The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1850-02-20

I 10 Congress. lie had expressed similar
sie~s in 1898 on This subject. 10 lsas
he thought Congress had she power. bar
should MOI exetise IL without consent af
Maryland. Vuginia. the people Of lhe
District. and without compenssgion 10 The
nwpers. Since iirn fhai pant Of The Dis
lrici eedrd by Virgins had been retro
ceded 10 her. and her consent wss moi
now necessary. she not being morr in
rerrsied Than any olhef slave Stale. He
had held then. ss he did nov. that ahiIe
Congress had ihs power. il ought moi 10
be exercised. for Marylsnd and Virginia in
granting the District did 50 under an i'm
piled promise that slavery should NOT be
louehed therein without lheir ronseni.
This District was ceded by Virginia aud
Maryland. and sccePled by the United
STATES. 10 be The seat Of government; and
10 make il The seat Of government should
be The leading idea in sll our Legislation
Tor IL; and hence II is inexpedient 10
abolish slavery here without the desire
Of The people and The assent Of Mary
land.
Alter The adoption OF The constitution.
Maryland and Virginia. in feeling fra
iernal peace and happiness which then
prevailed over The Union. generously ceded
10 llie United States this District; bur in
doing 80, they never thought that Con.
gress should make il thorn 10 their side
BY ahollshine slavery here. He ,honghi.
in 1898. and believed now. that The Con.
gress Of the United States. as an honora.
bic body. conld moi interfere with slavery
In the District wiihou, violation of alI
those implied agreements with Maryland
and Virginia, which, 10 honorable men.
were as binding as If contained in The
Constitution in express terms. The re-
solution does not admit or deny that Con-
gress has the power 10 sboli-h slavery In
Tins District. II is silent. The resou-
lion in substance provides that Maryland
shall first release The United States from
all those implied obligaii5 ms; and, il che
does SO, one obstacle in the way is re.
moved. There were other obstacles 10
The abolition Of slavery here. One was,
lha, the consent Of the people Of this Dis
iric, should first be obtained.
The people Of this District were in an
anomalous condition. They are people
governed by an arbitrary power. They
are taxed and governed b. an authority in
which they have no voice. Arbitrary
power he defined 10 be an authority OK.
ercised By a power in which the people
over whom il is exercised have no repre-
sentative. Congr. IS. having this arbi,ra.
W power. should mater exercise IL in 4
manner harsh or nnkind. The consen,
Of the people should firsl be obtained.
The resolution did moi stop here. i.
provides for another thing. There should
be just compensation TO The owners Of
slaves for their property. Congress should
be restrained by every motive of public
policy and every principle Of eternal jus.
lice from depriving The people Of the Dis
trIct oil their property wnhnnt making just
compensation. England and France. when
they abolished slavery in their posses.
sions. did moi do SO wi,hon, compromising
the owners for their property and these
countries were no, bound by any written
or unwriiien obligation 10 pay, bnt there
was an obligation whicl, all nations re-.
cognise, the obligation Of eternal Justice.
The provision in the Constitution which
says that al! private properly taken for
the use Of The Government must be paid
for. did not literally anthorise this appro.
pfallon Of public money. but, by liberal
Interpretation of the clause, would make
il lha, all properly taken for the use or al
The instance of the government, would au.
thorise The payment for the slaves.
lie said yesterday tina, there was none
Of the resolutions which did not provide
for mutual concessions. or which did moi
concedc to the South without any com.
pensalion 10 The North. The North con.
tends. and he thought correctly, that Con-
gress has the power TO abolish slavery in
The District. The South denies this pow.
er. The North comedies. by This resolu.
lion. that II is inexpedien,. and makes anl
agrees that slavery here shall be co-rxis-
tent with slavery in the States; but this
concession was made in consideration of
the assertion that il was expedieni 10 a.
bnlish the slave trade in this District.
The right and The power 10 do this he
thought unquestionahle. BY an amend
meni ~ The Constitution, il was provided,
that all towers not granted expressly 10
Congress were reserved 10 The States and
10 the people. This was applicable to
the powers Of Congress over the people
Of The several States. But in regart. 10
this District, he considered the reverse
was the law. Over this District Congress
had the same powers which the States
had over all within their own limits, and
! Congress had all powers over this Dis
trict no, expressly prohibited By The Con.
stilu,ion. There was no Stale but wha,
had acted upon the subjec, Of The slave
trade. The adoption Of this resolution
he did not think would be a concession
! By either class of States, but would be ii
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