The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-01-30

Tor blacks was at FIRST rejected. by the votea Of
Massachusetts, Pennsy lvanis, Delaware Mary
land, and South Carolina, tine tvo former States
rejecting AL representation, - the Latter claim
ing fun representation. The debate was fur
Their contnued, the 18th July, 1887. The COM
msrcial views Of New England and the North,
insinuatsd by Mr.. King, were more distinctly
stated BY. Gouyerneur Morris.
Gen. Pnckney was alarmed by what was said
concerning negroes, and now by what was said
about taxing exports. Hoped clause would
be inserted into the system, restraining the lc-
gislature from taxing exports.
Gen. Davie said it was high time to speak
out l1e saw that it was meant, by some gen.
temen, TO deprive the Southern States Of any
share Of representation for their blacks. North
Carolina would never confederate on any terms
that did not rate them ut lesst as three-fitths.
II the Eastern States meant, therefore, to ex-
clude them altogether. the business was ut an
end.
July IAN, 1887.
Mr.. Madison 1t seemed now to be pretty
well understood, thai the real difference Of inlsr-
csts lay not detaoeen the large and sYaal bit be-
t,0esn the Northern and Southern States. The
institution Of Slavery and its consequences, formed
the line Of discrimination.
July 22d, 1887.
Gen. Pinckncy reminded the convention, that II
the committee should fail to insert sose security to
the Southern States, against an emancipation Of
slapes, and tGres on exports, he should be bound,
BY ms duty 10 his State, to rots against their
port
August l6h, 1857.
on exports. He hoped the Northern States did
not mean to deny the Southern this security.
Mr.. Gouverneur Morris considered such pro-
vision admissible.
August 22d.
Mr.. Gorhcn. lie des,red il to be remembered,
that the Eastern States had no motive 10 union
but commercial one They ,Oere able 10 protect
themselves. They icere not afraid of external
danger, and did not need the aid Of the Southern
States
We do not know more instructive study for
Southern citizen than the debates of the con-
vention, in the formation Of the Federal Consti-
tuition, on the interests Of slavery. They have
been collected, in the pamphlet we have placed
at the head of our article for a purpose we shall
hereafter explain Our limits do not authorize
but one additional extract and that is the speech
OF Gouverneur Morris, in reply to that Of Mr..
Madison, extracted above.
lie said, "the train of business, and the late
turn which it had taken, had led him into deep
meditation on it, and he would canddly state
the result A distinction had been set up and
urged between the Northern and Southern
States. He had hitherto considered this doc
tiine heretical. He still thought the distinction
groundless. He sees however, it is persisted
in, and the Southern gentlemen will not be sat
lstied unless they see the way open to their
gaining majority in the public councils The
consequence Of such transfer of poloer, from
The maritime to the interior and landed interest,
ioiA, he forsees, be such an oppression 10 com.
MERGE, that he shall be obliged to pote for the vi
cious principle Of equality, in thu second branch.
in order TO prouide some defence for the Northern
States against it. If Fictitious let it be dismissed
and let us proceed with due confidence lit
be real, instead Of attempting to blend incompati-
ble things, let at once take friendly leave of
each other. There can be no end of demands for
security, if each particular interest il entitled to
it. The Eastern States may claim it for their
fishery, and for other objects, as the Southern
Stltes claim it for their peculiar objects In this
struggle between the two ends of the Union,
what part ought the Middle States to take To
join the Eastern States, according to his IDEAS
Ii the Southern States get the power in their
hands, and be joined, as they will be, by the in
terror country, they will inevitably bring on a
var with Spain, for the Mississippi He wished
to know what security" ETC., etc.
The Constitution was the result of much
compromise The largest concessions were
made by the Southern States The moving
spring OF the Northern States was to command
the commerce of the country, through the Fede
raj Government The Southern delegates fore
saw the danger. Col. Mason, in the Virginia
Convention, said "that for more than three
months, eight States out of twelve voted for re-
curing taoo-uirds of the numbers present, in
each House OF Congress, to pass commercial
and navigation laws That afterwards it was
carried as it now is. There was a great major
ity for requiring two-thirds of the States in this
business, till q compromise took place between
the Northern and Southern States. The North
ern States agreeing to the temporary importa-
ton of slaves, and the SouthernsStates conced-
ing, in return, that navigation and commercial
laws should be put on the footing they now
stand" We suppose that the frame of the or
dinance for the Northwestern Territory, in the
part concerning slavery, may have obtained its
present form as part of the same compromise
l. was adopted in the same month these conces-
sons occurred, without division, by the Con
gress, sitting in Philadelphia The constitu-
tional clause, in regard to the Importation of
slaves contains restriction of the importation
to the States then in existence A partial rep.
rcsentation Of slaves, and the prohibition Of taxes
on exports, were insisted on by the South In
the beginning of the convention, provisions were
made for the maintenance Of the relation in the
States /; but these were finally waived
] he members Of the South, in this body, as
well as in others since, acted without concert
and in the details, left the draught of the Con
stituton to their opponents The most singular
ommission consists in the grant of the exclusive
over the armies and navies Of the country to
the Fedora. Government, and the refusal of the
States of all power Of alliance, compact, con
federation, to issue paper money and, at the
same time, omitted guarantee to them against
the exertions Of the power Of the Federal Gov
eminent. The apprehensious Of the convention
seem to have been confined to the centrifugal
tendencies of the States, and were never directed
to the monopolizing and absorbing quality of
the central authority. Apparently, the filth of
the convention was implicitly given to the crea-
ton of its will; or, they might have supposed