Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1843-04-07
ny A WING OF ONO.
NJJATRER VI,

bers made some allusion to the manner in
which the people of the free States have
been involved in the pecunary expense OF
slavery, will now proceed to examine some
of the instances in which we have been in
volved in the moral guilt of that institution.
BY act of Congress, approved February
~, 1901, slavery and the slave trade in the
District Of Columbia we're re-estabished and
continued. As some diversity of opinion
exists in regard TO the power of Congress
over the subject of slavery in that District,
it may be well to remark, that the States of
Maryland and Virginia, by deeds OF cession
bearing date in 1900, conveyed the territory
embraced within the District of Columbia
to the United States. These deeds of ces
SION each contained clause providing that
the State laws should continue in force with
in the territory coded, until Congress should
accept the grant Congress accepted the
grant, and, from that instant the State laws
ceased to have any force or effect within the
territory. 1t then came under the control of
another sovereignty, and, of course, all for
mer laws must cease. When speak of for
mcr State laws, | refer to all statute or mu-
nicipdl laws, including the laws of descent
anu anu lliC laws ioi thC SOiiCN-
ton Of debts and Furnishing crimes, as well
as the laws Of slavery and the slave trade
All these ceased to exist the moment Con-
gress accepted the grants. From that time
to this, there has been no municipal law IN
existence within said District except acts Of
Congress. In order that the people within
the District should suffer no inconvenience
for the want of laws, Congress passed the
act above referred to. By this law, the stat
utes formerly in force were re-enacted, and
became the ta,oS of Congress, aud have been
in force since that time. In this way slave
ry was re-estabished, and by virtue of this
act of Congress, the slave trade is now con-
tinued in the city that bears the name of
WASHINGTON. Repeal that act Of Congress,
and the slave trade will instantly be abolish
ed aud slavery will be done away forever
Congress refuses to repeal this Law of their
own erecting and by such refusal uphotdS
the slave trade, with all its horrors, and its
attendant guilt. By virtue of this law, pa
rents are separated from their children, hus-
bands from their wives, brothers from their
sisters, and chained to the collie, or placed
on hoard the slave ships, are destined FOR a
southern market. By virtue of this law of
Congress, all the ties of domestic life are
severed by the mercenary trader in human
flesh Here the father, in the presence of
his wife and children, has been known to
lay violent hands upon himself, and rush in
to the presence of his God, rather than meet
the horrors of separation about to be in
ficted upon him, under the sanction of the
Congressional slaue trade. Here within the
walls of the prison, erected by funds drawn
from the people Of the free States, the moth
er has been known, in the unutterable an
gush Of her soul, to murder the children OF
her own body, to prevent their otherwise in
evitable doom Of being exposed to southern
slave market aud then with hands reeking
with the blood of her offspring, to sever the
thread of her own existence, rather than
meet the tortures of that "execrable com
merce," now carried on under the sanction
of this law, passed and sustained by votes oil
> northern representatives Petitions are for.
warded every year to Congress, praying that
body TO repeal this law, and thereby release
the people of the north from the soul sick
ening guilt attendant upon this trade in SUI
fering humanity, Yet those petitions are
treated with contempt and we are compel
led to continue involved in its turpitude
fearing that our release from it coafd afec
the interest of the slave dealers. TO preven
our release from this guilt every Democrat
ic Member of Congress from Ohio has, fo
years, united his influence and efforts will
the shareholders of the south. Indeed, they
have stood before the world as "ttc ISwis
Guards" of the shareholders ready, Oh al
occasions, to fight the battles of those wht
follow traffic condemned and execrated b,
the civilized world-cursed of God, and ha
ted by man. | will not occupy time by AM
thing more than mere reference to the fac
that slavery and the slave trade exists in The
Territory Of Florida, under the sanction anC
appreciation of the Congress OF the United
States.t In the guilt of thns sustaining ant
continuing the institution in that Territory
the people of the free States are deeply IN
volved, while their petitions, to be relieved
from such guilt, are Indignantly scoutc'
from the halls oflegislation by their servants
in the House of Representatives.
In a former number referred to the fac
that the Executive of the United States hal
pat forth our national influence for many
years ito preUent the abolition Of slavery IL
the Island of Cuba" for the reason ho
"the sudden emancipation Of numerous pop
aiation could not but be Uery sensiby fei
upon the adjacent shores Of the U. States,
How far these efforts of our Government
have involved us in the guilt of slavery ant
of the slave trade, as they have been carrle'
on there for the last fifteen years, am un
able to determine. | refer to facts, ant
leave them for the consideration ofthe reader
The troops of the United States have OF
ten been called on to support the institution
of slavery by the direct interposition of on
n.no. Moro than 6Va hundrad elavaS Nuar