Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1843-03-24
nv a WHO oF ONO.



we have been involved in the moral guilt OF that
institution.
By act Of Congress, approved February ~,
1901 slavery aud The ave rnde ~ HE District al
Columbia were re established aud continued. A.
some diversity of opinion exists IA regard to he
power of Congress over The subject Of slavery ~
that District it uiay he well to remark that the
States OF Nary aud Virginia, l'y deeds OF cGs
siUwh esring date ia 1900, conveyed The territory
embraced within ;hc District of Columbia 10 the
United States These deeds Of cesslOn each con
tained claus providing tint the Staie lnws should
coutimue in force within the territory ceded, until
Congress should accept the grant Congress nc"
copied tile grant. aud, from that instant, the State
laws ceased 10 have any force OF effect within the
territory II then came under the control VI an
other sovereignty and, of cOursc, all former laws
must cease. When speak oi lormcr State laws,
refer to ali statute municipal laws nciu9,ug
the laws of descent aud distribution, and The laws
for the collection Of debts and furnishing crimes,
as well rs the laws of slavery aud the slave trade.
All these ceased 10 exist the moment Congress Hc
copied the grants. From thH ltme 10 this, there
nas bcen no municipal law IN existence within
said District ercepi acts Of Congress IN order li,al
the people within the District should suffer no IN
convenience for the want Of laws Congress passed
the act above referred to. BY this law, the stat
utcs formerly IN force were re-. enacted md he
came the laos Of Congress, aud have b0en ia force
since that time. In this way slnvery was reestub
lished, aud by virtue OF this xct OF Congress, the
slave trade is now continued in the city that bears
the nnfDe of WAsHINGTON. Repeat that act QCI
Congress aud the slave trade ;yill instantly he II.
polished, and slavery will I've done away forever
& ngress refuses to repeal this law Of their own
entciIng aud by such refusal uph0ids the slave
trade, wRh all it's horrors, and its attendant guilt
by virtue Of this law, pareRts separated from
their children husbands iram their wives, broth
ers from their sisters, and chained To the collie or
placed on board the slave ships, are destined tor
southern tnaiket. by ViStNe at this law Of Goa
giess all the ties of domestic life severed 10y
the mercenary trader III human flesh. Here The
iaher, in the presence of his wife and children,
has 'een known to lay violent hands upon him
sell, a'H rush into the presence OF ms God, rath
Ell than meet the horrors Of II separation eOO0 to
he inflicted upon him, under the sanction Of The
Congressional Stare tdde. Here within the walls
Of the prison, erected by funds drawn FROM the
people OF the free SUITES, the motker has been
known, IN Tile unutterabe anguish Of her soul, to
murder the children OF her own body, to prevent
their otherwise inevitable doom of being exposed
to southern slave market; nod then with hands
reeking with The blood of her offspring, to sever
the thread of her own existence, rather than meet
lie fortunes nf that 'execralle cataRierce," now
carried on nnder the sauction OF this law, passed
ara sustained by votes of aortherE representatives."
Petitions are forwarded every year TO Congress
praying that body 10 repeal this law, and therel,y
release HE people OF the norrh from the soul-,ick
humanity. Yet those petitions are treated with
contempt. and we are compelled to continue III
VOWED IN It's turpitude, fraring that our release
from Wonld affect The interest of The siavedpaers
10 presen "ul rrlease from lhls guilt every Deu-
ocralc member of Congress from Ohio has, tor
years united his influence and efforts with the
shareholders Of the SOUTH Indeed, they have
stood before the world as "Me .Sto;ss Guards" OF
the Shareholders: ready, all occasions, to fight
tue patties OF those who follow traffic condemn.
cd ard oxccrated by the civilized world-cursed
OF God and lated by mau. ! wil ~. 0o,.cy
time hy any ilIng more than uirre reference 10
the ncl THAI slavery su the slave trade exist. ~
The Territory al + urlia under IA SUnctun aud
appreciation OF the Congress of the Unued States
In The quit of us sustaining and continuing the
iustInton ia that Ferripry the people ct he tree
STATES ace deeply involved White tia r petitions
10 be relieved from such sut are Indignantly
secuted from The halls OF legislation by their SER
wants IN lhe House ut Representatives.
In iorher humber referred To The fact that
the Executive OF the United States has put forth
our nnional influence Tor many years 80 to preuent
the abolition of slarery IN The Island # Cuba" for
he reason That "he sudden emancipation or a nu
'neroUs pCpHatioa coutd not but be Uery Seasi6y jeH
apo" lie dtiacent shores Of the GAited .StoieS -
How TAR these efforts OF our Government have IA
Volved us IN The guilt OF slavery and OF the slave
trade, as they have been carried there for Tie
last fifteen years, | am unable to determine. | re-
Ter To facts, aud leave them for the consideration
OF the reader
The troops Of The United States have often been
caiied o" TO support The institution OF slavery by
the d'rec, intcrposition of our arms More than
hva hundred slaves were captured by our army
~ FLORIDA, and returned TO state Of iniermnable
Sia'ery' vide cx. doc. 40 of as session of Cuu-
gress) Thus the people of the free Sales have
been involved in all The guilt Of ensaving our Eel.
10" men, an order that the Shareholders may huye
the benefit OF their labor.
In my fourth number | referred to the manner
al which tort within the Territory of Florida
was blown up and Two hundred aud seventy men
women and children were murdered by the crew
of IA gunboat detached from our naval force. for
the sole purpose of rohbing them OF their lives
for no other reason than that they were unwilling
to he robbed of their Gberiy. This murder, un.
paralleled in the history o any free and enilghl-