Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1848-09-08

while every body agrees Ihagn is against nulion
al law, or a. least agliustlhe common uudcrsIan-
ding which prevails as 10 what's national law.
am not going into metaphysics. f1r therein
] should encounter the honorable member from
South Carolina. and We should wander in "cud-
less muzrs lost" until after the lime for the i'd
iourument Of Congress. The Southcrn States
have peculiar laws, und by those laws there is
properly in slaves. This is purely local. The
real meaning. then, Of Southern gentlemen, in
making this complaint. is that they cannot 90
into the territories Of the United States, carry
ing with them then own peculiar local lava
law which creates properly in persons. This,
according to their own statement, is all the
ground Of complain, they have.
Now here. ! think, geDilemen are unjust to-
wards US. How unjust they are, others will
judge generations that will come after us will
Judge. 1t will not be couiendod that this sort Of
personal slavery exists by general law. II eX-
lists only by local law. do not mean TO deny
the validity Of that local law where il is eslab-
lished; but say it is, after all. nothing but local
law. 1t is nothing more. And wherever that
local law does not extend, properly in persons
]
mand on the part Of our Southern friendsl-
They say: we will carry our local laws with US
wherever we go. We insist that Congress does
US injustice unless it establishes, in the territory
into which we wish to 90, our social law. This
demand !, for one, resist, and shall resist II
goes upon the idea that there is no equality un-
less persons under this social law, and holding
property by authority of that law, can go into
new territory and there establish that local law,
TO the exclusion Of other law.
Mr.. President, il was a maxim of the civil
law that, between slavery and freedom, freedom
should always be presumed. and slavery must
always be proved. If any question arose as to
the stains Of an individual in Rome, he was pre-
sumed 10 be free until hewas proved 10 be slave.
So, suppose, is the general law Of mankind.
An individual is to be presumed TO be free, until
law can be produced which creates ownership
in his person. do not dispute the force and
validity Of the local law, as ! have already said;
but, say, il is matter to be proved: and, there
fore, if individuals 60 into any part Of the earth
il is 10 be proved that they are not lrcemen, or
else the presumption is that they are. Now,
our friends seem TO think that an inequality Ori.
Sos from restraining them from going into the
territories, unless there be law provided which
shall protect their ownership in persons. The
assertion is, that we create an inequality. Is
there nothing TO be said Oh the other side in re-
alon TO inequality!
Sir, from the date Of this constitution. and in
the councils that formed and established this
constitution, and suppose in all mems judy
ment since, it is received as a settled truth. thai,
slave labor and free labor do not exist well to.
gether. | have before me a declaration Of Mr..
Mason, in the convention that formed the con.
stilulion TO that effect. He says that the obec-
ZION to slave labor is that puts free white labor
in disrepute; that il makes labor 10 be regarded
as derogatory TO the character of The free white
man, and that despises to work-to use his ex-
pression-where slaves are employed. This Is
mater Of great interest TO the free States; if il
be true. as TO great extent il certainly is, that
wherever slave labor prevails free white labor
is excluded or discouraged. | agree that slave
labor does not necessarily exclude free labor, to-
tally. There is free white labor in Virginia,
| Tennessee, and other States. But It necessari-
! ly loses something Of lis respectabili,y by the
side Of, and when associated with slave labor.
! Wherever labor is mainly performed by slaves
it is regarded as degrading to free men. The
free men Of The NorIh, therefore, have deer
interest to keep labor free, exclusively free, in
the new territories.
But, sir, let us look farther into this alleged
inequality. There isnopreience lhatthe South
ern people may not go into territory which sha
be subject to the ordinance olo 1887. The on
ly restraint is that they shall not carry slave,
1hilher and continue that relation. They say
this shuts them altogether out. Why, sir, lhert
can be nothing more Inaccurate in point Of fac
than this. understand that one half the peo
pie who settled Illinois, are people, or the des
cendanls of people,, who came from the South
ern States. And suppose one third of tn
people Of Ohio are thoso or the descendants o
those, who emigrated from the South; and
venture TO say that in respect 10 those Two States
they are at this day sertledby people cf Southeri
origin in as great proportion as they are by
people Of Northern origin, according 10 the gen
eral numbers and proportion Of the people
North and South. There are as many people
, from the South in proportion TO the whole peo
pie Of the South, in those States, as there are iron
the North, in proportion TO the whole people o
+ the North There is, then, no exclusion O
, Southern people; there is only the exclusion q
a peculiar local law. Neither in principle no
in fact is there any inequality.
, The question now is, whether it is not compe
tent to Congress, IN the exercise of a fair an
just discretion, to say that, considering that ther
| have been five slaveholding States added TO thi
e Union out of foreign acquisitions, and as yt
], only one free State, whether under this state {
r things it is unreasonable and unjust in the Sigh
f est degree TO limit their farther extension.-
That is the question. see no injustice in !
As TO the power Of Congress, have nothing I
o add TO what | said the other day. have sal
d that shall consent to no extension Of the are
of slavery upon this continent, nor any increas
!. of slave representation in the other house {
Il Congress.
IS have now stated my reasons for my condu
: and my vote. We Of the North have gone
/! this respect already far beyond all that an
e Southern man could have expected, or did c,