The North-Carolina standard., 1850-03-20
CAROLINA WEDNESDAY MORNING MARCH 20

III, NORTH CAROLINA, "
think, of their own duty, do not see how too hot
pursuit of one duty may involve them in violation
of others, or how too warm enforcement Of on,
truth may lead them disregard other truths equal,
important. As heard it stated strongly, sir, mo
many days ago, these persons are disposed to noun
upon some duty as war-horse, to drive furiously
in, and upon, and ove all other duties that may stand
in their way.
There men who, in times of that sort, and ir
disputes of that sort, are of opinion that human du
ties may be ascertained with the precision of mathe
mates. They deal with morals as with mathematics
and they think that what is right may be distinguished
from what is wrong with all the precision of an al
gebraic equation. They have, therefore, none toe
much charity towards others who differ from them
They apt to think that nothing is good but what
is perfectly good; that there compromises OF
notifications to be made in submission to difference
Of opinion, in Difference to other mems Judgment
If their perspcacious vision enables them to detect
spot the face Of the sun, they think that good
reason why the sun should be struck down from
heaven. They prefer the chance of running into ut
ter darkness, to living in heavenly light if that heav-
enly light is to be not absolutely without any mper
fection.
There are impatient men-too impatient always to
give heed to the admoniton of st. Paul. that we are
*
to wait for the slow progress of moral in the
improvement of mankind. They do not remember
that the doctrines and miracles of Jesus Christ have
in 1900 years, converted only small portion of the
human race; and, among the nations converted to
Christianity, they forget how many vices and crimes
public and private, still prevail, and that many OF
them-the public crimes pecially-offences against
the Christian religion, pass without exciting parcu-
lar regret or Indignation. Thus wars waged, and
unjust wars. do not deny that there may be just
s.>v1v k,,f -
an eminent person not many years ago, upon the 9TH
side of the Atlantic, that it was of the great
est reproaches human nature that were some
times necessary for the defence OF nations-tha they
were sometimes called for against the injustice of
other nations.
In this state of sentiment upon the general nature
of slavery lies the cause for great portion of these
unhappy divisions, exasperations and reproaches,
which find vent and support in different parts of the
Union. Slavery does exist in the United States. 1t
did exist in the States before the adoption OF this
sttuton, and at the time of its adoption. And now
let US consider, for moment what the state of
sentiment in the North and at the South in regard to
slavery at the time this constitution was adopted.
remarkable change has taken place since. What did
the wise and good men of all parts Of the country
think of slavery! In what estimation did they hold
it in 1887, when this constitution adopted! 1t
will be found, sir, if we will carry ourselves, by his
tocal research back to that day, and ascertain mems
opinions by authentic records still existing among
US, that there great diversity of opinion be-
tween the North and the South upon the subject of
slavery; and it will be found that both parts of the
country held it equally an evil-a moral and poiti-
cal evil 1t will not be found that either the North
or at the South there was much-though there was
some-invective against slavery, as inhuman and
cruel. The great ground Of objection to it was po-
tical; that weakened the social fabric; that, tax
ing the place of free labor, society less strong
and labor was less productive. Therefore we find
from all the eminent Of the South the clearest
expression of their opinion that slavery was evil !;
and they ascribe it-not without truth, and not with
out some acerbity of temper and force of language
to the injurious policy of the mother country, which,
to favor the navigator had enailed the evil upon the
colonies. need hardly refer to the publications Of
the day, the matters Of history upon record The
most eminent men, nearly all the conspicuous men,
in all tie South, held the sentiments; that slave
ry was an evil it was blight; it was blast; it
was mildew +; it was a scourge; 1t was a curse.
There were no Of reprobaton violent in the
North at that day in the South. The North was
not SO much excited against it as the South. And
the reason was, suppose, that there was much less
of in the North than in the South and the people
did not see, or did not think they saw, the evils so
prominent they were seen, thought to be seen,
in the South.
Then, sir. when this constitution formed, this
was the light in which the convention viewed it.
The convention reflected the judgment and the sent
ment of the great men of the South. A member Of
in recent speech, has collected extracts from these
published documents. They prove the truth of what
have said. The question then was how to deal
with it evil. They came to this general result !;
they thought that slavery could not continue in the
country, if tG importation Of slaves should
and they therefore provided that for Sertan period
the importation of slaves might be prevented by the
action of the new government. Twenty years were
proposed by some gentleman, think. Many of the
southern gentlemen opposed ii as being too long, r.
.h.,t i,cfit
and said it would bring too great amount of that
mischief into the country to allow the importation of
slaves for suca period because, in the whole of this
discussion, when we considering the sentiments
and opinions in which this constitutional provision
originated, must take along with US the fact that
ton of slaves ceased, the white race would multiply
faster than the black race, and that slavery would
therefore gradually wear out and expire.
1t may not be improper here to allude to that
had almost said ceebrated-opinion of Mr.. Madison.
You observe sir that the term slavery is not used in
the constitution. The constitution does not require
that fugitive slaves shall be delivered up; it requires
that persons bound to service in State, and escap-
ing into another, shall be delivered up. Mr.. Nadi-
son opposed the introduction of the term slave or
slavery into the constitutions for he said he did not
wish to see it recognised by the constitution of the
United States of America that there could be proper
ty in man.
All this took place in the convention of 1887; but
connected with this, and contemporaneous with It, IS
another important consideration not sufficiently at
tended to. The convention for forming this consti-
tuition assembled in Philadelphia in May, and sat
until December. 1857. During all that time the
Congress of the United States was in session at New
York. 1t was matter of design, as We know, that
the convention should not assemble in the same City
where Congress was holding its session. Almost
all the public of the country therefore, OF dis
tinction and eminence, in one or the other OF
these two assemblies; and think it happened in
some instances that the same gentlemen were MEM