The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-01-06

We are all conscious that but one great il
terest in these United States is now protecte
by prohibitory tariff that is, the slave-bree,
ing interest OF Virginia and the other Norther
slave States We protect the slave grower b
visiting the penalty of death upon those VIII
import slaves to the injury of our own citizen
who rear boys and girls for the market The:
facts stand prominent upon the history of on
times. We have secured 10 the slave-dealel
OF TINS nation monopoly of the crime Of buy
ing and selling human flesh.
Now, sir, with all kindness, will say to thos
advocates for protection to Northern labor tina
while they make merchandise of the Souther
laborer, of his wife and children, it will be i
VAN tor them to profess humane sympathy 70
the tree and Independent laborers of the NORTH
While you profess an anxious solicitude for tn
pecuniary interest of the laborer in the cottol
mill, and at the same time make merchandis
Of the bone and sinews, the blood and muscl
OF him who cultivates the raw material. tn
people Will pronounce you hypocrites.
this morning read in one of our papers al
account OF q slave mother, having four children
whom she tenderly loved Her soul yearneC
Tor their happiness. But her master contracted
70 deliver them to slave-dealer. She yainly
implored him to desist from his purpose. H,
persisted; and as she saw her offspring abou
to be torn from her embrace, she felt unable t.
meet such separation, and, in order to save hel
loved ones from the suffering and degradation
to which your laws consigned them, she mer
citully deprived them of life A few DAYS af
forwards she was herself consigned to the
gallows, for this manifestation of her affection
and the whole family of five persons were
placed beyond the further cruelty of yom
laws.
Now, sir, while we continue in force laws
which lnflct such suffering upon one portion
OF our fellow mOrtas, and at the same time
profess an anxiety for the pecuniary interest
OF another portion, will not all candid men
charge us with hypocrisy and falsehood!
Mr.. JOHNSON, of Tennessee, said, if he un-
derstood the gentleman from Ohio be was in
favor OF removing the protection to slave labor
by repeating the law which prohibits the i'm.
portation OF slaves.
Mr.. GlDDlNGS. The gentleman is mista-
ken; 1t was the protection of the slave gro,rer
to which referred. tits the law of Congress
which authorizes the domestic slave trade that
condemn. That traffic is far more barbarous
than the foreign slave trade, which we very
properly characterize as pirdcu and punish
with death. Dealing in human flesh * in n
moral point of view, a naked undsguised
piracy; 1T ID no regarded by all rejecting men
and those who traffic in human flesh, either
here, IN Africa, or elsewhere, and all who adj
wise, AID, counsel or encourage such traffic are
guilty, and deserve death upon the gallows.
l he manner in which we aid and encourage
this crime Is lmmaterial. If we lend that en- |
couragement by passing laws to protect the |
'iave-dealer, or by lending our influence to
retain such laws in force, we are az guilty. as
ne who actually buys and sells the victims of
ms traihc, and we, sir deserve death as much
's he does. | would not hang the ignorant
allor who goes to Africa and purchases men
nd women there, and spare the member of
congress who exerts his influence 70 continuo
he same crimes here. Had the power TO
unIsh these crimes | would inAict the same
enaity upon every man who deals in human
esh, or who authorizes or ENCOURAGES sucb
'afic '''"
| observed that the honorable geptlo,,on
{ om pennsylvania Mr.. JONES took occasion,
ME discussing the tariff, to say that the
emocracy OF hls State were in favor5sct had
ugltive Law but it is soRewhaan Minister at
at the Presdent..ie secretary of State which
Jurisprudence the Secretary of State had laid
before the Committee but they found nothing
N it which required any modification of their
report.
Mr.. Brooke submitted the following resolu-
ion, which was ordered to be printed:
Resolved, That the Executive be requested |
o inform the Government of Mexico that, I'M
ess the American holders of the right of way
lcross Tehuantepec shall on OF before the lst |
lay of March next be put in full possession of
heir property and franchises this Government
will proceed to protect them in the occupation
nd enjoyment thereof and that if this deter
nnation SHOULD occasion rupture Of relations
between The Two KepGblIcs this lis Government
will rely for justification in the eyes of man.
kind upon the obligation of every Government
to protect the rights of it's own citizens, and
upon the fragrant and the indefensible viola
ton by Mexico of private right and national
lawo
These proceedings, it will be observed, con-
template war-war against Mexico in support
of the claim of certain of our citizens to right
of way across tho isthmus of Tehuantepec
The resolution, we presume, will be called up
at the present session. Mexico, if we under.
stand the matter, has not yielded; and we see
no ground to hope for any special forbearance
on the part of our Government. Here, then,
is question of peace or war, pending with u
sister Republic, which is in no condition to re-
sist any aggression upon her Without head,
without leading mind, without a stable Gov
ernment without resources lnsurrection lifting
its front in many of her States Sonora occu-
pied by the French, England and France in
sisting upon the payment of debts due to them,
Caravajal with disaffected Mexicans and four
hundred Texan rangers seeking to tear from
her the provinces bordering the Rio Grande,
for the sake of ultimate annexation to this
oountry-t is easy to explain why MIR. Mason
should hold so belligerent a tone to her, while
he breathes peace and good will towards
France England, and Spain.
A little more territory from Mexico will cost
nothing; and when we get it, Slavery will OF
course reap the benefit, as it adjoins the slave
States, is adapted to slave staples, and the
troublesome North has abandoned the Wilmot
Proviso, and pledged its assent through the
Compromise, to the admission of States here
after into the Union, without regard to their
being slaveholding and non.slaveholding
This brief review of our Foreign Relations
shows that to them the attention of the new
Administration will be chiefly directed, anC
that SO far, the Slave Power has taken meas
ures to keep them and it under its control.
As the subject of Cuban annexation was Il
be resumed this week, the occasion no doub
will be used by the three Senators who repre-
sent the Democracy Of Progress and Freedom
to present its views upon all these importan
topics.
THE LENNON CAsE-THE PRINCIPLE sETLLEl