose number and strength are
rap;dly increasing and their members ''woud hunt
down and prescribe from the pale of civilized society
the inhabitants Of the slavciIolding States
In the District of Columbia there only about six
thousan nd slaves and cannot be, that the energies OF
the Abolition Societies are dreccd,to no other object
than the emancipation of so small portion OF the slave
population Of the country. They openly assail slavery
in the District because lis population lnc"nsderabl"
and the exclusive legislation ccded 10 Congress over Il
afTris plausible pre;rxt for assumption of Powc'
on the part Of that body to cxtirpae slavery there
However broad the language Of the Constitution may
be- prudence and the state Of public feeling forbid thai
Congress should "the very questionable powe
O: abolshing it. without the of the people whose
interests would be immediately and directly affected by
the measure" We maintain that the question is 'oEe
in which exterior influence or interest can justly IN
tcrere the continued agitation Of "hy those
who have right to interfere with it has an injurious
influence the peace and tranquility of the commu
nity, and tha, il is " a subject fraught with the mos
direful consequences.
"The object of the cesson of the District of Co.
lumba to establish ssat IF Government Of tht
United States, and the grant III the Constitution, OF ex
elusive legislation, must be Understood, and should al
ways be interpreted, having relation to the object
the cession TO abolish slavery in the Di trct "worlC
be violation Of the implied faith, resulting from the
TRANSACTIONS OF the ccsson.'
Slavery is fully recognized by the Constitution
Three tihs os the slaves OF the nation enter into tho
enumeration under each census and form part OF the
basis OF representation in the popular branch or Con
grsss. Power N Congress to lcgslatr slavery wa:
not, OF course, necessary to the plan n Ia" Union. -
from II, it was with which ia, Genera, Go
yernment could not be invested without planting in il
the seeds OF certain destruction.
The slaves of the country cannot be mannmittcd By
Congress, because such measure would violate tho
Constitution. break the pan of
agreed by the trainers OF that instrument, and, in
effect, remodel the Governments change could
not approve even ii TO be consented to by every
STAKEHOLDER in the Unon-onc which the slaveholdinr
States could not consttntonally effect were they SC
disposed CONF inccd of the rSctim,lc of these posi-
tons, We should be false III allegiance to the Go
vernment, were to hesitate to assert that s'Abol
ton should no longer be regarded rs an imaginary dan
ger II ssarrlying portion against another por
ton of the Union. With that vew III all their leading
prints and publications. the alleged horrors of slavery
are depicted in the most glowing and exaggerated co
lors excite the mag inatnn and stimulate the rage
of the people Of the free States against the people of the
slavc States By their bold and systematic action,
and Of Congress- the Abolitonsts have shown tha
they ''rcsovcd 10 prrsevcrc in the pursuit OF then
object at all hazards and without regard to any
consequences, however ciiamitnus they may be-
With them the rights Of property nothing; the de.
fciency in the power cG the General Government is
~othing the acknowledged and ncontestab!c powers
ut W States are nothing: civil war, dissolution q
'lie I"'o, md the overthrow of Government in
VINE" are e""ee'.;,ted the proa,ist hopes oile civil
zed world, are nothing. \ sipv,, lido, h,s Ion ro..
Gession of their minds, and I'd ,hc. nnr.,o i
looking all barriers, reckless, and re-. a. i,s 81
sequences. With this class the immediate aholI,;.n ri
slavery in the District of Columbia, and IN the Terri
tory of Florida, the prohibition of the removal slaves
from State to State and the refusal 10 admit any new
State, comprising within its limits the institution Of
domestic slavery, are bu; of conducting
10 the accomplishment Of the ultimate but pcrilous
end, at which they avowedy and boldly aim; are bu;
so many short stages in the long and bloody road
10 the distant goal at which they would finally
arrive. Their purpose abolition universal abolition
peaceably if they can, forcbly if they must. Utterly
destitute of Constitutional and other rightfu power,
living in totally distinct communities, alien to the
communities in which the subject which they would
operate resides, if they lived in Africa Asia,
they nevertheless promugate to the world their pur-
pose to be TO manunt, forthwith, without compensa-
ton, and without moral preparation, three millions of
slaves, under jurisdictions altogether separated from
those under which they live
BY artifce not every where understood they have
msled thousands. "By blending with the object they
have in view collateral and totally different question,
arising out of an alleged violation Of the right Of petit
ton and by selling hold of the fact ofthe treatment
which their petitions have received in Congress- they
have made injurious impressions on large portion
OF the community
Though no s'power whatever granted to the Ge
aesal GoyeImen. in respect 10 domestic slavery, but