Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1848-08-25
URLINGON FREE PRESS FRIDAY MORNING. AUGUST 25 ls4s

perry by authority of that law, can 60 into new
territory and there establish that local law, TO
the exclusion of other law. Mr.. President. it
was maxim Of the civil law that between Sla-
very and Freedom, Freedom should always be
presumed and Slavery must always be proved
Il any question arose as to the status OF an indi
vilual in Rome, he was presumed to br free I'M
til he was proved to 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, it
is a matter to be proved and therefore IT indi-
viduals 90 into any part of the earth, it IS to be
proved that they are not freemen, or else the
presumption is that they are.
Now. orr friends seem to think that an inc
quality arises from restraining them from going
into the territories. unless there be a law provi-
ded which shall protect their ownership in per-
sons The assertion is. that we create an ine-
quality. Is there nothing to be said on the
her side in relation TO inequality? Sir, from
the date of this Constitution, and in the councils
which formed and established this Constitution
and suppose in all mems judgment since, it is
received as a settled truth, that slave labor and
free labor do not exist well together. ! have be-
fore me a declaration Of Mr.. MASON in the Con-
vention that formed the Consttution-to that
effect. He says that the objection to slave la
Dor is that il puts free white labor in dsrcpute
that it makes labor to be regarded as derogatory
to the character of the free white man, and that
he despses to work-to use his expression
whore slaves are employed.
This is matter of great interest to the Free
States if il be true, as to great extent it GER
| tainv is, that wherever slave labor prevails
free white labor is excluded or discouraged
| agree, that slave labor does not necessarily
exclude free labor, totally. There is free white
labor in Virginia, Tennessee, and other States
But it necessarily loses something ofi,s re.
spectabtv, by the side of, and when associa.
ted with. slave labor. Wherever labor is main.
/ " performed by slaves, it is regarded dcgra.
ding to free men. The free men of the North
therefore have deep interest to keep free labor
free. exclusively free, in the new territories.
But, sir, let us look further into this alleged
inequality. There is no pretence that South
crn people may not 70 into territory which
shall b, subject to the Ordinance of 1897. The
only restraint is that they shall not carry slave.
thithcr and continue that relation. They sa,
this shuts them altogether ont. Why. si-, there
can b. nothing more inaccurate in point Of fac
than this. | understand that one.half the PEG
pie who settled Illinois, arc people. or the dcs
cendants of people who come from the Southern
".a' So, g ~ t''at ON, tl''I VI 'l
p'"p'o ~ CaG ",o us" Vs. vi u',Vr,"''"''
.no,o WV ho'n '"t SCUM anu
' .v"'' w. .' ~ It" 'c'Pe., ~ '"oSo wv
o'',L'' VIZ "'e az ''''9 u'! sct''e" ny PcoP.e
'o",',S'' W ~ a. s'r' pt'Po'Uo" a. 'ne..
".e W pu"' ", i'o't''r'' ul'4'n, 'coo,u'nS !,
.'s >.i' ,r, nnu p'oPo'""i VI pe"Pi
,U'''. ".'u N'''. In'le are Il, many ProP'
uo'" va -, SL l." p.pPol'on 70 t'e W"Ie Peo
VI ,t w., >.,,, j., $3.50 ',,t II. Inp'e arr
nn'n 10y %,, }" m"l'T'',n u 'I'e w""'f