Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1850-03-12

iHc ooutiii upon oecH az
this relation between the nl their lives from their
bhhavng been taught in general 10 treat tho subjects
OF lhs bondage with care and kindness ana nelleye IN s
neral TO feel for them great and Kindness not
taken this view of the subject which have mentioned
There thousands of religious men, with conscicnces as
tender those of of their brethren nj the North who
do the unlawulness of slavery; and there are more
thousands perhaps that whatever they may think oi II Ii,
lts origin and rs matter depending upon natural rh ye'
take things they are find slavery TO be established re-
ation OF society where they live and see no way IN
lei their opinions upon the abstract question by WAL cy
my-i Is in the power OF the fesen. generation 10
obges that believe they just as conscientious,
many OF them and of the religious people all Of 'heas
| ara in the North, holding different sentiments.
Why, sir the honorable member from South Carolina
Mr. CALHOUN the other dav alluded Ia the separation ot
hat great religious community, the Mehodlsl hhscopa
Church. That separation brought about by differences
of opinion upon this particular subject of slavery ie
great concern. that dispute went on about the result
was anxiousI in hopesha the difference OF opinion
might be healed because look upon that religious coin
nifty of the great props OF religion and morals through
out the whole country, from Maine 10 New Orleans ih
result against my wishes and against my hopes
have read all their proceedings, all their aSniens b
have yet been able To The conclusion that
there any real ground for that sepiraton-n other
words that any good could BE- produced by that separation
Sir when questions of this kind take hold Of the religious
sentiments OF mankind and come TO be discussed hesos
assemblies, by clergy and aity there IS always To be
expected, and always TO be feared, great degree
Of excitement. II is in the nature of man. manifested
by his whole history that religious disputes are a
To become warm. Mems strength OF conviction Is pro-
porioned to their view of the magnitude of the question
a such disputes there will sometimes be- 10 be found
with whom everything will be absolutely absolute
y right. They the right clearly; they think others ought
and they disposed establish broad line Of dis.
tncton between what they think right and what they hold
be wrong; and they seldom willing o establish
that line upon their conviction OF the truth and justice
Of their opinions. They willing 10 mark and guard
by placing along series of ogmas lines oi boundary
are marked by posts and stones.
There pre- who with clear perceptions, they think
of their duty, do how too ho pursuit Of one
duty NAV involve them the violation others how l.u
enhancement of lead them
gard other truths equally important As heard II stated
strongly sir not many days ago, these persons are ds"s
upon duty hose, 10 drive tnrotsy
in and upon and u other duties that may stand III the
way.
There are men who in times Of that SORT und in disputes
of that SORT of opinion that human duties be
tanned with the precision of mathematics They deal VII
morals with mathematics and they think that what IS
right may be distinguished from what is wrong with all the
precision an agebraic equation They have, therefore,
much charity towards others who dlier from thc
They apt TO think that nothing good but what Is per-
fec,y good; that there compromises notifications
be made in submission to difference of opinion IN de-
ference 10 other mans Judgment. II their pcspcacous VI
sion enables them TO detect spot on the face o the SUM-
they think that good why the should be struck
down from heaven They prefer the chance o running into
utter darkness living in heavenly light if that heavenly
light is 10 be absolutely without any impcrirction
There impatient men--too impatient always 10 give
heed 10 the adnonton OF ST Paul. that we are not 10 ID"
evil that good may come'-too impatient 10 wait Tor te
slow progress of moral in the Improvement ol man
kind They do remember that the doctrines and the mira
ccs of Jesus Christ have in 1900 years converted only
small portion of the human and among tile nations
converted Christianity they forget how many vices and
crimes public and private, still prevail and that many "i
themhe public crimes especially offences against the
Christian religion pass without exciting particular regret or
Indignation Thus waged and UNJUST wars 10
deny that there be there certainly are but
il was the remark eminent person. any years
upon the other side of the Atlantic that it was one of Tie
greatest repoaches human nature that wars We're some
times necessary for the defence OF they We're
sometimes called for against the injustice Ut other nations
In this of sentiment upon the general nature o si-
very lies the for great portion oi these unhappy dSi.
sons, exasperaons and reproaehes, which find vent a!
support in different parts of the Union Slavery does exst
in the Uncd States II did exist in the States before Tie
adoption of this constitution and the time OF its adoption
And let us consider for moment what was the state
of sentiment in the North and the South in regard To slave
ry the time this constitution was adopted remarkable
change has taken place since What did the wise and good
men of all parts the country think of slavery In what
estimation did they hold il in 737 when this constitution
was adoptcdl II will be found, sir II We will carry our
selves By historical research back I" hat day ana asctr-
tain mems opinions by authentic records stun existing
anona us tlt there great diversity OF opinion be-
tween the North and the South upon the SUBJECT Of savey
and will be- found that both parts of the Country held 1t
equally an cva moral and political evil IL will mol bc
found that either the North or at the South there was
much though there was someinveciive against slavery
as nhuman and cruel The great ground "f objection 10 II
was pocal that weakened the social fabrics that tah-
ing the place free labor society less strong and labor
less productive Therefore find from all the eminent
of the South the cearest expression OF their opinion
that slavery evil; ami they ascrbe it-not without
TRUTH and not without some ascerby Of temper and force
of langageto the injurious policy uf the mother country
which, favor the navigator had entaed the evil upon the
colonies need hardly refer the publications vi the day
or 10 the matters of history upon record The emf
ncnt men, nearly all The conspicuous men, all the South,
held the sentiments: that slavery was an evil il was
bsh il blas it was mildew; II was scourae; II
was curse. There terms of rcpobaiion violent
in The North that day in the South The North was
not much excited against il as the South And the rea-
son was | suppose that there much less of il in the
North than in the South and the people did not did
not think they saw the evils prominent as they were
seen or thought TO be seen in the South.
Then sir when this constitution was formed THIS was The
light in which the convention viewed it, The convention
reflected Judgment and the sentiment OF the great men III
the South member Of the other House. whom have not
the honor know in recent speech has collected extracts
from these published documents They prove the truth OF
what have said. The question then was how 10 deal with
slavery and how deal with il evil. They came 10
this general result they thought that slavery could not
time the country if the importation of slaves should
cease and they therefore provided that for certain period
the importation of slaves might be by the action 9"
tha neH government Twenty years proposed by solc
gentleman northern gentleman, think Many of the
Southern gentlemen opposed il being too long Mr. MAJ
olson especially somewhat against it, and said il
would bring great amount Of that mischief into the
country allow the importation o slaves for such period;
because in the whole of this discnssion when com
sding the sentiments and opinions in which this constiiu
tiona provision originated must take along with us the
fac, that conviction o all men was, that ii The mpor
ton of slaves ceased the white race would multiply faster
than the black race and that slavery would therefore, sra-
dualy wear ont and expire.
may be improper here 10 alnde TO that had al
most said celebrated ed-opnion of Mr.. Madison. iuu oh
serve sir that the slavery is not used in the cons
tion The constitution does not require that fugitive slaves
shall delivered up requires that persons bound 10
vice in one State and escaping into another shall be de
liv.red up Mr. Madison opposed the introduction OF The
term slave slavery the Constitutions for hc said he did
not wish TO see il recognised by the constitution Of the
United States of America that there could be property in
All this took place in the convention of 1877 but
ted with this and contemporaneous with H. is another mpo
tant consideration sufficiently attended TO. The
ton for forming this constitution assembled in Philadelphia
in Nav and sat until December 1887. During all that time
The Congress of the United States in session al New
York Il was matter of design know that the
venon should not assemble in the State where Con
gress was holding its Almost all the public of
the country therefore, of distinction and eminence, were in
one or the other Of these assemblies and think hap
penei in some instances that the same gentlemen were
members of both If mistake not, such WAS the case with
Mr. Rufus King then member OF Congress from Alassi-
chusetts and the time member rom Massachusetts
Of hr convention which formed the constitution II was III
the summer of 1897 d, the very time when the convention
in Philadelphia framing its constitution, Tint the Con
sress New York framing the ordinance OF 1881 And
they passed that ordinance the 18th of July s al New
very MONTH and perhaps the very day in which
these questions of the importation OF slaves and the carac
ter slavery debated in the convention in Philadelphia
SO far ns we can lea there was perfect concurrence q"
opinion between these respective bodies resulted in this;
The ordinance l7S7 excluding slavery applied to all the
territory which the Congress of the United States had
rislictinn that is 10 all the territory northwest of the
Ohio Three years before. Virginia and other States had