The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1851-01-30
THE NATIONAL ERA.
DEBATE IN THE SENATE on THE AFRICAN
SLAVE TRADE.


the employment Of American vessels and Ameri
can seamen in the African slave trade and espe
cialy as to the expediency Of granting sea letters
or other evidence Of national character to Ameri
can vessels clearing out of the ports Of the En-
pire Of Brazil for the western coast Of Africa.
Mr.. Hale said that he desired to say few
wards on this resolution. In this mornings pa
per he found the following article, which he read
To crafty public curiosity in regard TO tn,
character Of paper which it is understood is be
ing signed by many members Of Congress, VI
have procured copy for publication in ourpapel
Of to-day:
The undersigned, members of the 3lst Con
gress of the United States believing that re
newal Of sectional controversy upon the subject Of
slavery would be both dangerous to the Union
and destructive of its objects, and seeing no mode
by which such controversy can be avoided, except
by strict adherence TO THE SETTLEMENT thereof
effected by the Compromise acts passed at the last
session of Congress do hsTsby declare their inten
ton to maintain the said settlement inviolate and
to resist all attempts TO repeal or alter the acts
aforesaid, unless by the general consent Of the
friends of the measures, and TO remedy such evil
IF any as time and experience may develop.
GO And for the purpose of making this resolu-
ton effective, they fy,hsr deela,e that they will
rot support for the office of President, or Of Vice
President, or of Senator, or Of Representative in
Congress, or as membar of q State Legislature
any man, of whatever party, who is not known TO
be opposed TO the disturbance Of THIS SETTLEMENT
aforesaid and to the renewal in any form, of agi-
tation upon the subject Of slavery"
lie did not, but those who Supported the reso-
luton would come within the ostracism which
was proposed by the paper he had read and which
had been published, as was stated to crafty pub
lie curiosity. He thought that instead OF graft
frip lta cur ify IL han he of
exciting it public curiosity would not be graft
fed till the signers' names were also made public.
lie thought the discussion of this resolution
could not take place without placing those who
might think proper to do so in position TO be os-
tracsed by this publication He could not I'M
derstand how the trade, and the propriety of sup
pressing it, were to be discussed, when the article
Traded was not to he euV3rS so ~ commented
upon without violating the rule laid down in this
paper. It would appear strange and difficult if
the subject Of a tariff on iron was to be examined
and detaJeu ann PnrJles, in so doing, were TO be
prohibited all mention of the word iron How
was the slave trade to be discussed without necessa
ry abiding to the subject of slavery, which was
prohibited by this paper published to crafty
public curiosity.
In reference to the slave trade and the effect of
the various means adopted to suppress it, he read
from letter written in lS45 by James Ham
mond, Of South Carolina to Mr.. Clarkson, in
England, in which he pointed out the effects of
those measures upon the number of slaves i'm
ported, and the mortality among them la 1887
there was an annual Importation of slaves of
about forty-fge thousand and the mortality dur
ing the middle passage was not over nine per
cent. In 1910, after the most rigorous measures
had been adopted to suppress the trade, the an
nual number of slaves brought from Africa was
increased three-fold, the slave trade having in
creased more rapidly than any other. In that
year, the slaves brought over numbered one hun
dred and fifty thousand souls, and their mortality
during the middle passage had increased from
nine to twenty five per cent. lie read further
extracts 10 show that the measures adopted TO
suppress the African slave trade had not only not
prevented an increase Of the number, hut had act
uRlly increased to a fearful extent the mortality
of the slaves. Mr. Hammond further proceeded
TO show that if these measures were withdrawn
more comfort would be allowed in the transporta-
ton of the slaves and the horrors of the trade
would be reduced; he also argued that slavery
was not the institution it was represented to be-
but that it was ord lined by God himself in the
time of Moses and had been sanctifed by Christ
and his Apostles; and that the Africans were
benefited by bringing them from the darkness of
their own land TO one where civilization and
Christianity were known.
Mr.. FL said that, if there were truth in these
arguments, and he supposed Mr.. Hammond was
we'll acquainted with the subject, the sooner all
measures to suppress the African slave trade were
abolished the better and, il to bring savages from
Africa, and to place them in God-ordained and
Christ-sanctifed institution, was such horrible
trade az TO call forth and excite these phan-
thropc efforts to prevent it, he could not see it..
lie had always noticed that when the North was
pushed to the wall on the subject of slavery when
the battle was lost when the cause of freedom was
defeated, and slavery obtained everything as il
had done at the last session, then the pious phi
lanthropy Of some person was Immediately ex-
cited, and they came armed TO make all efforts
against the foreign trade. He had no respect for
that philanthropy which gave up everything to
slavery at home, and waged war on that foreign
trade which it was safe for everybody to assal
II has been said that colonization was the most
effecual means to effect the suppression of the
slave trade; he did not think so He believed
that as long as there WAS q market for slaves, and
as long as there WAS a spot upon which slavery
was permitted and encouraged, the trade would
go on.
If they were to have colonization, he wanted to
know which kind of colonization il was to be He
had seen and heard pious men at the North preach
ing up colonization as the only means Of finally
getting rid of slavery; and he had read the differ
country, where it was stated that colonization was
the best guarantee of the permanency Of slavery,
because it would remove the nuisance population
Of free negroes from around and amidst the
slaves.
Mr.. Clay asked that the resolution might be
read. Ii was read. lie said that the reading of
the resolution was the best answer TO the speech
which had just been made The resolution was
one of inquiry only and it was founded on Off
oial documents which were before the Senate, aud
which had been called for by the Senate. 1t was
we'll known, and the official documents showed it,
that the subject Of the African slave trade and its
being carried on in American vessels, between
Brazil and the western coast Of Africa, had been
the subject of correspondence between several
American ministers at Braz AMI the Govern
ment Mr.. Wise, Mr.. Tod, and others, and sew.
eral Of the United States consular agents, had
written home respecting il.
The subject WAS properly before the Senate in
these documents, and the resolution was one of
inquiry only, based on the contents Of those docu-
ments IL appeared that American vessels, com
manded by American captains, and with Ameri-
can crews, were sold in the ports Of Brazil, on
condition of being delivered on the coast Of Afri-
Ca The vessels, being American, were under the
American flag, which was the only one which
protected them from the right of search In this
way they could reach the coast Of Africa, and
American seamen were either discharged on the
coast Of Africa without the means Of reaching
home, or were often compelled, in order to reach
ion mo- TO navigate the vessel back with cargo OF
queslo. The American agents in Brazil all state
nee OF proc is commercial trade to induce these
nave mad TO the coast Of Africa, and all unite,
hrst lntenoneans Of preventing this course, is to
,evea your clrtt them letters other evidence
u ! intended eraoter to trade from Brazilian ports
g, but must defer frica.
may publish any Pw nothing in this resolution,
think suitable and, L. to call for any renewal of
ow best what dispositubject of slavery which had
ceptabe, will occssiV There was a wide dis
es informing you how site slavery and the foreign
this State, &c With b, of the former, there was