Columbus Democrat. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 18??-18??, 1851-08-16
BROAD SIDE INTO BUNKUM! THE
DISTRICT SLAVE TRADE BILL
AND IT'S PENALTY.

0fall the humhuQs, 1T Hll the ridlcOlnus causes
for buakta ecamStrn Ne have ever seem. We
think the District Slave Trade Bill il the most
shallow aud rdicul,u. Just think It il Alter
the Sonh. except Maryland, has been excluded
+ fnm the slave trad, m The District ol Columbia
for HALF CENTURY by the ID ncal pen
alty attached 10 this bll d - seem rdir,lou4
and he extreme 81 tnlly Ia try 10 get up an rk.
element about il nnw. I ven the identical pen
aliv prohibited thu slave trade iu>Nls isirpi
Territory in the hill providing her ruhonal
Government. ~
We hud hr GLOWING section
"Sec. !. Fem aud after the es'ahli,hm n, Of
the aforesaid government, it shall not he lawful
for Rny person or persons IN Impht or bring mo
the said Mississippi territory, from any pot or
place, without thu limits 1T the United states, TT
To cause or procure IT, hr 81 imported or brought,
or knowingly 10 aid or assist in So importing or
bringing any slave ar slaves, AMI every persnn
~ nficudng and being thereof convicted before
any count within the laid territory, having com.
peIen, lutl,d cQon, shall forfeit and pay, ior each
and every slave az imported nr hrohgh, Ihr sum
of three hudr d dollars one n0ir'y Tor the
use 81 the United States, and the other mOrlv
Tor the n>r Of any person ~ persons who shall
sue lor the same and every slave so impaired
~ brought shall fhereupon become entitled 10 ard
rsceire hisor her 4 L L T. DO M.--llut. Miss.
Cudr, page IS.
The Narchpz Courier makes tho appropriate
remarks upon tn suhl~c we copy below. Verify,
the orators Of the everlasting Democraic(p
State Rights" Qnilnan, seoesson, dIsunon parry
arr the RIP Van Winklrs Of modern times
ain the second section OF the act of the l9ih
of December. 1901. the Slae If Maryland de.
carrd, "hat all tina, part ot the territory cailtd
Columbia, living within the limits oi that Sa'e
shall be and The same is hereby Acknowledged
Ia he forever coded to the Congress and Govern.
ment of the United States, IN flli aud absolute
right and exclusive jurisdiction, as well OF sol
as al persons residing or 10 reside thereon, pur.
snant 20 the eLor aud effect 1T Sec. 3, Ar. LIST
Of the Constitution with tbs prnvlso--
Provided that the jurisdiction Of the l,ws OF
this State over the persons and property Of 'nd'
/ vdual. residing within the limits Of the crssion
aforesaid. hall not cease or determine until Con.
gress shall by law provide Tor the government
1 thereof under their jurisdiction, IN manner pro-
vdpG hy the article IN the Constitution before ro'
cited
J Retaining still under this provso, the power OF
/ Legislation, Maryland, in November, 1896. en-.
4 acted statute, one section ot which prescIihes
AS Elbows:
/ THAT It shall not he lawful. from and after the
passage orihls act, to impor, or bring into this
State, by land or by water, any negro, mo'a'io,
or other slave for sale. or tn resd" within this
State; and any person brought into this Siafc
as a dauc contrary 10 this dci. i a Stare beforc
shall ihrrrupnn erase To be the property OF the
person or persons importing or bringing such
slave within the State and shall be FREE"
Z, an act, approved Feb. II, 1901, Congre"
assumed complete jurisdiction OF The District,
and among other things DECLARED;
THAT the laws al the State Of Maryland. s
they now exist, shall b" aud continue in lorced
in that part oi The said District which was ceded
10y H."
The MARYLAND Statute of 1905 was in force in
1901, when Congress thus adopted II Tor lht
par If The District. aud il is believed that il is
yel in force in TINT STATE.
Il !. unnecessary TO rrmark upon what were
the laws governing the Virginia portion Of tho
District, since the uholr territory crded by The
State wa. rrrncedrd TO her few years since,
So that nothing nov remains "t the District *
crpl VIVA, was coded BY Mar,jand. The Nlr-
pinia law, howevrT, passed Dee. II, 1892. vas
nearly id"nl,caI wuh that "F MARYLAND, similarly
providing '1ha al slaves thereafter brought into
that commonwealth should II" fee"
A, the January term ls4i Of tn" Supreme
Court Of the uoled States. ,hr cas- at Rhodes
y. BELL wa. decided. Tn" ease is reported III
- Howard, Rep. Page 397. lis caption thus
reads
'lhe Di.rric Of Columbia being still govern.
ed hy the laws Of Vagina aud Maryland, which
ware ~ force anterior 10 the rrs,iou, II is not
lawful TOR an inhahitant OF Washington count,
(ibe MARY land portion Of the DISTRICT !" pm'
chase slave in AlrIandrs county (th- Vrgin.
ia portion If the D,.tricD and hing him INTO
Washington count, itr sale II he does, the
slave will becpm. rnlIl ed 10 his tre"dom."
In this case one LiuIr residing IN The Mary.
land pat Of be District, bought IN 1887 nj one
Holt residing 10 the Virginia pah 9th" District
slave. aud removed hun to Maryland side TOR
sale. aid shortly nj er sold hun Ah'w year
afterwards The slave was sold again, and was
still retained III slavery N lhc time 0t the Ming ol
lhe bill. lie claimed b, freedom "n The ground
that h- he'd been brought into The May land por
ton u the District Tor sale. contrary 10 the
statute Of 1906 aud The Act Of Congress Of 1901,
aud WAS ihrrrITe hy thrir operation Tree. 1hs
Supreme Cont upon h~ Staie Of fact, and difer
an elaborate Examination Of The lar. unanimous,
ly heid Mdt The petitioner uds entitled 10 his
freedom.
This case occurred in 1897, and the Supreme
Court has declared the law rs late MS 1914. II
is evident that il slave could not he inlrod1ced
f r sale into tue Maryland part of the District
from The Sttte Of Virginia, he couid no, be from
any other STATE, Maryland perhaps excepted
Tie laws Of Mapland and, as adopted by Con
gress lorbdlIng all such introduction from any
quarter The law thus stood upon the subject
III Introducing slaves for sale. at the time Of the
passage Of the Act Of 1850.
In rlH thus be seen tkat for The last GtIyGw
years The Stare trade, bttueen the Dgtr'cf ot
f'oI,,pbia and The other Ntates, harN land per-