Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1850-09-21

4
Had we not better rid the h Of that difficulty, and then 80
on and discuss matters that actually in controversy or
that tend to legislative action would ask, why not permit
the Senator TO withdraw his amendment What reason is
there why he should withdraw III The only ONE have
heard is that he will but withdraw for the present. and offer
il again. Well if we vote down the amendment now, and
he chooses to offer again when the bill is reported to the
Senate, he do it, and Just well after il is voted down
after he had Withdrawn it. We leave him in precisely the
same situation. Thus have gone and discussed the
subject for two hours and after he has proposed withdraw
the amendment we vote down. the matter stands pre-
csey in the situation If had suffered him to with
draw it at would suggest, them with view to the
rtherance Of business that the objection to the withdrawal
OF the amendment be withheld and that be suffered to be
disposed Of at once. #a
After some further debate the Senate adjourned
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER IL, 1850.
The debate aboshing the slave trade in the District Of
Mr.. SOULE. Mr.. President do not wish to interpose
the sa obstacle to the progress Of the bill table
will deain the Senate at any length the subject which
alluons made the Legislation Of Louisiana In respect
to the free people Of color mmgatng hither from other
States and to the in which that legislation was en-
forced which require from me some words Of explanation
The honorable Senator from Massachusetts,, Mr. WINTHRoP
in referring to that matter, read from letter which he had
the kindness to place in my hands this morning, as the
authority which rested the information which he commu-
nicaed TO the Senate That may misstae the in
which the information conveyed in that letter. beg leave
to read from it those lines which New Orleans
"Wh few since (ays the writer speaking Of the
arrest Of free colored persons took place daily at New Or
leans board ships mo0ring the Of New Orleans
Yes hundreds have been taken Of ships sixty feet from the
soil Of Louisiana the waters Of the United Satesfor the
river believe, belongs to the United States am ship
MASTER and have traded between New Orleans and Liverpool
for and have cooks Stewards and seamen
municipality whose duty was and has been to have them
taken to prison. And done in every Instance OF
colored going into most ports south OF
Such the wrongs imputed New Orleans in that letter.
nv In
OF the constutonaiy OF the power claimed by Southern
States to egsae matters intimately connected
these with their peace and tranquility. shall but briefly
adve 70 it hereafter Nor will be necessary that should
any thing of the abuses the fsgant abuses which have
rendered indispensable the exeron Of that power II wee
might content myself with stating that they Of
very much like that of which reminded the other
day. by the recital Of the triumphant parade slaves
which being exhibited while discussing here
agtatng TOPICS places where the least regard for the
constitution might have ensured protection the rights
Of the masters from whom those slaves had been stolen in
daylight and indeed in the midst of crowds assembled
| in convention to witness the spectacle.
is known by whose agency and through what kind OF
emssaies such slaves thus taken away from their lawful
propretors and with view to the correction of the
abuses in which those things originated that the stringent
laws bitterly complained of and denounced enacted,
and in some few instances brought to execution.
The power thus exered by the Legislatures of two or
three Of the Southern States asaed only the ground
of its unconstutonaity, but that Of the gross cruelty
which is alleged marks in most cases its application and
the clause in the constitution invoked which says that
citizens Of each State ha be entitled all the privileges
and immunies Of citizens of the several States"
lido not know but that might be enough for to repeat
here, what my honorable friend from South Carolina said
former OCCASION that peculiar style Of his which mpas
much cogency all his remarks and that s that until it
be that citizen of any State has been denied any of
the privileges and imunes accorded citizens puri
conone Of the States where these laws obtain and
forced, the objection has point and falls to the ground
Sir that the honorable Senator who started this
objection might have found in the fact that the constitution
framed for the joint States which, with the
single exception of Massachusetts, all SLGgehOding
States sufficient motive to doubt that could have entered
the minds of its famers take away from those States all
power of discrimination between the which composed
their population and to place them footing of perfect
equality. That Massachusetts herself dreamed OF SO
constituting the provision quoted from the constitution, is most
apparent from the fact that but few months after she had
accepted the common compact, and when her were still
fresh with the spirit which had breahed in the councils that
framed it, she passed law which, in nay humble Judgment
bids defiance in point Of barbany any law that
passed the subject Of the slave States Here
that law; it bears date 1888, and provides that sail
groe citizens Of any State in the Unon but resident here
required depart in two months they may be appe
hended whipped, and ordered to depart The process and
punishment may be renewed every two months" !"
But, sir there nothing in the history Of the State Govern
Of this country but the isolated opinion Of Massachu
set declared in the legislative enactment just read
pressve Of the construction which has almost invariably been
placed the constitutional provision referred to Yes,
there Is Such must have been the construction which wen
/
Republic placed upon il, their constitutions discriminate
between coors and far admit the higher pr
vieges of citizenship only ice male persons And Of the
eighteen States that admitted the Union since
its constitution framed, can find but (he State Of
Mane) which has the discriminating clause in her funda
mental law. All the others presented themselves to Con-
gress for admission with that clause in their constitution
California herself whose accession the United States
rcey resisted by Massachusetts, but whose admission into
the Union warmly supported by her representatives in
this and in the other end Of the CaptoCarnia in
with this obnoxious clause in her constitutions and for the
salvation Of my soul recooc that she, more than
her preceding sisters opposed on that ground
Mr.. President do not wish to respass too long on the
patience of the Senate to arrest by too lengthy dqu
son this part the subject the vote anxousy looked
for by the friends of the bill table, desire, how
ever, place before the Senate ere am done with it,
and colors not limited to the State constitutions
but has been sanctioned by the wisdom and policy Of the whole
country That authority less than the law Of Congress
approved January 29h, 1875, being An act to establish
uniform rule of naturalization and which provides that none
but sa free hte male person be admitted to become
citizen Of the United States"
come now facts stated in the letter from which the
honorable Senator from Massachusetts, read yesterday
and to the legislation under which they said to have
Cured am happy that have il my power to lay such
facts before that Senator will enable him to the
msapprehension under which be evidently abors and to
quiet bis phanhropc scrupes take upon myself to assert
that the forth in the letter unfounded and untrue
Sir they cannot have occurred under the laws in force in
Louisiana the people of New Orleans too orderly and
well behaved suffer such gross violations Of those laws
within that city the facts stated would imply will say
without fear Of contradiction, that there is place in the