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

NOr1n.
s. Congress is to declare it inexpedent TO abol-
ish slavery in the District of Columbia except
with the assent Of Maryland and the people Of
the District, and making compensation 10 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.
6. 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, to 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
saveholding 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.
7. We now come 10 grand specific for giving
ease TO Northern conscences, for allaying all IT.
ritation, and for restoring general heathful &C
ton throughout the present morbid system of the
confederacy will give the recipe in full
Resolved, that more eeectuai provision ought to
to be made by law for the restitution and delive'
ny of persons bound to service or labor in any
State, who may escape into any other State OF
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 81 do not say, sir that private individual
is obliged to make the tour OF his whole State, in
order TO assist the owner of a slave to recover
his property; but do say, If he as 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 90 with the farthest Senator
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
which our medical adviser proposes to administer
it, He must not be surprised should some diff.
Guilty be experienced in compelling the patient to
swallow the draught.
Mr. Clay has long been favorer of those field
sports in which the prey is MAN, and he has the
merit it 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
and in return, to British sportsmen should be
accorded the privilege Of hunting West India ne.
groes throughout the whole extent of the Ameri-
can Republic. But John Bull rejected the ten.
dered reciprocity, and churlishly replied, "Tle
law OF Parliament gave freedom to every slave
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 forcbly added almost half her territory to
our own hunting grounds. OF all the game laws
in existence, that of 1898, 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 effectual," 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 animal2 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 Yirginian has wide choice. Surely
this is hunting made easy by law; but it is not
found so easy in practice. Latterly, various
States have prohibited their own officers from as
sisting in the chase of human beings, and citi-
zens rarely lend any unpaid assistance. Hence
a new game law is deemed needful, and MI. Clay,
as we have seen, is pledged to 90 with 7" the far
thest Southern Senator" the most devoted lover
of the sport, to make it ehectual. The Judiciary
Committee have accordingly reported bill now
before the Senate. 81 agree" said Mr.. Mason,
one of the farthest Southern Senators, in his
speech on this bill, (28th january 81 agree that
the Federal Government has no poper to impose
duties of any kind upon officers Of State govern
ments as ~ch.n OF course, the obligation i'm
posed by the law OF 1898, upon Justices OF the
Peace and other State officers, to catch slaves are
void, and our Northern Legislatures, il is ad-
mitted, have right to prohibit them from par
ticipating in slave hunts.
To obviate this difficulty, it becomes necessary
to select other than State officers TO adjudica,e
upon questions of higher import than any, with
the single exception of life and death, that ever
exercised the talents, learning, virtue, and indie
nendence of the most august tribunals OF any