The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1850-02-23
Vol, 10. No. 32, Whole No O55


tho appreciation ofhls own people. iui gf lhf
World when repeated by my nuuhlH r1nsufs
eHey- IN less pointed Ani less vigorous irThr.
become 'JaHaffrigm "
What have We done here Nhat t4U ".
brand has Congress Pot uPon ,his n'lu"''pD'
Sir, AZ the very 0utsni pf our lrgislniipn, ihf
subject Of tho sllye,lfada Iwas taken up. Aa
puTiy aB 1874, although thr imPailaiipa tsi,
this eounlfy could not thea be- prohibited un
der the Constitution laws were passed againai
carrying on the fprviRn slave trade, with tho
saVsTeat penalties attached 10 thrr violation
"A early a. May, 1900, gnoiheT act was pnsssd
involving the forfeiture of all yesssls built ana
equipped for The purpose, and AL pefsons on
ployed ~ the business, on board those siups
were made liable 20 penalty Of $4,000 and
imprisonment for two yEEu, IN March, tu'if
an act was passed prohibiting the Introduction
Of slaves into the country AFTER the first Of
January. 1903. The Law also provided. ihHt
all vessels built aud equipped for thai PuTPoss
should be forfeited, and the penalty on tho
persons engaged Al btiing oni such V'ssrl was
hHed AZ hHe Of $4,000, The peHaity fDf
the importation Of the slaves into tho country,
was imprisonment ioT not more ilaH 4sp nog
lass than i've years, and hne of not moro
than 900 nor less than 81 900. The act
Of 1873, was a similar one, ~ Nay 1890, hs
raBie nas pronounced piracy, and puHished UiM
death. sir, 10 this traffic, which you denom,'
nate piracy and punished with death, % be d.
nominated crime or notl Jhis resolution
assumes that "a - crime, ifH 10 no oTiur,
why pronounce u piracy, aud pas'sh - ~,tl.
death sif, am aware that these penalties
afe directed against thn HlAve.trAde, aud that
u 10 the importation Of slaves which hns beeH
made the object Of these stringent aud severe
pfOhibitiOnHi but is not the inatit1uon itself
perpetuAtion ofthe offence against humaniiy'
II originated At the Jutset Ia what you deem
piracy, and, however long II may continue, u
pAfiakea Hiill Of the character Of iu origin
II is Of the blood Of is own lineage
eITt VNI PIe-TII FVdCIaIIoO 158J 7ITV
sponsbie for ia origin-it muy be an evil
which they cannot remedy Hut, sir, do these
eonaideraiions render the Institution lees op
pressiYe, or more consistent with the dietltrs
Of humanity
This - not all, bif President. In our tteA.
~ with Great Britain, ratified IN 1912, we stip-
ulaicd TO employ force ON the coast Of An.
ca Tor the suppression of this slave trade aud,
further, the parties 10 that treaty engaged 90
exert their influence with nations stiil permit,
ting the trafe, 10 put an cod 40 itrby closing
their markets. II was thought TO be tho best
mode of Encouraging this disgusting traffic to
elosr the markets, What do my nsiiiueioy
now propose They propose not to open new
mafkets IA trHitor,es where tha institution
does not Hos etiHt, fof the future encourage
mcnt Of traiiie which the almoat entire eiy1
iEed world has combined TO suppress. -.'
Sir, arc not the cases pafaHrl lf We are
justified IN putting an end 10 this uaiiieI # ws
are justified IN cndcayotng 10 close the mac
kct In other countries, how can We be justih
ed in opening these Immense teTritofrr, that
have been conquered by our vhlor, as urU
market for the introduction Of this species OF
properiy-a new Sumplus TO this abominable
trafle
Mr. President, the second resol lution has n
possible, bccn more misoonerived than The
hrst II has been asserted here, aud IL has
been asserted else where, that the second res
olution claims Hrght in Congress 10 ipt$flere
with the institutions of the various States
Sir, the resolution claims no such right a
will bear no such construction II is only by
a substitution Of one expression for unother,
that such construction can be 6Ked upon IL
What IL the language Of the rcsoiutioHP
"That the so.oaled 'compromse of the Com
stitution' restrained the Federal Government
States ia which IL then existed, and from inior.
ference With the slave trade only for llmiles
time, which has loRE since expired"
Now, II is 10 be remarked that tho word res
trained is used in the past tense5 h "a used IN
reference 10 the effect aud operation of tAs
Constitution at the time II was adopted
Well, sir, is not the assertion true' II the
compromises of the Constitution. which Fe,
stricted Congress in relation 10 this subject
restricted them in relation TO other territories
than the States where IL then existed, desire
60 DE tDformed where those territories ARE; for
nj this time we had but territory, that or
the north west. The question as TO that was
settled by iho-S old Cengresa, existing under
the confederation, by compact which has
been regarded from that day TO the pEcaept W
binding upon all. We had no other territory
t4e4rer-.4e tisi- u AaaHiT
unless il were in the STATS where the instiiq
tion existedS
l. 4 A. A =
the power in Congress TO interfere with slave
ry in the new StateB-in the States which
have been admitted since the adoption of the
Constitution. Sir, | repeat, II uEEcrts sTirti
power What are those Stales' first, Ken
-tncky and Hrnncazcr-=-&ir. we MI kEee that
those States were portion, one of Virginla.
and the other of North Carolina, Ir the re
strction operated in Virginia az sde stood at
tue time of the adoption of the Constitution,
and upon North Carolina, it covered those ter
ritories., So far. then, as new States have
been formed out Of the limits Of the old States,
the restriction which applied to the old States
will apply to the new, thus formed out OF the
limits Of the old. Then cane Alabams and
Mississippi, formed mainly within the limits
of Georgia, They stppd upon the supe foot
ing.
But there il another aspect iH winch Eiit
Anattcs is 10 be viewed. Those who draughtes
the resolution knew we'll that, although the
proposition in its crms is suuques,Ionably true.
that the Constitution only restricted Cong:es~
us re Epccts thvse States where tha institution
EXISTED, yet the subject was open to he acted
upon by Congress in relation 90 tDe tentNories
Our first territory was LouisiHnuj our second
Florida Now, maintain that. while these
territories remained territories, II was compr
tent for Congress TO regulate the subject OF
slayery' within them. However thAt may Ir,
when those territories became States, the pow
er of regulating the subject passed from Cnu->
gress, They had no longcI apy coutrel over
Il And thua the new StELes, ~ puodgeCd since