Columbus Democrat. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 18??-18??, 1851-08-09
THE DESTRUCTION OF SLAVE DE,
POTS A. THE DOT COLUMBIA.

. "etaE C0atefte4 li-o DAFntpfA ~ -l1fu N4~
ders. We are sad.fsi ihii THIS bil has been,
rhisrsPtesenied by tie opponents Of Ihe adyiA-
menl and that is true character and red %
+ lee,s hays been concealed BY those who arsbn.
scuyaloa' in their efforts to keep up agitation
and madlen the minds Of toe people iaslasor OF
The schemes Of the secessionis,s. We tharzflss
call the attention Of the people, who are aioae.
interested 10 knowing the truth, 70 the language
Of The bill itself
The frs, section prohibits the introduction Of
any slavs into the pi,lnc, 10 be sold or placed in
DEPOT, 70 Be su5ssqsa'ly 'raasferrel 10 any other
State or place 70 Be sod a, mere handise."
The second section eoni.rs % 4 upon ,he..cor.
poFaiions cf the city Of Washington aud George.
town, and upon The Levy Court Of Washington
county from lime to ti5as and as often as may be
necessary aba,e, break up and abolish any depor
or place Of confinement Of slaues brougk INFO
ihs said District q, merchandise, contrary 10 the
Prorissions Of his act, &c"
These two sections comprised the whole bill,
Every intelligent man will see, and every can.
did man will acknowledge that the act wa1 not
intended, and does not prevent The citizens Of
the District Of Columbia from Purchatng for
their own uss,in or out Of the District, As many
slaves as they may wish. The main o. jees oflhe
bill was the distraction Of slave dspots mich The
inhabitants regarded as a nuisance to We cities
Of Washington aud Georgetown.
The bib does no, prevent persons from taking
their slaves with them TO the District Sit does
not prevent those residing there fiom pureha sing
slaves in the adjoining States and bringing them
into the District nor does prevents citizen Of
other States from selling and delivering a slave
% citizen who resides in the District Read
Tho bill carefully.
Ii will be recollected that this law is based
upon the petition Of he people Of the District
Ii is in accordance with their wishes and we
are yet to learn that the first breath ofcompaint
has ever come from them. They alone are af,
tected, except some reckless slave trader may
incur the penalty by an open violation Of the
plain letter of the statute. We take il Tor grant,
ed tina. no one will be found ioolhardy enough,
after the passage Of this act, to tike slaves to
the Distric, to be placed in depot thereSin viola.
ton Of The law. If So no slave wiK ever be
liberated. &
We have presenteda plain at9mcuk Of the
object of his bill which has bcea TO much dis.
coored and misrepresented, and now, in all can.
dor. we ask the citizens Of Lowndes to determine
whether it affords any evidence that Congress.
viii abolish slavery in the Dislrc, Of Columbia
We might answerihe question by the statement
Of the fact that the same Senate which passed
this bill, at The same session by an 0verwheln.
ing majority, rejected bill for the abolition Of
slavery in the District But ii is INSISTED in the
face Of fact and reason, that the patalty attached
to the violation Of the law, is I'm exercise, by
Congress Of power which, 1sTsn "entering
wedge TO the abolition Of sapeN," This is
shaow.pated and ridiculous! AID those who
advance such views must regard lkeir listeners
as stupid and silly as themselves, o. 50 env-loped
in political bigotry as 10 make no distinction be
tween truth and error This pow9 to aflix the
liberation of slave as penalty fot the violation
oil the law, was exercised by Congress upwards
OF fifty too years ago. If it is an entering
wedge now, il was an entering wedge fifty.
two years agl, and has certainly been driven
very slowly; if il enters no faster for the
ncIt tiliytwo years, the present generation will
at least ENJOY their properly unmolesred by Con,
gress. The act TO which we now refer, Will be
found in Hutch. Code, page So, Ii IVA, to pro.
hibit the Introduction &c siases into the .Missis
sipPi territory, iom ioreign countries. The lat
ter clause of the 9Th section reads as follows:
"And erery STARE 50 imported aad brought,
shall hcreupoA become entitled 10 Sad receipe has
freedom"
This act was passed 7lh April, 1908, when it
was lawful to import slaves from foreign coun,
tries.
In 1904 Congress exercised the same power
in regard to Louisana. The peaa4y mas he
freedom Of the sldre. The act waJ signed by
Thomas Jefferson. threads thus
mo slave or slaves shall be directly or indi.
rectly introduced into said territory, except by
citizens of the United States removing into said
territory Tor actual settlement, and being at the
time OF such removal, bona fde owners of such
slave or slaves; and every slave impoteii.ne
brou ghI into said territory contrary 10 the pss--=
sions Of this act, shall thereupon be entitled to
receive bis or her freedom"
We think it probable that Mr.. Jefferson, if be
were permitted to revisit this world, would find
il necessary TO take lessons upon the doctrine OF
Democratic State Rights, from some OF his de