The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-06-09
THE NATIONAL ERA WASHINGTON. ID. c., JUNE 9, 1853.

effects of their having or not having slaves.
These two causes concurred in forming the
great division of interests in the United States.
Il did not lie between the large and small
States Ii lay between the Northern and South
ern and if any defensive power were necessa-
nv, it ought to be mutually given to these two
interests He was 80 strongly impressed with
this important truth that he had been casting
about in his mind for some expedient that
would answer the purpose. The one which had
occurred was, that instead OF proportoniDg
the votes of the States in both branches 10
their respective numbers of inhabitants, COM
putting the slaves in the ratio of five to three,
they should be represented in one branch &C
cording to the number of free inhabitants only,
and in the other according to the whole num-
Der, counting the slaves as free. BY this ar
rangement the Southern scale would have the
advantage in one House, and the Northern IN
the other. He had been restrained from pro-
posing this expedient by two considerations;
one was his unwillingness to urge any dlversl-
ty of interests on an occasion where 1t Is but TOO
apt to arise of itself; the other was the ine-
quality of powers that must be vested in the
two branches and which would destroy the
equilibrium of interests.-Pdge 1905.
Mr. Patterson. He was also against such an
indirect encouragement of the slave trade; OBJ
serving that Congress, in their act relating to
the change of the eighth article of COnfedera-
ton, had been ashamed to use the term
slaves" and had substituted a description
Page 1868.
Mr.. King had always expected, that as the
Southern States are the richest they would
&ha,. L.
less some respect were paid to their superior
wealth. If the latter expect those preferential
distinctions in commerce. and other advantages
which they will derive from the connection,
they must not expect to receive them without
allowing some advantages in return. Eleven
out of thirteen of the States had agreed to
consider slaves in the appcrtionment of taxa
ton and taxation and representation ought to
60 together.
Mr. Rutledge moved that New Hampshire
be reduced from three to two members Her
numbers did not entitle her to three, and it
was poor State.
General Pinckney seconds the motion.
Mr.. King New Hampshire has probably
more than 10000 inhabitants, and has an ex-
tensive country of tolerable fertility Its in
habtants may therefore be expected to increase
fast He remarked that the four Eastern
States, having S00,0 900 souls have one-thlrd
fewer representatives than the four Southern
States, having not more than 100000 souls,
rating tho blacks as five for three. The East
ern people will advert to these circumstances
and be dissatisfied He believed them to be
very DESTROYS Of uniting with their Southern
brethren but did not think it prudent to rely
so far ON that disposition, as to subject them to
any gross inequality. He was fully convinced
that the question concerning a difference of
interests did not lie where it had hitherto been
discussed, between the great and small States,
but between the Southern and Eastern. For
this reason he had been ready to yield some
thing in the proportion of representatives for
the security of the Southern No principle
would justify the giving them ma jority They
were brought as near an equality as was pos
sible. He was not averse to giving them a still
greater security, but did not see how it could
be done
General Pinckney The report before it was
committed, was more favorable to the South
ern States than as it now stands. If they are
to form 50 considerable minority, and the
regulation of trade is to be given to the Gener-
al Government, they will be nothing more than
overseers for the Northern States. He did not
expect the Southern States to be raised to a
majority of representatives, but wished them
to have something like an equality. AT pres
ent by the alterations of the committee in fav-
or of the Northern States, they are removed
further from it than they were before. One
member indeed had been added to Virginia,
which he was glad Of as he considered her as
a Southern State He was glad also that the
members of Georgia were increased.
Mr.. Williamson was not for reducing New
Hampshire from three to two, but for reducing
some others. The Southern interest must be
endangered by the present arrange
ment The Northern States are to have ma
jority in the first instance, and the means of
it,
Mr. Dayton observed, that the line between
Northern and Southern interest had been i'm
properly drawn; that Pennsylvania was the
dividing State, there being six on each side of
her.
General Pinckney urged the reduction
dwelt on the superior wealth of the Southern
States, and insisted on its havingits due weight
in the Government
Mr.. Gouverneur Morris regretted the turn
Of the debate The States, he found, had
many representatives on the floor. Few, he
O"iOu1 "Cio W w uccHlcO Vic representatives
If America. He thought the Southern States
nave, by the report, more than their share of
representation. Property ought to have its
weight, but not all the weight If the South
,rn States are to supply money, the Northern
States are to spill their blood. Besides, the
probable revenue to be expected from the
Southern States has been greatly overrated.
He was against reducing New Hampshire.
Mr.. Randolph was opposed to reduction of
New Hampshire, not because she had a. full
title to three members but because it was in
his contemplation, first, to make it the duty,
instead of leaving it to the discretion of the
to regulate the representation by
periodical census secondly, to require more
than bare majority Of votes in the Legisla-
ture, in certain cases and particularly in COM
mercial. cases.
On the question for reducing New Hamp-
shire from three to two representatives, it pass
ed in the negative:
North Carolina, South Carolina, aye; 2
Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Penn
sylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Geor-
gia, no s.-Pages l056-lO59.
TO BE CONTINUED.