Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1845-03-22

cen brought to the test and the Supreme Court had adudged
i 70 be constitutional He did not see, therefore, why so
much d,Dge apprehended rom retaining milder proyi
SONS in the Constitution OF Florida
t there was an objection TO the gentemans amendment
which was vital snd showed its utter fuy Suppose Con-
ores should adopt the amendment and that Florida should
come IN under the amended Constitution il the people chose
10 have such clause Ia te organic law they had only 10 call
Convention and re insert il and what power existed the
face of the earth which could force them TO expunge again
None Mr. IL said lie had heard serious reasons
support of the amendment In this Constitution NE people Of
Florida had said that not their VIII tbat hei o1a'e le-
gslature should have power TO wrest individual property
from tho hands of its owner without his consent and without
compensation, And they had right to say So The com
first principle Of sepreseaoH guaratfd 70 hsa lGa'
right The Senate had been told that they had right 70 take
up State Constitution clause by clause, revise, ana amend
it, though was not objected to being other than republic
He astonshed to hear such doctrine and more
pecay he asionished to hear from the Senator from
Rhode Island How had Rhode Island come into this Union
Did Congress pass her Constitution article BY article un
of TIE aqclps p that instrument Mr. II wop beg leave to
| read 10 the Senate,
Mr. III. here read clause ffom the Charter of Rhode
Island recognising the right Of prmogenitue in the descent
Of property
Vas .ha republican principle Yet Rhode Island, with
such feature in her chatter had come in without objection on
the part of Congress And yet her Representative who
goi up here and objected to the reception a Florida, because
her people claimed to exercise right over their own properly
Let gentlemen look at the Constitution of North Carolina
i
Senator from Virginia. when asked whether he would admit
State with Constitution in her hand containing provsons
conflict with the Constitution Of the United States Here
to he found clauses in abundance plainly and papaby IN
contradiction 10 tho Constitution provisions dead against IL
and therefore null Here provision authorizing the Go
vernon Of the State to lay embargo Was that constiu-
tonal Here another establishing courts Of admiralty
Was that constitutional Another made alien citizen OF
the State after years residence Was that constitution
al He could point dozen items in this instrument all
plainly against the Constitution of the United States And
yet North Carolina had in without objection oppo
| siton
But there higher principles which compelled Mr.. II.
to against the amendment Of the Senator from Maine He
cared not with what motives the amendment had been moved
by that Senator if it adopted would be regarded as
concession to the gccursed spirit Of aboonsm This was the
high ground Mr. H. took this matter planting himself on
this ground he should be sustained by hundred and forty
five thousand out Of the hundred and fifty thousand vo-
tiers who had honored him with his seat in that chamberyo
tiers Of both parties, Wings and Democrats.
They held their principles, did he and he had held
them throughout life and should hold them his dying day
Neysr would he yield inch to the heish spirit of abo-
tion Others might do they pleased but for himself,
nothing should induce him to sanction to bow before
spirit which but revival of that which, centuries
had hunted the Loads like wild hars and knded the fires
of the nquistian That spirit here. Take off the re-
straints of law and of public opinion, and full quickly
would leap to its prey and ravage with fire and sword the
aes and the happest land which God had given
heritage to
The Senators from Maine and Massachusetts, were
ed very deeply anxious for their coored fellow czen VINO
wanted to enter sayehodng States He would remind them
that Indiana lay side by side with Kentucky, where slavery
existed and had been sanctioned by law She had no
to complain of the in which her citizens had
been treated by Kentucky Mr. H. spoke from actual know
ledge when be said that it beautiful contemplate the
content and mutual affection which prevailed there between
master and servant No friend to the human race would seek
carry there the poison of Abby Folsom and her worthy
co-laboreTs,
what the Senator from Georgia had said about the
equality Of the in society, ii strictly There
was State in the Union where blacks placed
equ footing society Massachusetts, indeed had honored
her satutebook with law permitting her white females
marry black husbands Mr. III. opposed TO such mar
rages and he had heard gentleman yet contraT,
opinion Mr. II. added something about the protection of ne
groes from the designs Of the aboonsts which the Repoe
heard too indistincty TO comprehend
II Mr. WHITE said that he had been of the existence
of the law quoted by his colleague They had law in In
diana which required all free coored persons coming into tn
State to give bond and security for their good behavior,
against their becoming public paupers If they did not com
ply with this requirement. they treated, not free
iored immigrants treated in the Southern States, but
the law treated paupes they liable to be appehendeo
Just vagrant foreign pauper from Ireland or Ter
many, and treated in all respects in the
The laws OF Indiana stringent not against the nights OF
immigrants Of any description, but simply safeguard TO
the pockets OF her people The Legislature had right
to anticipate that persons of this description would be ockng
into the State and they passed this law for their potec
ton but practice it nearly dead letter the inter-
between Indiana and Kentucky in fact almost
rey unrestricted There numbers of free colored
persons who settled along the banks of the Ohio, the
Indiana side,
1t much to the clause which prohibited
mission by the State Legislature that Mr. w. objected The
construction given to that clause by the honorable Senator
from Arkansas (Mr SEvIER) might be right and, if all
Mr.. w. had say was that in the Constitution
for al The Constitution of Kentucky provided he believed
that the Legislature might emancpae without the consent of
the MASTER and without compensation prohibition to Mo
Legislature against taking private property for public with
out compensation unnecessary any State Constitution
because already the Constitution of the United States
The right to treat slaves private property existed from mme
mortal usage. They could be taken from their
without compensation But this provision further and
forbade their being manumied by the Legislature at ALL with
or without compensation. Why was Mr. w, called TO give
his sanction to provision like this
II was, however, mainly the other clause that Mr.. w.
obiecedhai which prohibited the landing of free cooed
persons from Northern vessels in the ports Of Florida No
gentleman had yet dared advocate the insertion of such
provision in the Constitution Of the State All the honorable
Senator from Georgia (M BERREy) contended for the
right of the Legislature pass such laws The CONSTITUTION
Of Southern State in the Union contained such prov
sion, and the question involved no; municipal but
ona question The question had been agated between two
great States and it had been brought before the Supreme
Court only because the black had friend to bring
it there.
Mr. W. could not consent to say that it was lawful for any
State to enact law fobddng any free coored person from
landing on her shores Mr.. w lived navgabe stream,
and his constituents thousands Of aboa to the Southern
States and to Florida Could he employ coored seaman
bred in the Gulf who had been emancpated by his former
and sent 10 Indiana and must not such seaman set
his foot the Florida shore without being subjected to seizure
and imprisonment Mr., W. could affirm such pinci-
pie Let the States Of the South enact such laws if they
pleased but Mr. W. could assent to Constitution which
- VI Ssna