New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1848-08-15


ton under theirresponsibiity ~ their constituents
70 the general laws OF Pupueiy, humanity, ale
iustlce and T. God ASSOCIATIONS TONED elsewhere
suringlng from feeling OF humanity, or any 0th
cause. have nothing Whatever 70 Go with Il. Iney
have never received any encouragement from me
and they never will. In my opinion they have
done nothing but 70 delay and defeat Their own
protested objects. have stated, As understand
H. the state OF things upon the adoption OF the
Constitution OF the United states. What has
happened since Sir Il has happened that,
above and beyond al contemplation or e1pecta-
t,on of the original trainers Of the Constitution.
foreir. territory has been acquired by cesslon,
first from spain AID tnen from France, o. our
Southern frontier. AID what has been Tie result
Of that Five Slaye-holdlng STATES nave been
created ana added 10 tie Union bringing ten
Senators into this body, 7 include Texas, which
consider In the light vi tore gn acquisition Also
and az 70 tai. hour IN which address you, not one
tree STATE has been admitted into the Union from
all TINS acquired territory not one
Mr. BFRRlAN (in as seat III es-loWa-
Nj. WEgsrER-lowa IS not yet in the Union
Her Senators are not here. When she comes
III. there viii be one 70 nve-one tree state
10 five Save formed out Of new leuIones-
N,w 4 seems strange 20 me that there should
be any complaint OF injustice exercised oy the
North toward the South. Northern votes have
been necessary, they have been ready, and they
have been rendered to aid the formation OF these
i've new savehOldng States, These are iacts
and az the gentleman from Oeorsla has very
properlv nut Il as cause IN which We ought
10 present ourselves before the word ior It's
Judgment let US now see how We stand. do not
represent The North. | state my own case ana
present the matter in that light m which am
Uillinc. as an individual Member OF Congress, 20
be Judged by civilized humanity. say, tnen, that
according to rue history the saveuol1ns interest
in this county has not been dsiayo'ed interest
it has not been disiavored by the North. HE
North has concurred 10 bring IA these hve slave
holding states out OF new acquired territory
which acquisitions were never a. aA ia the con
temptation q the Convention which formed the
Constitution, or Of the people when they agreed
that there should a representation OF three hiths
of the Slaves In the then existing States
Mr. President, what IS the result OF TINS We
stand here uow-at least do. for One-tO say that
considering that there have been already hye new
slaveholding states formed out OF newly acquired
Territory and one only at most nOu-slayehOdlhg
state / 10 not feel that am called on TO 20
farther ] go not feel the obligation 70 yleId
more But our friends OF the South say, You de-
prive US Of all our rIehts-we have fought Tor TINS
Territory. and SOU deny US participation IN It,
Let us consider this question as 1t really is
aud since the honorable gentleman from Geor'
gia proposes 70 leave the case to the enlgnten-
ed and impartial Judgment OF mankind, and
as | agree with him that u Is a case proper
10 be considered by the enlightened part OF man
knd let us consider how the matter truth stands.
What is theconseqasncel Gentlemen, who advocate
the case which my honorable friend from Georgia
with So much ability sustans, declare that We III
wade their richts-that we deprive them OF a par
tcipation in the enjoyment of territories acquired
BY the common services and common exertIons
If ALL Is this true : How deprived OF what
do we deprive them Why, they say that we
deprive them of the privilege OF carrying their
slaves as slaves, ia 10 the new terri torres. w ell
Sir. what is the amount OF that They say
that in this way We deprive them OF the OPP
portunity OF going into this acquired territory
with their property. Their property F-wh at
do they mean by that We certainly do not de
prve them OF the privilege Of going into these new
y acquired territories with all that, IN the general
estimate OF human society, ia the general ana
common and universal understanding oil manhlhd'
IS esteemed property. Not at all The truth Is
ust this They have IN their own states, peculiar
avs which create property IN persons lhty
have system of local legislation on which Slavery
rests: while everybody agrees that Il is against
natural law or at least against the common under
standing which prevails as 10 what Is natural law.
I am not going into metaphysics, Tor therein
should encounter the Hon. Member from South
Carolina and we should wander ia " endless
ment OF Congress. The Southern states have
peculiar laws and by those laws there IS property
In Slaves. This is purely local. The real mean
ing then, OF Southern gentlemen, IN making
this complaint, is that they cannot 20 Into
the territories of the United Sta.es carrying
with them their own peculiar bcai lava
Jaw which creates property in persons. This,
according 20 their own statement IS all the
ground OF complaint they have. Now mere, think,
gentlemen are unjust toward us. How unjust
thew are, others will judge-generatons that VIII
come after u. will Judge. IL will not be contended
that this sort OF personal Slavery exists by general
law. 1t exists only by local law. / do not mean
to deny the validity OF that local law where II IS
established but say 1t is, alter all, nothing but
local law. IL is nothing more Ald wherever
that local law does not extend property IN persons
does not exist. We'll, Sir, what is now the de-
msnd on the part OF our Southern friends They
saw: I'VE will carry our local laws with US wner-
ever we CO. w insist that Congress does US III
Justice unless il establishes IN the Territory into
which we wish to 20, our own local law. This
demand |, tor one, resist, and shall resist II
goes upon the idea that there IS an lnequalit.
unless persons under this local law, and holding
property by authority OF that law, car 20 into new
territory and there establish that Local law 10 the
exclusion of other law, Mr.. President, 1t was a
maxim OF the civil law that between Slavery and
Freedom, Freedom should always be presume q
and Slavery must always be proved. II any qles
ton arose as TO the status of an individual Ia Rome
he wss presumed 70 be free until he was proved
10 be slave So suppose. is the general law Of
mankind. An individual is to be presumed TO be
tree until law can be produced which creates
ownership in hIs person | do not dispute the
force and validity ofthe local law, as nave already
said but, / say it is matter to be proved and
therefore II individuals go into any part oil The
earth 1t is 10 be proved that they are notireemeno
else the presumption IS that they are. Now
our friends seem 10 think that an lnequalty
arises from restraining them from gong INTO uie
territories, unless there be a law provided which
shall protec; their ownership IN persons Inc as
sertion is, that we create inequality. Is there
nothing 10 be said the other side in RELATION u
inequality Sir, from the date oi TINS Consu'u
ton and in the councils that formed and estaD
hsbed this Constitution, and suppose IN all men
Judgment since II IS received as settled truth,
that slave labor and free labor do not exist vel
together. have before me declaration OF Nj.
Mason. In the Convention that formed the Const-
ution-to that effect. He says that the obIec-
tom 10 slave labor IS that It puts free white
labor in disrepute; that II makes labor 10 be
regarded us derogatory 70 the character oi
the free white man, and that ne despises
% work-to use his expressIon-where slaves are
amployed This is matter OF great interest 10 the
Free States. if il be true, as 10 great extent II
certainly Is. that wherever slave labor prevails
e. ,ybi,e labor Il excluded or discouraged. !
-. -. Labor does not necessarily eX-