The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-01-23
THIRTY-FIRST CONGRESS.
SECOND SESSION.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY %, 1861.
SEN ATE.


"WEDNESDAY, JANUARY %, 1851.
SENATE.
CONVERSATIONS OF EXTRA CLERKS.
Mr.. CLAY presented the petition of fourteen
persons who set forth that they have been for
Treasury Department at compensation of three
dollars day, and asking that the said componsa-
ton be increased to four dollars day.
NAVIGATION OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIvER.
Mr.. JONES presented the joint resolution of toe
Legislature of Iowa, instructing the Senators from
making grant of money or donation of land To
| aid in the improvement of the navigation of the
Mississippi river at the Des Moines and Rock river
rapids.
THE FUGITIVE SLAVE LAW.
Mr.. SEWARD presented the petition of reli-
gious Society of Friends of Marlborough, Chester
county, Pennsylvania, and Of citizens Of Niagara
county, New York, praying the repeal of the Flu
gitive Slave law. He moved the reference of the
Mr.. MANGUM moved, and the petitions were
laid on the table,
RArIoNs NAVAL SURGEONS.
Mr.. YULEE, from the Committee on Naval AT
fairs, reported back the joint resolution granting
the rations are allowed to medical officers
of the army He briefly explained the same, and
it was ordered to be engrossed for third reading.
Mr. YULEE, from the came committee, report
the navy. Tho bill changes the name of "purser''
to that Of "paymaster.
REORGANIZATION OF STATE DEPARTMENT.
Mr. FOOTE, from the Committee on Foreign
Relations, reported bill to reorganize the State
Department
THE AFRICAN SLAVE TRADE.
The Senate then proceeded to the consideration
Of the following resolution, submitted on Monday
last by Mr.. CLAY:
Resolved, That the Committee on Commerce be
instructed to inquire into the expediency of max
ing more eectual provisions by law to prevent the
employment of American vessels and American
seamen in the African slave trade and especially
to the cxpediency Of granting sea letters other
evidence OF national character to American vessels
clearing out of the ports of the empire of Brazil for
the western coast of Africa.
Mr.. HALE said that he desired to say few
words on this resolution. In this mornings pa
per he found the following article, which he read
"To crafty public curiosity in regard to the
character of a paper which it is understood is be-
ing signed by many members of Congress, we
have procured copy for publication in our paper
of to day:
"'The undersigned, members of the 3lst Con
gress Of the United States believing that renewal
OF sectional controversy upon the subject of slavery
would be both dangerous to the Union and destruc.
tive Of it's 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 ut the last session Of
Congress, do hereby declare their intention to main
tain the said settlement nvolate, and to resist all
attempts to repeal or alter the acts aforesaid, unless
by the general consent of the friends of the mea-
surcs, and to remedy such evils (if any) as time
and experience may develop,
And for the plrposc OF making this resolution
effective, they further declare that they will not
support for the Office of President, of Vice Pres-
sident, of Senator, of representative in Con
gress, or as member of State legislature. any
man, OF whatever party, who ia not known to be
opposed to the disturbance of THE SETTLEMENT
Aforesaid, and to the renewal, in any form, of ag-
taton upon the subject of slavery'''
He did not, but those who supported the resou-
ton would come within the ostraeism which was
proposed by the paper he had read, and which had
been published, as was stated, to crafty public
curiosity. He thought that instead Of gratifying
public curiosity, 1t would have the effect of cxcit
ing IT; public curiosity would not be gratifed till
the signors' names were also made public. He
thought the discussion Of this resolution could not
take place without placing those who might think
proper to do 80 in position to be ostracised
by this publication. He could not understand how
the trade and the propriety of suppressing it were
to be discussed when the article traded was not to
be alluded to or commented upon without violating
the rule laid down in this paper. Il would appear
strange and difficult if the subject of tariff on iron
was to be examined and debated, and parties, in 80
doing. were to be prohibited all mention of the
word IRON How was the slave trade to be discussed
without necessarily abiding TO the subject of sla-
very, which was prohibited by this paper published
to crafty public curiosity.
In reference to the slave trade, and tho effect of
the various means adopted to suppress it, he read
from letter written in lS45, by James Hamilton,
ofSouth Carolina, to Mr. Clarkson, in England, in
which he pointed out the effects Of those measures
upon tho number of slaves imported, and the
mortality among them. In 1857 there was an
annual importation of slaves of about forty five
thousand, and the mortality during tho middle
passage not over nine per cent, In 1870
after the most rigorous measures had been
adopted to suppress the trade, tho annual number
of slaves brought from Africa was increased three
fold, the slave trade having increased more rapidly
than any other In that year the slaves brought
over numbered one hundred and fifty thousand
sous, and their mortality during the middle pas
sage had increased from nine TO twenty five per
cent. He read further extracts to show that the
measures adopted TO suppress the African slave
trade had not only not prevented increase of
the number, but had actually increased to fearful
extent the mortality ofthe slaves Mr. Hamilton fur
Their proceeded to show that if these were
withdrawn, more comfort would be allowed in the
transportation OF the slaves and the horrors of the
tradewould be reduced; he aiso argued that slavery
not the institution it was represented to be- but
that ordained by God himself in the time of
Moses, and had been sanctified by Christ and his
apostles; and that the Africans were benefited bv
bringing them from the darkness of their own land
70 one where civilization and christianity were
known,
Mr.. II. said that, If there were truth in these
arguments, and he supposed Mr.. Hamilton was well
acquainted with the subject, the sooner all
eurcs to suppress the African slave trade abol-
ishcd the better; and, if TO bring savages from At
RIGA, and to place them in a God ordained and
Christ sanctifcd institution, was such horrible
trade IA to call forth and excite these phanthropc
efforts to prevent it, he could not it. He had al
why's 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 every thing al u had done at