Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1844-07-03
Edseheld Court House, s. g., July 81 ts4A.

compromises on this subject be calmly
reviewed; and upon their faithful mante
\ nance, as the basis of our Federal system
J depend The stability and permanence of q
union which never would have existed
without them, and cannot, and ought moi
j to endure. If they be not honestly and
scrupulously observed. -.
{, The importation of native Africans into
!; the colonies Of North America, TO be held
:; in slavery The most unqualified and abso.
luie, was approved no less by The minis
try and sovereign Of Great Britain han
The inhabitants oflhe colonies themselves.
/ The colonies OF the east, It should be ad
mitted; were the earliest to declare their
disapprobaiionof this species Of commerce,
although some ofits citizens were the last
to desist from traffic so gainful. How far
the opinions Of individuals, or Of secrs, or
colonies, in New England, were affected
by the unproductiveness of slave labor. it
is not material TO inquire; but it is not TO
be denied that African slaves existed al
the Declaration Of Independence in allthe
colonies. The Southern States Insisted
in the ConVentiou, that this importation
OF slaves into their borders should not be
prohibited by lhePlan Of government to
be adopted, and proposed that The control
/ 5of It should be reserved TO the States, or
that the right to make such importarions
should, for a limited time, be guaranteed
10 tho States. -,
The Northern delegates declaFedsthe
aversion Of their constituents TO policy 50
odious, and their own uncompromising
| Hostility 10 commerce SO inhuman. Mr..
Baldwin. Of Georgia, regarded the objecs
lion TO this clause as ,.'an 6t,emptto abridge
one of the, favored pefogatives of The
| South. and declared that Georgia was
decided On the point" Mr.. Williamson,
Of North Carolina, "thought the Southern
States could mol he members of tho union,
il The clause should be rejected" MIR.
Rutledse, of South Carolina, said: "ff
The convention think that North Carolina,
South Carolina and Georgia will ever
agree TO the:plan, unless their right to i'm
port slaves be untouched, the expectation
is vain" Mr.. Sherman, said :"It was
better to let the Southern States import
slaves, than TO part with them, if they
made it a sine qua non." The year eigh-
teen hundred was designated by the com.
mi,tee 10 which the subject had been re-
ferred. as the period when the importation
should cease. Mr.. Pinckney, of South
Carolina, moved, in the convention, to
strike out eighteen hundred, and insert
eighteen hundred and eight. This motion
was seconded by Mr.. Gorham, of Massa-
chusetts, and prevailed.
When the power Of amendment was
Under consideration, Mr.. Ru,ledge moved
prosiso, that no amendment ofthe Con-
stitulon, prior 10 eighteen hundred and
eight, should affect. the rights ofthe States
to import slaves. He declared that "he
could never agree to power by which
the article relating to slaves nigh, be al
tered by the Slales not interested in that
property and prejudiced against it," On
each of these propositions Massachusetts
gave her vote in favor of that "inhuman
and abominable traffic." as the gentle
man from Massachusetts, (Mr. Win,hrop,)
is pleased 10 characterize the petty trade
in this District. Sir, upon these facts, |
submit it to that gentleman, and his con-
stiiuents, pronounce whether it becomes
him to utter this denunciation of bis own
Commonwealth.
In The articles Of confederation no pro-
vision existed for the recovery Of slaves
that fled from their masters TO States in
which slavery had been abolished. ), In
some Of the Eastern States the right of the
owner TO recapture his fugitive slave was
denied; and In one of them, the attempt
10 relake a slave that had escaped was
openly resisted by the violence ofa mob.
The insecurity to property arising from the
facility Of escape, and the difficulty and
hazard Of recovery, induced the Southern
States to require provision, in the nature
of treaty stipulation, between the States,
for The surrender Of fugitive slaves. That
provision in the Constitution was assented
to, not only by every State, but by every
member Of the convention. II is a dis
,iuct and unequivocal recognition Of prop
er,y in slaves-an admission that such
property shall be protected BY the laws of
each State, and all obligation on each 10
aid the owner in the recovery Of his fugi-
tive slave.
In adjusting ibe basis ofrepi;fresen;nlion
in The popular branch Of Congress, the
Soutbsf6 States insisted that slaves should
be embraced in the enumeration OF per-
sons, on which that representation is foun-
ded. The Northern States protested ear
nestly and zealously against proposition,
which they deemed disparaging 10 the
freeman, and odiod5 10 the people of the
North.
Mr.. Butler and General Pinckney, OF
South Carolina, commended that blacks
should be included in the rate ofrepresen-
ta'ion equally with whites. Gouverneur
Morris aud others declared their insupera.
bic aversion to slavery, and their deter.
mined opposition ID any representation o
! il Mr.. Davie, Of North Carolina, said