The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-03-14
WHOLE NO. 167.

,ph'a IN May, and sat until September
90 Dntlhg all that time the Congress Of the
United States Was in session nj New York II
was a matter Of design az we know tb.t The Con-
Vention should not assemble in the same citv
where Congress was holding its sessions Almost
all the public men OF the country. therefore of
distinction and eminencp, were in one or tho
other OF these two assemblies, and think II han
peDed in some instances that the same gentlemen
were members Of both. II | mistake not. such
was the case Of MIR. Rufus King then member
OF Congress from Massachusetts and AZ the same
time member of the Convention to frame the
Copsti' uton from that State Now, it was in the
| summer Of 1897, the very time when the Conven-
| tion 10 Philadelphia wasframing this Constitution
that the Congress in New York was framing the
Ordinance OF 1857. They passed that Ordinance
ON the 18th July, 1887, at New York-the very
month, perhaps the very day on which these
questions about the importation OF slaves and the
character eff slavery were debated in the Conyen-
ton at Philadelph ia And so far as we can now
learn there was psseast eaRs.yya:sa-af af,TrieTs
between these respective bodies and il resulted in
this Ordinance Of 1857, excluding slavery as ap-
piled 10 all the territory over which The Congress
of the United States had jurisdiction, and thar
was all the territory mort Invest of the Ohio Three
years before, Virginia and other States had made
n cession Of that great territory 10 the United
States Aud most magnificent act it was |
never reflect upon il without disposition to do
honor and justice-rnd justice would be tho
highest honor-to Virginia, for that act of cesson
Of her northwestern territory will sHy sir il is
one of her fires claims to the respect ard graft
tude of the United States and that perhaps il is
only second to that other claim which attaches to
her: that in her counsels and from the intelli-
gence and patriotism Of her leading statesmen,
proceeded the first idea put into practice for
the formation Of a general Constitution of he Uni
ted States. Now, sir, the Ordinance of 1887 ap-
piled thus 10 the whole territory over which the
Congress OF the United States had jurisdiction
lt was adopted nearly three years before the Con-
stituton of the United Stares went into operation
because the Ordinance took effect Immediately on
lis passage, while the Constitution Of the United
States, having been framed, was to be sent ia tSs
States TO be adopted by their Conventions; and
then Government had to be organized under il.
This Ordinance, then, was in operation aud force
when the Constitution adopted and this Gov
ernment put in motion, in April, 1889.
Mr. President, three things are quite clear as
historical truths One is that there was an ex-
pectation that on the ceasing of the importation
OF slaves from Africa, slavery would begin to run
out. That was hoped and expected Another is,
that MS far as there Was any power in Congress to
prevent the spread of slavery in the United States,
that power was executed in the most absolute
manner and to the fullest extent. An honorable
member whose health does not allow him TO be
here to-day
SENATOR. He is here referring to Mr.
CALHOUN
Mr.. WEBSTER. am very happy to hear
that he is-may he long be in health and the en-
joyment of it to his country said the other
dry that he considered this as the first In the Sc
ries Of measures calculated to enfeeble the South
and deprive them Of their just participation in
the benefits aud privileges Of this Government
He says, very properly, that il was done under
the old Confederation, and before this Constitu-
ton went into effect but, my present purpose is
only to say, MIR. President, that it was done with
the entire and unanimous concurrence of the
whole South. Why there il stands The vote
OF every State in the Union was unanimous in ia
vor of the Ordinance, with the exception of sim
gle individual vote, and that individual was
Northern man. But sir the Ordinance abolish
ing or rather prohibiting slavery northwest of the
Ohio, has the hand and seal of every Southern
member in Congress
! This was the stale OF things, sir, ana this the
state of opinion under which those two very i'm
portant matters were Observation-Disclosures
the Constitution with u recognition Of slavery rs
it existed in the States, and the establishment of
the Ordinance prohibiting, TO the full extent of
all territory owned by the United States, the in
PRODUCTION of slavery into those territories. And
here, sir, We may pause. We may reflect for q
moment upon the entire coincidence and concur
renee of sentiment between the North and the
South upon this question, at the period Of the
adoption of the Constitution. But opinions sir
have changed-grestly changed changed North
and changed South. Slavery is not regarded in
the South now az il was then. see an honorable
member of this body paying me the honor of lis
tenng to my remarks he brings to me, sir, freshly
and wildly the sentiments of his great ancestor,
SO much distinguished in his day and generation,
80 worthy to be succeeded by 30 worthy grand
son. with all the sentiments he expressed in the
Convention ir Philadelphia upon this subject.
Here we may pause. There was unanimity OF
sentiment, If not general concurrence Of senti-
ment, running through the whole community, and
especially entertained by the eminent men of all
portions of the country, in regard to this subject
But soon n change began at the North aud the
South and severance Of opinion soon showed
tself-the North growing much more warm and
strong against slavery, and the South growing
much more warm and strong in its support. Sir,
there is no generation Of mankind whose opinions
are not subject to be influenced by what appears
10 them TO DE their present and emergent and ext
gent interest. ! mpute to the South no particu-
larIy interested view in the change which has
come over her. impute to her certainly no dis
honest view All that has happened has been ma
turai. IL has followed those causes which always
Influence the human mind, and operate upon it.
What, then, have been the causes which have Gre
ated 80 new feeling in favor Of slavery in the
South-wbich have changed the whole nomencla-
ture of the South on the sub ect-and from being
thought Of and described in the terms have men
toned and will not repeat, II has now become an
institution a cherished institution there no evil,
scourge but great religious social, and
moral blessing, M think have heard 1t latterly
described suppose this, sir, Is owing TO the
sudden uprising and rapid growth Of the cotton
plantations Of the South. so far any motive Of
o,xA ,,Iu I,
was the cotton interest that gave new desire to
promote slavery to spread 1t and to use its labor
again say, that This Is produced by the causes
which we must always expect TO produce like ef-
fects - their whole interests became connected
with il five look back TO the history of the COM
merce Of this country at the early commencement
Of this Government, what were our exports Cot
ton was hardly, or but to q very limited extent,
known The tables will show that the exports of
cotton for the years 1890 and 1871 were hardly
more than forty or fifty thousand dollars year.
II has gone on increasing rapidly until 1t may now
be, perhaps, in q season Of great product and high
prices, hundred millions Of dollars. Then there
was more OF wax, more Of indigo, more Of rice,
more Of almost everything exported from the
South than Of cotton. ! think have heard IL
said when Mr. Jefferson negotiated the treaty Of
1874 with England, he did not know that cotton
was exported at all from the United States; and
have heard il said that, after the treaty which
gave TO the United States the right to carry their
own commodities to England in their own ships,
the custom house in London refused to admit cot
ton, upon an allegation that II could not be an
American production, there being, as they sup
posed, no cotton raised In America. They would
hardly think no now
Well, sir, we know what follows The age Of
cotton became . golden age for our Southern
brethren. 1t grati6ed their desire for improve
ment and accumulation at the same time that IL
excited II. The desire grew by what 1t fed upon,
aud there soon came to be an eagerness for other