The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1848-08-12

the Hon. Senator's account of it, she adhered
10 another maxim, to wit: that another man
should he born TO serve Virginia. think
this maxim of kings being born to rule, and
others being born only to serve, 0re both of
the same family, and ought to have gone
down to the same place whence, imagine
they came, long ago, together do not think
that your parties SPgiGtlU Ucut,lm had much
quarter shown it al York town on certain
day YOU NAV remember think that when
the lion of England crawled in the dust, be-
meath the talOns of your eagles and Corn
wallis surrendered to George Washington,
that maxim. that n man is born to rule went
down, not TO he seen among us again forever,
and think tina, parieS Scqdtlu centrum. in the
estimation ofall sensible men, disappeared
along with it. So the men oftlIat day thought.
And we are thus brought TO the considera-
ton of the proper Interpretation of that Ian
guage of those mon which has been some
what criticised by the Senator from South
Carolina. What did they mean when they
said in the Declaration Of Independence, that
all men were born equally free? They had
been contcnding that, five on this side OF
the water were TO be taxed by the Imperial
Parliament ofEuglaud, we had right to say
who should represent us in TINT Parliament
| need not refer gentlemen 10 the arguments
then advanced. need not refer the Senator
from Virginia to his own local history, which
informs him that, throughout the whole Rev
ulutionary period, the people in all the shireS
and towns were meeting aud pressing resOlu-
lions, MS that book of American Archives that
you have authorized to he perpetuated, viii
show you, complaining to the Crown OF Eng
land of the importation of slaves into this
country. And why did they complain? Let
their own documents tell their own story.
Then men in that generation in Virginia. in
Connecticut--as the Senator before me will
see by referring 10 that book in MSS.-cvery
where throughout the colonies, said-"While
we are contending for the common rights OF
humanity, agnnst the Crown of England, il
does not become MS to cnslavc men and hold
them in slavery They objected 10 the III
PRODUCTION of slaves into this country through
: the intervention of the slave trade, because 1t
was n wrong perpetrated upon the slave him
self aud especially because it prevented the
settlement ofthe country by artisans, me
chanics and luboring husbandmen. ven
ture the assertion that not three counties, in
the State of Virginia can be named in Which
resolutions Of that character were not passed.
In 1891, not far from this Capitol, where we
are now engaged in talking about the Trans
fer of the slave trade TO the shores OF the Pa
cific ocean, there was Il meeting in Fairfax.
at which ono George Washington, Esq, pre-
sided. Some young gentlemen may know
something of him. He was n tobacco plan
ter, sir, ut Mount Vernon: The resolution
missed on that occasion declared the intCu-
lion ofthe meeting to refrain from purchasing
any slnycs, and their determination TO have
nothing to do with the slave trade-becuusc
the Introduction of slaves into this country
prevented its settlement 10y free whites. This,
then, was the opinion in Virginia at that time;
and it was the opinion IN Georgia too. A
convention OF men from every county IN
that State nsscmblcd-as find by this book,
assembled at Daren, and resolved the very
same things giving the same reasons. The
men Of that generation understood the work
uft0uuding a new country. They knew what
was best for an infant people Just struggling
into existence. lfthCir opinions are worth
any thing-if the opinions of the vcneraod
men nrc 10 be considered as nrhory-i ask
Southern gentlemen what they mean when
they ask me to extend TO the distant shores of
the Pacific ocean the slave trade between
Maryland and Virginia, and that almost un-
known country.
am considering the propriety of doing this
thing in the question were now for the first
time presented to us. ask any Southern
man i(thcre were not slave on this Con-
tincnt, would you send your ships to Africa
and bring them here? Suppose this Con-
federation OF ours had been formed before II
slave existed in il. and suppose here in the
year of grace 1918. you had acquired Cali
fornia and New Mexico, and you were told
that there existed modified system of slave
nv there and that they wanted laborers there
would a Senator rise i'll his place and say we
will authorize the African slave trade in or
der to introduce lahorcrs into our infant colo
MES !? Ifyou would not bring them from the
shores of Africa-buyiHg them with parties Sc
1,lit,r ve,i!r,t1,, branded on them somewhere,
how can YOU prove to me that would he right
to transfer them TO Maryland? If slavery
were n curse to you in the beginning, bur
) struck it roots so deep in your social and mt
nicipu system, ms was then said that it could
not he crntlicatcd entirely how is it that you
call upon me rs n matter of conscience and
duty,to transfer this curse to an area of square
miles greatly exceeding that The thirteen
Statos when the Confederation was formed?
Ifit is So that it is an evil-and so all your
Statesmen have pronounced it,and so all your
eminent mon, with the exception OF n few IN
modern times, have regarded it, how is it
that Won call upon mo to extend it TO those
vast dominions which you have recently &c
quircd? Is it true that am obliged to re-
ceive into my fhmilya man with the small
poX or the loprosy, that they may he infected?
know YOU do not consider it in that light
now. But the gentleman from Virginia has
said that it must he done. Why? Because
it is compassion to the slave. lie cannot be
nurtlred in Virginia your lands are worn
out Sir, TINT statement sounded ominous
in my ears. 1t gave rise To some reflection!
u WHY are your lands worn ont d? Are the
lands of Pennsylvania worn ont Is not
Massachusetts more productive to-day tllan
when the foot of tho white man was first inn
pressed upon her soil ? Your lands are worn
out because the slave has turned pale the land
wherever he has set down his black foot! II!