Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1844-10-25

as easily have suid slave ''persons held to ser 81
vice or labor" Aud why could they not as east c
Iy have said African slave trade as "the h
migration or Importation" Why could they not k
as easily have said, three ffths of all slaves as a
''three ifths of all other persons" There seems c
to ha We been no reason why they could not |
unless it be this. Having but little while pre- i
vious astonshed mankind with their high profess |
sions Of liberty, proclaiming loudly before all the
world that all men were created equal, they were
not exactly prepared to give the lie to all their pro-
LESSONS, by acknowledging slavery in the great
charter of their liberties. SO despite OF the NIGH
ty efforts of Shareholders to the contrary, they
, omitted it. And what they have thus merely omit
ted it is not possible for any construction or COM
promise to insert. The Constitution can only be
, made to mean as it reads And instead of read
! ing slave or slaves, it in every instance reads per-
son or persons. And slaves are not persons &C
cording to the laws of our land, it is not possible
that they should be. They are recognized only as
property. And as there is always distinction in
law between property and persons, they cannot
% therefore be property and persons too. Persons
are never known as property, and property is new
\ er known as persons.
,f 1t is true that in parts of the world, the
"a slave is acknowledged in sense, to be per-
, son. Thus it is in Russia, because there the law
recognizes his right to his wife and his children-
~ And also in Brazil and in the domnions OF Spain
ma and Portugal because in these countries the law
bo recognizes his right to own property and to DIS
80 pose Of it, But in Protestant Republican AnerI-
- ca, it Is far otherwise Here, his inaenabe rights
e are all taken away. He is in no sense person
Every iota of his personality is gone. Slaves
- are reported in law to be goods and chatels to al
,e- intents and purposes whatsoever 1hey nave
49,, nothing of their own. Their wives and chIdreh
-, their hands and feet, their bodies and souls arr
- not their own but their masters. Their ldentlt.
tn is entirely gone
-, That the constitution provides for representa-
-, ton of three 6hs of such persons as are not ire
90 canno, be denied. But the representation
., based wholly on personality, and not on property
o;. it depends entirely on the character which tn
laws give TO slaves whether there shall be repre-
s sentation for them or not. If whilst the law hoic
; them to service or labor, it nevertheless acknoW
edges their personality; if it Identifies them as mel
49,. so that the slave, in other respects can think an
oJ act for HIMSELF if he can enter into the marrai
:, relation, and claim that protection for his vile al
ms children which other men have, as IN Russia;
Tho can sue or be sued, and hold property and dlspo
If il independently of his master, as IN Brazil, tn
= representation for three flths of them is clear
.ioa GRANTED by the constitution But if, on the co
trarv, the law, whilst it holds them to service
boo labor does also deprive them of personality so III
thew are not identified as men; if they cannot thu
al: or act for themselves-cannot sue or be sued-ca
,,;, not hold property nor dispose of it-cannot d
n. charge the duties of husband and wife, or pare
~ - and children;-and in short, if the marriage re
tted ton is not recognized among them any more II
tb.t among the brutes then it clear that the constl
cop- ton uroyides for them no representation
o,lv Whether the clause concerning the migrat
flat or importation of persons authorized the seve
oho States to carry on the slave trade until 1908 or
rre- may not be of so much consequence at this til
h,r- seeing the time is ran out, and Congress has
j., .ho law decreed the slave trade to be piracy. Blu
-. r. we are to understand it just it reads, then it
, tho lates only to emigration. And what ever
have been the design oft, cannot see how
,o,,,, can construe it to mean the slave trade. with
,,,,r coming to a conclusion which none would be
in this ling to admit.
,ho., For If migration or importation meant the 81
holo trade and Congress could not prohibit the ml|
nd r. ton or importation Of such persons as any OF
,aians States might think it proper to admits then 1t
lows that kidnapping might become gen
,ator business not only in Africa hut all over the
think for Congress could not have power to prohII
. con- in one place any more than another. Vrg
sucb might kdnap the people of Africa, New York
him. people ofSpan, Massachusetts the people Fra
Vermont the people of Canada and so on
Lo,1 what ever might be the consequences, Cong
laws could not prohibit it,
n.a The right to claim a slave when escaping
a. one state to another, and the obligation to de
- mn is nv the constitution based on this same
chile of personality. The constitution reads,
nerson held to service or labor in one state u
laws thereof escaping INTO another state, sha
1T n"S consequence of any law or regulation therel
hStu discharged from such service or labor, but sho
e con- delivered up on claim of the party to whom
"a from service or labor may be due."-t will readI
secured nereeived that the laws of the state from
al '"o the individual escapes, must determine inc
TWEEN both m II regards the character of the indy
human and the claim that is set up against him. II II
in any ,ha, according to those laws the ind
/. And NrF ...;.,l as = ,,erson. and AS such doe