Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1843-01-20


by Mr.. SIade in the House of Representa-
,ives, on the Sd instant, in favor of abolish
ing Slavery in the District of Columbia:
Whereas by a law of the United States passed on
the 18th of May, 1920 the foreign slave trade is de-
clared 10 be piracy and is made punishable by death:
And whereas there is, and has long been carried
on in the District of Columbia, within sigh, Of the
halls of the two Houses of Congress, ana the resi-
dence of the chief Executive Magistrate Of this Ma
ton, trade in men, involving all the principles Of
outrage on human rights which characterize the for
egn slave trade and which have drawn upon il tho
maedctlons of the civilized world and stigmatized
those engaged in i, as enemies OF the human
And whereas the trade thus existing in this District
ls aggravated IN enormlty by reason of It's being
red on in the heart of nation whose institutions
based upon the principle that all men are created
equal and whose laws have in effect, proclaimed ito
great and superallve nlquy; aggravated morrow
er, by It's outrage on the senslbles of Christian
communlty-by It's sunderng of the ties of Chr isan
brotherhood, and by the anguish of its remorseless
violation of all the domestic relations, rendered the
more deep and enduring by the haowing influence
OF the Christian religion upon those relations and by
the increased strength which II gives 10 the domestic
affections:
And whereas one of the purposes of the Consti,u-
ton, IN providing for the setting apart and exempting
from State jurisdiction District for the seat OF ths
Government of the United States, was to provide .
common ground wherein all could meet, under .
system of law not involving, of necessity, principles
or usages peculiar to any of the States, but based up
the principles asserted in the Declara of Inde.
pendence, and looking to the great objects contsm-
plated IN the preamble TO the Constitution:
And whereas that purpose Of the Constitution 10 do
feated by subjecllng majority OF the Representatives
of the People and OF the States in the two Houses Of
Congress, and a majority Of those employed in the
Executive departments to witness a trade in human
beings which is TO them source Of grevous annoy
ancc and an object of deep adherence and detesa-
ton
And whereas this trade in human beings is carried
on under the authority of laws enacted by the Con.
gGess of the United States thereby involving the Peo-
pie OF all the States in It's guilt and dsgrace-a guilt
and disgrace enhanced by the consideration that those
laws are vital usurpaon Of power the Constitution
Of the United States having conferred upon Congress
no right to establish the relation of slavery sane.
ton and protect the save-trade in any portion of this
Coniederacy therefore,
Resoirea That all laws in any way authorizing or
sanctonlng the slave trade in this District ought 10
be repealed aud the trade prohibited, and that the
Committee on the District of Columbia be instructed
TO report bill accordingly.
This preamble and resolution having been
read, Mr.. Slade moved to suspend the 2lst
rule, in order that the subject isht be brought
before the House. The 2lst rule provides
that "no petition, memorial, resolution, Or
other paper praying the abolition of slavery
in the District of Columbia, or any State OF
Territory, or the slave-trade between the
States or Territories Of the United States, in
which it now exists, shall be received by this
House, or entertained in any way whatever"
On the motion to suspend this rule, the yeas
and nays were as follows:
YEAs-Messrs. Adams, Sherlock, J. Andrewa Av.,
crigg, Babcock, Baker, Bernard, Brdseye Blair.
Boardman, Borden, Briggs, Bronson jeremiah Brown.
BurnelI, Calhoun, Chllds, Chiltenden John c. Clark
Stanley N Clark Jas. Cooper, Cowen, Richard d.
Darts, Everett, Ferris Fessenden Fillmore, John
G. Floyd, Gates, Gddnss, Patrick G. Goode, Gran
ger, Halstead Henry, Hudson, Hunt Joseph R. In.
gersoll, James, Linn, McKennan, AcKeon, Mathiot,
Mattocks, Maxwell MAYNARD Morgan, Morris Nor.
row, Oirer, Osborne, Parmenter, Partridge, Pen.
dleton, Ramsey, BENJAMIN Randall, Randolph, Rdg.
way, Roosereh, William Russell, James NJ. Russell.
Saltonsall, Sanford, Sade, Truman Smith, Stokelvl
Srra,ton Tllnghasi, Toland Tominsen, TrumbuiN
Joseph l.. White, Winthrop, Cranston, Cravens-73y
| NAys-Messrs. Landef w Andrens, Arnold Ar
rngton, Beeson Bdlack, Black, BOVINE Boyd, Brews/
ter, Aaron v. Brown, Milton Brorn, Charles Brow
Burke, G. W. Caldwell, p c. Ca dwell VIM.
| Campbell Thomas j. CdmpbeH Caruthers, q
| Casey, Chapman, Clifford, Clinton, Coles, N
Cooper, Cross, Daniel, Garrett Darts Dawson.
Dsbsrry Eastman, J. C. Edwards, c. A. Flo
nance, Gentry, Gerry. Gilmer, Goggsx,
! Green ewin, Harris, Hays, Hopkins, Hous