The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1848-08-05

opinion in Georgia too A convocatiOn OF mel
, nom every county in that State assemblod--as
Ind by this book---aSsemblcd at Daren, and Il
solved the very same things, giving the sam
reasons. The men Of that day understood tn
work OF founding new country. They knew
what was best for an infant people just strug
cling into existence. III their opinions ar
worth anything; the opinions of these venerate,
men are 10 be considered as authonty-l ash
Southern gentlemen what they mean when the,
askm 10 extend 10 the distant shores OF the Pa
chic Ocean the slaye-trade between Maryland
ana Virginia, and that almost unknown coun
Try. AMI considering the proprcty Of doing Thu
thing If the question were now for the first time
presented 10 us. | ask any Southern man, il
there were not a slave on this continent, woult
you send your ships TO Africa and bring then
here? Suppose this Confederation OF ours had
been formed before a slave existed in il, and sup
pose herein he year Of grace 1913, you had ac-
quTed California and New Mexico, and you
were told that there existed modified system o.
slavery there, and that they wanted laborers
there, would Senator Use in his place and say,
We will auth )rise the Afncan slave-trade in or
der 10 introduce laboreIs into our infant Colo
MICS? Ii You would not bring them from the
shoresof Afnca-buying them with fdrtus Sc.
qttitiT ue1llTem branded on them somewhere, how
can you prove 10 me that il would be night 10
transfer taein.to Maryland? II slavery were a
curse TO You in the beginning, but had struck its
roots so deep into your social and municipal sys.
tenn, as was then said, that it could not be Grad.
lcatel entirely, how is il that you call upon mt
as a matter Of conscience and duty, To transfer
THIS curse to an area OF square miles, greatly ex-
| ceedIng that Of the thirteen States, when the
Confederation was fOImedl Ii II is so, that il is
an eyll-and so all your Statesmen have pro
nounced 1t, and so all your eminent men, with
| tie exception OF a few in modem times, have
nganded it, how is il that you call upon me 10
Stend il 10 those vast territories which you have
n,cenily acqiiTedl Is il true that am obliged
To receive into my family man with the small
pix or the leIrosy, that they may be infected?
know you do not consider it in that light now.
But the gentleman from Virginia has said that il
must be done. Why Because il is compassion
10 the slave. He cannot be nurtuTed in Virginia:
YOUR lands are worn out. Sir, that statement
sounded ominOus in my ears. II gave Ipse TO
s,nne reflection! Why are your lands worn QUIZ
Are the lands Of Pennsylvania worn out? Are
uOse OF Connecticut worn outl Is not Massa-
elmsettsi more productive to-day than when the
iot Of the white man was first impressed upon
her soil! Your lands are worn out because the
slave has turned pale the land wherever he has
sat down his black FOOT II is slave-labor that
has done all this. And must we then extend 10
llese Territories that which produces stelility
wherever it is found, till bleak and barren DESC
latloR shall cover the whole landl II you can
call upon ME rs matter OF compassion TO send
the slave 10 California and Oregon, you can call
upon me by the same sacred obligation 10 rc-
ceiye him into Ohio as a SLAVE; and would be
Just as much bound, as a citizen OF Ohio, TO say
that the Constitution should be construed so as
10 admit SLAVES there, because they have made
the landin Virginia barren, and they and their
mASfRrs n.riSllnu fill nhtn hal alcn he
come bowling wilderness. That reason will
not to- Sensitive as they may appear 10 the
morbid bentyolencc spoken of, with which have
no sympathy at all-and tender hearted as am,
| can see through that-the citizens Of Ohio
cannot accept these men upon such terms.
What IS there in the way, then, of my giving
an intelligent vote on this subiectl Nothing at
all. would take this bill in a moment if had
faith in the processes through which that Law Is
TO pass until 1t becomes Law in the chamber be-
low. But have not that faith, and will tell
the gentleman Why II is a sad commentary
upon the perfection of human reason that, with
but very few exceptions, gentlemen coming from
a slave State--and think have ole behind me
VINO ought always TO be before me Dir. BADGERl
with n very few exceptions, all eminent law
yCIs on this floor from that section Of the coun-
try have argued that YOU have no right 10 prohibit
the introduction Of slavery into Oregon, CalIior-
MIA and New Mexico; while, on the other hand,
there is not a man in the free States, learned OF
nnleamed, clerical or lay, who has any PTeten-
SONS 10 legal knowledge, but believes in his con-
science that you have night 10 prohibit slavery.
l. not that curious commentary upon that Won
derful thing called human reasonl
Nh. USDERwoOD-It is regulated by lnel
Mr.. CoRwIS.--Yes, by sc" 30 minutes, and
what is black on one side Of the line and white
on the other, turning TO let black again when
restored 10 its original locality. How Is thatf
Can have confidence in the Supreme Court Of
the nIted States when my confidence fails in
Senator's around me herel DO Iexpect that the
members of that body will be less careful than
the Senators from Georgia and South Carolina,
10 form their opinions without any regard 20 sell
fish considerations Can | suppose that either
Of these gentlemen, or the gentleman from
Georgia. on the other side Of the Chamber, Mr.
JoHSsoS) or the learned Senator from Mississip-
pi, Mr.. DAvIs) who thought IL exceedingly In
famous that We should attempt to restrain the
Almighty in tho execution Of His purposes
revealed TO US by Moses-ean = suppose that
these Senators, with all the terrible responsible
ties which press upon us when engaged in le-
gislatng for whole Empire, came TO their con-
illusions without the most anxious deliberations
And yet, on one side Of the line, in the slave
States, the Constitution reads yea, while on the
other, after the exercise Of an equal degree Of
intelligence calnness and elaboration, the Con-
stituton is found 10 read nay.
admire the Supreme Court Of the United
States as a tribunal. admire the wisdom which
contriyed Il. | rejoice in the good consequences
come TO this Republic from the exercise Of it,
functions. ! also revere the Senate Of the u nj
ted States; bat here is the most august body in
the world, they say, composed Of men who have
wasted the midnight oil from year TO year--men
who in closets, in courts, in legislative halls,
have been reapiDg the fruits Of ripe experience
coming here, and suddenly their mighty intel
lects, able to scan everything however minute,
and comprehend everything however grand, ut
terly fail them, and they kneel down In dumb
insignificance and implore the Supreme Court
TO read the Constitution for them ! think the
Senator from South Carolina must have had
some new light upon the subject within the last
| few years, and that several Of my Democratic
| friends on all sides Of the Chamber must have
been smitten with new love for the power Of the
Supreme Court Do you remember the case
adyerted to by the Senator from, New Jersey to-
dayl rscolleet very well when we did not
stop to inquire how the supreme Court had de-
cecided or ordained. II had decided, with JOHN
! MARSHALL at Its head--a man whose lightest
eonjectares upon the subject OF Constitutional
law have always had with me as much weight
as the wel-eonsidered opinion Of almost any
other man-that Congress had power to estab-
lsh inst such Bank as you had-but with in
[, finite scorn did Democratic geniemen-Jackson
Democrats as they chose 10 be called-curl their
| lips and turn up their noses when referred TO
that decision of the Supreme Court. Then the
cry was, ave are Judges for ourselves; we make
no law unless we have the power TO enact IT, )"
Now, however, the doctrine is that here is a tri-
tunal competent TO put the matter at rest for
L Il III LII -.