The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-02-14
FEBRUARY, 1850.

D. Congress Is 10 ueCldie IL mex euleh' 10 dOOl-
ish slavery in the District of Columbia, except
with the assent OF Maryland and the people OF
the District, and making compensation TO the
Shareholders. The unlimited power Of Congress
to abolish slavery in the District is fully conceded
yet he calls on Congress not to do, what many
of its members and vast multitudes Of their con-
stituents believe it their moral duty TO do. In
this proposal can find no other compromise but
that of conscience.
! g. The next proposal is to prohibit the impor-
tation of slaves into the District for sale. In
other words, the inhabitants are to have mo-
nopoly of the trade in human beings. These
good people are not to be deprived OF the privi-
lege of importing as many slaves as they may
want for their own use, nor Of selling husbands,
and wives, and children, 10 be transported to the
extremities of the Union; but foreign traders
shall no longer be permitted TO glut the Washing
ton market with their wares. The moment the
resolution passes, human chattels will rise in
value in the capital of our republic object not
to the abolition OF the trade, since IT will remove
one of the many denominations with which slave
ry has disgraced the seat of our national govern
ment; but deny that the proposition involves
the slightest concession on the part of the slave
holders Says Mr. Clay himself, "Almost every
slaveholding State in the Union has exercised its
power to prohibit the introduction of slaves as
merchandise" The power is exercised or not,
according TO convenience, and as it is thought
most profitable to breed or to import slaves.
4 7. We now come 10 grand specific for giving
ease 10 Northern consciences, for allaying all II
ritation and for restoring general healthful &C
ton throughout the present morbid system Of the
confederacy ! will give the recipe in full {:
" Resolved, that more efectual provision ought TO
to be made by law for the restitution and delive-
ry of persons bound to service or labor in any
State, who may escape into any otaer State or
territory of this Union" That may not be &C
cused of injustice to Mr. Clay in my subsequent
remarks, will quote from his speech on this
point: do not say, sir, that private individual
is obliged to make the tour of his whole State in
order to assist the owner of slave to recover
his property; but do say, If he is present when
the owner of slave is about TO assert his rights
and regain possession of his property that he and
every one present. whether officer or agent of the
/ State government or private individual, is bound
TO assist in the execution of the laws of their
{ country" 81 will go with the farthest Senator
I from the South in this body TO make penal laws
to impose the heaviest sanctions upon the recovery
of fugitive slaves, and the restoration of them to
: their owners"
Such is the panacea, and such is the manner in
i which our medical adviser proposes to administer
Y it. He must not be surprised should some diff
Guilty be experienced in compelling the patient to
v swallow the draught.
MIR. Clay has long been favorer of those field
: sports in which the prey is MAN, and he has the
merit il is believed of being the first to conceive
the grand idea of securing national intercom-
munity in these sports by means OF international
treaties. So early as the 10th June 1926, as Sc
: cretary of State, he proposed TO the British gov
eminent TO throw the Canadas open for this sport
n and in return, to British sportsmen should be
accorded the privilege of hunting West India ne
i groes throughout the whole extent of the Ameri-
can Republic. But John Bull rejected the ten.
dered reciprocity, and churlishly replied, THE
law of Parliament gave freedom to every slaTe
who effected his landing on British ground"
About the same time we requested from Mex
REQ the boon of hunting negroes over her wide
area The desired favor was denied, and we have
since forciby added almost half her territory to
our own hunting grounds. OF all the game laws
in existence, that of 1893, which regulates the
chase of negroes, is the most horrible yet Mr.
Clay is dissatisfied with it, and calls upon Con-
gress to make it "more eAectual," and of course
more horrible. Should Virginian come to
New York in search of his horse, and find him in
possession of another, who claims him as his
property, how is he TO recover the animal3 Only
by process of law, and that process requires that
jury of twelve impartial men, drawn by lot shall
pass upon the conflicting claims. Neither party
has any choice in selecting the jury, nor can
either establish his claim by his own evidence
But If the virginian is hunting MAN, and sees
one that will serve his purpose, and who will
fetch thousand dollars in the Southern market,
but who claims to belong to himself, how is he
to secure him Why, he may catch his man as
we'll as he can, and without warrant may carry
him before any Justice of the Peace whom for
sufficient reasons he may think proper to select,
and swear that the man he has caught is his, and
the Justice may surrender the MAN to perpetual
bondage, degradation and misery. Various Off
GERS besides justices, are authorized to act, so
that the Virginian has a wide choice. Surely
this is hunting made easy by law; but il is not
found so easy in practice. Latterly, various
States have prohibited their Oacn officers from as
sistng in the chase OF human beings, and cti-
zens rarely lend any unpaid assistance. Hence
new game law is deemed needful, and Mr.. Clay, /
as we have seen, is pledged to go with "the far
thest Southern Senator" the most devoted lover
of the sport, to make it efectual. The Judiciary
Committee have accordingly reported bill now
before the Senate. 81 agree" said Mr.. Mason,
one of the farthest Southern Senators, in his
| - -, ,b;o h;ii IOQtb- IanuarvN % I aOrpe that !