The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-08-04

in the New England States none have tn
powers of citizens but those whom they ca
freemen and none are freemen until admitte
by vote of the freemen of the town. Yet, i
the General Government, these non. freeme
are counted in their quantum of representa-
ton and of taxation SO, slaves with us hav
no powers as citizens yet in representation
in the General Government, they count in tn
proportion of three to five and so also in tax
alton. Whether this is equal, is not here tn
question. Ii is a capitulation of discordan
sentiments and circumstances, and is Obliga
tory on that ground. But this view show
there is no inconsistency in claiming repre-
sentatiOn for them from the other States, ant
refusing it within our own Accept the renew
al of assurances of my respect
| THOMAS JEFFERSON.
Page 295.
To Vim. Short Ertractl
Although | had laid down as law to nv
SELF never to write, talk, OF even to think o
politics. to know nothing of public affairs anc
therefore had ceased to read newspapers, We
the Missouri question aroused and filed mi
with alarm. The old schism of Federal ant
Republican threatened nothing because it ex
listed in every State, and united them togethe,
W Wiz Va party DuJ INC
dence of marked principle, moral and DO
litical, with geographical line, once con.
ceived, | feared would never more be oblitera.
ted from the mind that it would be recurring
on every occasion, and renewing irritations
until it would kindle such mutual and mortal
hatred, rs to render separation preferable to
eternal discord. ] have been among the most
sanguine in believing that our Union would be
OF long duration. | now doubt it much, and
see the event at no great distance, and the
direct consequence of this question: not by
the line which has been so confidently counted
on the laws of Nature control this: but by
the Potomac, Ohio and Missouri, or, more
probably, the Mississippi upwards to our
Northern boundary. My only comfort and
confidence is, that shall not live to see this
and envy not the present generation the glory
of throwing away the fruits of their fathers
sacrifices OF life and fortune and of rendering
desperate the experiment which was to decide
ultimately whether man is capable of self
government This treason against human
hope, will signalize their epoch in future his
tory, as the counterpart of the medal of their
predecessors.-Page 322.
To John Holmes.
MONTICELLO, Aprii %, 1920.
thank you, dear sir, for the copy you have
been 30 kind as to send me of the letter to
your constituents on the Missouri question Ii
ia a perfect justification to them. had for q
long time ceased to read newspapers or pay
any attention to public affairs confident they
were in good hands, and content to be pas
senger in our bark to the shore from which |
am not distant. But this momentous question.
like fire, bell in the night, awakened and filled
me with terror considered it at once as the
knell of the Union. 1t is hushed, indeed, for the
moment But this is rcprieve only, not final
sentence. A geographical line, coinciding with
a marked principle, moral and political, once
conceived and held up to the angry passions of
men, will never be oblitcratcd and every new
irritation will mark it deeper and deeper. |
can say, with conscious truth, that there is not
man on earth who would sacrifice more than
! would to relieve us from this heavy re-
proach, in any practicable way. The cession
OF that kind Of property, for 20 it is misnamed,
Is bagatelle which would not cost me sec
ond thought, il, in that way, general eman-
cipation and expatriation could be effected:
and, gradually, and with due sacrifices, think
it might be. But a. it is, we have the wolf
by the ears and we can neither hold him, nor
safely let him 60. Justice is in one scale, and
self.preservation in the other. OF one thing
am certain, that as the passage of slaves from
one State to another, would not make slave
of a single human being who would not be 30
without it, 80 their diffusion over greater
surface would make them individually hap
pier, and proportionally facilitate the accom-
plishment Of their emancipation, by dividing
the burden on greater number Of coadjutors
A. L.t.- of
would remove the jealousy excited by the un
dertaking OF Congress TO regulate the cOnd
ton of the different descriptions of men com
posing State. This certainly is the exclusive
right of every State, which nothing in the Con
stitution has taken from them, and given Il
the General Government. Could Congress
| for example say, that the non freemen of Con
necticut shall be freemen, or that they shall
not emigratc into any other State Page 1913
To J. adams Eriraoi
| Our anx!eties in this quarter are all concen
trated in the question, what does the Holy AL
lance in and out OF Congress mean to do will
US on the Missouri question! And this, b.
the bye, il but the name Of the case it ia onl'
the John Doe or Richard Roe of the eiectmeni
The real question, as seen in The States aiilict
cd with the unfortunate population, is, are on
slaves to be presented with freedom and a dag
ger! For If Congress has the power to regu
late the conditions of the inhabitants of tn
States, within the States, it will be but anothe
exercise of that power, to declare that a
shall be free Are We then to see again Ath,
MAN and I.acedemonian coniederaoies I
wage another Peloponnesian war to settle tn
asoendency between them Or is this N
tocsin of merely a servile war That remain
to be seen but not | hope, by you or m
Surely they will parley awhile and give ,
time to get ont Of the way What Bedlami
is man Page 1913
10 A. de Lafayette. Extract
On the eclipse Of Federalism with ms, O
though not its extinction its leaders got up Il
Missouri question, under the false front Of LEI
ening the measure of slavery, but with u
real view Of producing . geographical divisi'
Of parties, which might insure Thorn the nc
President The people Of the North we
blindfold into the snare, followed their leade
8 Cor while with zeal truly moral and lau
: able, until they became sensible that they va
injuring instead Of aiding tho real interests