The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1849-04-01

y,
e Gated, and how the aud kindly sentiment OF ma
ional relationship which gows IN the bosom OF ever
e American, wherever his home how are they ahke 10
yaded and outraged by this offensive phrase, ana IN
more offensive ends of sectional prejudice, amnesty
and deception, to which il is often and so wrongful
applied! The free action of this government and tn
Liberties OF our people stricken down by the . sav
lpowerv' Why, sir. does not every one OF US know
that Of all the positive or governmental checks by wheel
the spread OF slavery has ever been restricted the mos
ehcaelous and comprehensive OF all others, by thou
sand oid Is that which put upon 1t under the eat
and with the hearty concurrence OF savehoding states
men and slavehodng States! Was it not the restctiv,
or anti slavery article of the ordinance of 1887, which
not prepared at the suggestion and by the hand OF MIR
Jefferson himself was certainly prepared with his assent
and sustained upon the assent OF Virginia also! Was
not this which has protected the finest territory we eve
owned IRON the approach and the presence OF the slave 2
territory n larger capabilities for the growth, and sus
equal area, il is believed, upon the surface of the globe
And yet Citizens coming from that very country, less
than cltlels coming from other places rise up IN thu
very men and the very "power that gave this magnif
cent empire bridal dowry $50 free labor and to free soil
The check imposed by the government which is mex
IN the order OF importance and OF hme IS the constiu
ona prohibition against the importation OF slaves iron
abroad-a prohibition which was introduced into the
constitution upon the votes both of northern and Of
southern States bat which would have gone into effect
as early 1900, instead of $685. the time fixed by thai
instrument, had it not been for the strenuous and unre
axng resistance in the convention OF three OF the north
ern States Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Con-
nectcut Virginia, the great slave power OF that day
and the most revied by this epthet at this day. stood
up Tor the nterdc on the foreign importation at the ear
lest period Massachusetts and her colleagues at the
latest Virginia, dsregardng her own interest was will
ing at the earliest hour, to sweep the traffic from the
the wreched land that produced them. Massachusetts,
and her colleagues, baking at ador 80 generous as
this dropped into the of Virginia. and chung, perse
verngy chung, to the profits of the trade to the last hour
that their associates in the convention would allow.
And thus by different modes of action this sub
ject of strengthening it the early days of the gov
eminent, denouncing in the atterour northern friends
have contrved by process of ingenuity characteristic
cally Yankee, q speak descripvey, not dersively0 to
make out OF pecunary capital Them and political capl-
ta now. Never there more available subject IN
the hands OF workmen more willing more cunning to
control it. The widows cruise, which could not be ex
haused BY pouring out is but poor and faint emblem
OF It's value TO them Ihis, though inexhausble never
grew greater. That did and does No matter how OPP
poste the TO which these managers have applied it,
whether to those OF merchandise OF politics; no matter
whether they nourshed their Opuence IN former years
from the tears OF the slave, point to them now in the
homes of Others to the horror, and so TO shape
the Legislation of the country, matter what the form in
which they treat by which they metamorphose this
subject OF slavery, It springs up to their hands IN one
never ending but increasing harvest of advantage.
! There is yet another restriction of law which has
been placed by this government upon the geographical
limits OF saverythat which was placed upon 1t in 1920
by the wel-known "Alissour Notwithstanding
TO which all slavery prohibited in the then territory
of the United States moi embraced in the ordinance OF
1857. which lay north of hirysix and half degrees OF
latitude need hardly say that the real author of this
restriction himself slayehOding representative of a
slayeholding State-Henry Clay of Kentucky. Other
persons than Mr. Clay may stand upon the Journals of
but the whole contemporary history of the act is ut
tery false and worthless if he was not the maste-sprt
that conceived, matIred, and carried through When
this passed. the great body of the southern repre-
sentatves voted against it. But since then they have
not only acquesced in it, and maintained itnvioate, but
have operated with others in applying to Texas and
have proposed and pressed as ground of equitable set
tement for the controversy which embarrasses aud
divides
Here, then, Mr. Chairman we have a series of legal
acts, proceeding more less directly from the hands of
southern men and southern States, all of which have
gone to restrict the institution of slavery, both in its
limits and It's political strength, and all of which are en-
titled to be heard as witnesses whenever the "slave pow
err that is spoken Of is aragned for its monstrous and
its constant atrocities upon freedom and humanity With
these acts of benefcent Legislation let these accusers be
content; and instead of harassng the government and
harassng the country with fanatical and unconstitutional
efforts to enlist the sanction AMI the power OF law yet fur
Their their SIDE let them be thankful for what has been
done, and leave all else to the controlling and natural
luence of time and events.
may well advert, Mr. Chairman, at this point at
any other to practical question which is oentimes
asked by gentlemen here who insist upon the exclusion
of slavery from Mexican territory, and who maintain,
at the tme that such exclusion does not prejudice
or impair in the least the full and equal right of the
South and of he citizens to the and enjoyment OF
that territory We asked to say, how such exclu-
sion impair this equality, seeing that northern and
southern citizens and all others, when they 60 into the
territory inhabitants go there under the operation Of
the same law and live there in the possession, IN all
respects, of precisely the same rights? How, then,
can they be unequal? This question IS easily answer
ed This Mexican territory being conquest of the
United States effected by the united resources OF all,
both men and money, is consequently the joint and
common property of all. This is granted. AS the
JOINT and common property, then, OF all 1t 49, OF course,
free and open the and occupation of all, and
that without any precedent or qualifying conditions,
which, acting on pt only, would nave the effect OF
distinguishing individuals sections OF the country from
one another Bat exclude slavery and you do this you
establish conditions and thereby distinctions, where there
should be none. The southern citizen owning slaves
would be Obliged under this exclusion to dispose of
them before he could settle in that territory, and must OF
course enjoy his share of the common property upon
conditions and perhaps embarrassing conditions, first to
be complied with. The northern citizen having no
slaves to dispose Of settles upon and enjoys his share OF
the common property without conditions In the one
case separate and pre- existing right, consttutonay
and legally established for many generations must be
given up before right is allowed TO be used.
In the other that right is laid open to mme
date without requiring preliminary thereto the
surrender the commutatIOn the disposal oil any
other right whatever What sort of equality is there
here aud how it possible that the very pretence OF 1t,
coe visiting with such state of facts this, can be
derstanding OF the party aggrieved?
Upon this view of the effect the relative rights of
the different sections of the country which must necessa
ry result from the proposed exclusion OF slavery from
the Territories, We who represent the South, have
abundant OF right and OF justice to demand OF our
associates here that such exclusion shall be
toned and that noterritoal government shall be forced
upon by the arbitrary OF their majority power, by
which the fundamental and cherished principle OF our
perfect constitutional quality shall be so painfully and
hazardousy set aside. To thus demand, besides the
sophism examined that that exclusion works neQual
bu, few eyceptons) that they cannot and will not
tenance any government any law by which slavery