The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1854-01-05


House on THE PRESIDENTS MESSAGE, De-
cEaBER 81, 1853.
3 Ma. CHAPMAN: rise TO call the attention
Of this body and Of the country to that porsion
Of the Presidents Message which recommends
TO our favorable consideration the claims of GER
tain Cuban shareholders They profess to have
owned the people On board the schooner Amis-
tad, who, by their own valOr, regained their
freedom in 1899. The President desires that
we shall make the necessary appropriation to
pay the slave merchants for tho loss Of their
contemplated profts
Mr.. BATLK. The gentleman is correct, and
the Committee en- Foreign Affairs will report
bill for that purpose.
MIR. GIDDRGs, (resuming) | thank the
gentleman for this open avowaI of the inten-
tons of his committee. We may always look
70 shareholders for frank declaration Of sem
tments and intentions. IL is only the dough-
faces OF the North who hide behind false issues.
aad keep out of sight until kicked into view.
daughter.
The proposition of the President is important.
1t involves the Observance of our most solemn
treaty stipuiations, which bind US 10 exert our
influence to abolish the slave trade rather than
to uphold and encourage it; it involves our ma
tonsl honor and the welfare of our race.
Sir, as early as 1917 Spain took upon herself
the most solemn obligations to abolish this
slave trade. This obligation was contained In
her treaty with Great Britain of that year.
In perfect good faith, the Crown of SPAIN
by Its decretal order Issued soon after, declared
the slave trade abolished throughout her do
miniOls, Including her Colonial possessions ::
and asserted the freedom of all Africans who
should be thereafter imported into any of her
National or Colonial ports Our own Govern
ment had, from its commencement expressed
Its adherence Of that traffic. Soon after the
adoption Of our Constitution, Congress passed
laws 50 far as authorized to modify its charac
ter, and, as soon as permitted by the Constitu-
ton, they prohibited it under severe penalties
Indeed, We have declared it pirGcg and hang
the Americans engaged in it, as unfit for hr7
man association.
BY the 10Th article of our treaty at Client
we declared the slave trade to be "irreconcila-
bic with the principles Of humanity;D and we
stipulated with Great Britain to exert our in
fiuence and power to eradicate from the earth
tins "execrsble commerce in human flesh"
anu we now sustain maritime force on the AT
rlcan coast at an annual expense of from two to
three millions Of dollars, with the avowed In
tenhon to destroy forever this nefarious traffic.
France, too, has long exerted her influence to
ClNliiLe1
nations OF the earth stand pledged to the ruri.
tication of our race from q traffic so abhorrcnt
TO every feeling Of our nature.
While those four great Powers. which 7 have
mentioned, were thus solemnly committed to
this policy, while the Christian world held
this slave trade In unutterable adherence GER
tain Coban slaEe-dealers contineed to violate
the laws and treaties of their Own Government
the rights OF human nature. and the laws Of
Gcd, by importing and enslaYing the unoFend
ing people Of Africa
In 1889 they imported a cargo Of these inof.
fensIye victims TO Havana, in the island Of On
ba. According to the proof exhibited before
the Judicial Department of Government thew
were seized in Africa, about the middle Of Anil
by force carried On board the slave shin and
on the 18th June Of that year they were land
ed ia Havana and imprisoned in the barracoons
Of th city
Tn the "a ri that month, Don Pedro Mon
~ ..ned .t3onse, or permit, from the Gov
eril.i uens1al, ID transport three "Ladnoesn
or ~g1. sla"es IRON Havana TO Principe on the
south SIDE 81 tie island; and on the 9th of the
same month, Jose Ruiz obtained similar per
NIT to transport lorty-nino Ladinoes.D or leoaL
SlGUss to the same port. These pernits ware
obtained at oil times, by paying the customary
fee to the revenue. They wers in themselves
legal giving liberty TO transport only ,Lases
and the fraud consisted in tranquorting Afri-
cans who were free, under the permits to trans
port slaves. The permits were conclusive evil
oence OF tho payment of the duty, as between
the Government on the one side and Montez
and Ruiz on the other. But these Africans
We're IN no way parties 10 these permits. knew
nothing Il taeir bang granted; and need net
say ther rlgat5 could EOt be affected in any
way By them. Every member will at once see
they were IN no respect admissible evidence
against the negroes, who had been imported IN
fraud, and IN violation Of Spanish treaties and
Spanish lava.
mention these facts at this time for the rea-
con that IN all the litigation of this claim be.
lore the courts all the attorneys and agents
VINO have advocated it rely solely upon these
permits, not to show that the duties were act
ualiy pad, but to show that Monte and Ruiz
at subsequent day, shipped "Ladinoes,n or
egd NaDeS, under tAe authority Of those per-
mits Ine attempt IS to make these permits
testimony OF the subsequent conduct of Montez
and Rulz. And apprehend the Chairman of
the Committee on Foreign Affairs IMr. BsvlvI
VIII be compelled TO rely upon these pern,itS
instead or showing us proof of the fact that
these people had been actually held in Cuba
as legal slaves. b65peak mis- attention to this
point. Ii they had been long resident in Cuba,
trust he viii give Us the proof Let us have
the depoattons OF those who owned them. Tor.
If they had been owned there, some one must
have owned them, and VIC want his evidence. or
that Of some person who knows the fact.
Now, trust tho gentleman Will not follow
the example of his predecessor. who gava ua
the ccTtiticG59 Of some individual uukn3yn TO
lis, who states thai Montez and Ruiz were Inn
Ordbte men. Hook upon such evasions es no
compliment 70 the common sense Of this BODY.
or Il that o. the people, whose money they seek
70 apply IN payment OF this claim.
AOntez and Ruiz are shown to have pur-
chased these people with the full knowledge
that they were Africans, newly imported, aad
Of course, free By TIE laws Of Spain. Indeed
they could not be ignorant of that fact. These
miserable victims, az the time Montez and
Ruiz purchased them, could not utter word
OF the Spanish language; their dialect. manner,
and appearance, showed them to have recently
come from the African coast. Such eYidence
no Cuban could misunderstood
But to proceed with the statement Of facts ::
On the 2Ssh Of jane, jnst sixteen days after
they had been imprisoned in the barracOons at
Havana, they were taken therefrom and ship
pea on board the Amistad.D which sailed for
Principe on the same day, with crew Gem
posed OF the captain, two sailors, and q cook.
Montez and Ruiz were also on board.
On the lst day of July, while sailing along
the eastern coast OF the island, the Africans
rose and claimed their freedom The captain
and cook attempted to reduce them TO sul.iec-
ton, and were slain; Moltez and Ruiz. ana
the two ssilor7, surrendered the ship to the
Africans. They immediately sent the sailors On
shore in the boat and retaining Montez and
Ruiz On board, directed them 60 steer the shin
for Africa. But, during the darkness Of night
they directed their course northwardly and on