The freeman. (Fremont [Ohio]) 1849-1850, 1850-02-23


States in behalf of sojourners but, with the excep-
ton of the States of Rhode Island and New Jer-
sey these acts had been swept away. The seduc-
ton of slaves from their owners in many instances
-one in his own famy-when, after dwelling
awhile in freedom, they have begged to be allowed
to return. He hoped that it would hereafter be con-
sidered by the free States their duty to adopt laws
for the enforcement of this part of the Constitution
1t was wrong, also to hold States responsible as
States, for the act of a few persons only; and he
never could conceive that the conduct pursuit by
northern persons to masters in pursuit of their
slaves would be sufficient cause for dissolving the
Union. There ground for mutual complaint
Massachusetts, places her legislation the ground
of the treatment, By the citizens of Charleston, TO
the minister she sent there, Mr.. Hoar Massachu-
setts might have declined sending such mission
there It was stated that his mission for the
purpose of bringing before the Courts of South Car
olina the question of the rights and privileges of
certain colored people. Tie was driven out of
Charleston, in the same way that another was
driven out of New Orleans. He did not undertake
to justify the conduct of either party. If South
Carolina treated Massachusetts badly, there was
no reason why Massachusetts should badly treat
Virginia, Kentucky, and other States. He men
toned the circumstance to show that both sides
had causes for complaints.
Mr. Davis of Massachusetts, said he never had
heard the apology stated by the Senator, as the
reason for the Legislature of Massachusetts. The
ground on which the lawsswere repealed was. that
the court had decided them to be unconstitutional.
The cause of Mr.. Hoar being sent TO Carolina was
this. Massachusetts has much shipping trade
there, and there are employed great many free
colored person who are recognized citizens of
the commonwealth. Those persons complained
that the arrival Charleston, these free colored
men placed in prison and confined till the
vessels was about TO leave thus putting the
owner of shipping to much inconvenience and
trouble Massachusetts proposed TO several citizens
Of South Carolina to employ them To test the va
lidnv Of this law, anil It was declined and then she
sent Mr. f. thnrp for that purposn.
! Mr. Clay sid that he had obtained his informa-
ton from distinguished citizen of Massachusetts,.
He hoped that tlint state would, upon being more
correctly informed Of this decision Of The supreme
court, reverse her LEGISLATION.
The eighth resolution is in these words:
That Congress has no power to prohihit-or oh
-trlct tie tr?dp IN slaves between the siavcoldine
States; hut than tx admission or exclusion Of slaves
brought frc m one into another of them, depends
exclusively uron their own particular laws.
The Supreme Court had already decided this
subject, and, he hoped, decided it forever
! Such was the series Of resolutions which he had
prepared, with view 10 offer the olive branch 10
|
was not ot al attached to his own productions ord
woul willingly coneer: To th.r improvements. TEo
nut it to the cand"r of gentlemen to saw if their
duty would be performed hv linotin their action
the objection tn this that particular point. Let
them nroducc their plans and let them al see il
anv thing better can he alortnd. Present him with
such scheme AMI he would hail it with pleasure
and adopt it with d.-lirh+.
When PREPARING this n'an 'he Missouri comnrom-
inm it. he had rejected it ae h"inor less worthy nf
mutuql annrnh.tion than the nlan r~nnns"4. His
agency in establishing the Missouri line of 36 DEG
so min. had been greatly exaoerat"d. He bod
hnnn wonderfully surprsrd ut the ran;diiv with
which historical events arc Forgotten He not
rs had been said. the author Of that rnn?nromise
| linz lie was not even member of the House in
which It originated
At the first session at which hill was introduc-
ed tn admit Missouri the bill fail"d-thr House in
Ssting rnrraftnr the nrnviso Of the ordinance nf
1877, and the Senate ,lissentn~ Al the rnxt sos
sion, Maine was knocln~ for admission TIL" Sen
ate coupled the two States together in hill and
said if you do not admit Missouri will not aA-
nit Maine This was done bv decided minority
The hill went THROUGH al' the etaoas Of conference
before it settled. and then it settled hv dis
connecting the two States. And then il was that
Mr. Thomas a senator from Illinois. proposed the
line of 36 deg 80 min and So it passed. and so il
went to Missouri and for while quicted the coun-
try Bv a reference to the journals it appears in
every instance this line of SO deg 30 min Offer
| ed by Mr.. Thomas.
! The line Of SO deg 80. minutes was voted for hv
!, majority of the Senators from the South. among
whom were Mr.. Pnckntv. of MARYLAND. and Mr.
Kino of Alabama. Tn tho Hnus" the n1nioritv Of
the Southern members beaded hv Mr.. Lowndes,
voted for it. He believed he dill two.
! At the next session it was discovered that Mis-
souri, had inadvertently introduced into her consti-
tuition an interi,iction of free colored people and
when the constit utnn came to Congress the cnun-
try was in an urroar Legislative bodies had tak-
en- action keep out Missouri because of this inter
dirton. He did not come 10 Wasrrtnn that year
till January and with view to settlement. he ask
ed committee of thirteen tn be appointed from the
old thirteen States, and that committee reported a
resolution, which was defeated by three southern
votes The matter then laid over. He believed
he could have carried any thing there a
majority in Congress in favor of settling the diff
Guilty; but there the ayes and noes, and unfnr-
turatpv there was not enough of Curtiuscs and Le-
onidases willing to sacrifice themselves for the
country.
He then proposed a JOINT committee, that of the
House to consist nf twentv-three members to be
chosen nv halot-for Mr.. Taylor speaker. and
it was Mr.. Taylor who had rroposed this rroviso
on all occassions-and the first ballot ei9tren Of
the twentv-thrcp persons nominated ny him as