The daily Gate City., 1856-03-11

the invasion or insurrection of armed enc
mics, but against the moral sentiment of hu-
manity, and the natural development of pop
uiation and material power.
Thus was the whole current of our nation
al history suddenly and unconstltutionally
reversed. The general government abandon
ing the position it had always held, declared
its purpose to protect and perpetuate what
the great founders of our Republic had re-
garded as an evil; as at variance with the
principle on which our institutions were
based, and as source of weakness, social
and political, to the communities in which it
existed. Al the time of the Revolution,
Slavery existed in all the Colonies but
neither then, nor for half century after
wards, had it been an element OF political
strife, for there was no difference of opinion
or policy with regard TO it. The tendency Of
affairs had been towards emancipation. Half
the original thirteen States had taken meas
ures at IN early day, to free themselves from
the hlighting influence and the reproach of
Slavery. Virginia and North Carolina had
anticipated the Continental Congress of IVA,
in checking the increase of their Slave popu-
lation BY prohibiting the Slave trade at any
OF their ports.
SENTIMENTS OF THE TRAINERS or THE coNsTITU-
rfoN CONCERNING SLAVERY.
The Constitution conferring upon Con-
gress full power to prevent the increase of
Slavery by prohibiting the Slave Trade, had
out Of regard for existing interests and vested
rights, postponed the exercise of that power
over the States then existing until the year
S06,--leaving Congress free to exercise il
over new States and over the Territories of
the United States, by prohibiting the migra-
grafton or importation OF Slaves into them,
without any restriction except such as it's own
discretion might supply. Congress promptly
availed Itself of this permission by re-afhrm-
ing that great Ordinance of the Confedera-
ton, BY which it was ordained and decreed
that all the territory then belonging to the
United States should be forever free. Four
new States were formed out Of territory lF-
ing South Of the Ohio River, and admitted
into the Union, previous TO lS20,--but the
territory from which they were formed had
belonged to States in which Slavery existed
at the time of their formation and in ceding
ii TO the General Government, or in assent
ing TO the Formation Of new States within
it, the old State to which it belonged had in
serted proviso against any regulation Of
Congress that should tend to the emancipa-
ton of Slaves. Congress WAS thus pre-
vented from prohibiting Slavery in these new
States, by the action of the old States out of
which they had been formed. But, as soon
as the Constitutional limitation upon it's pow
er over'the. States then existing had expired,
Congress prohibited, by fearful penalties, the
addition by importation of single Slave, to
the numbers already in the country.
The trainers of the Constitution although
the historical record of their opinions proves
that they were earnest and undivided in their
dislike Of Slavery, and in their conviction
that it was hostile in its nature and its inhu-
ences to Republican freedom, after taking
these steps to prevent its increase, did not
interfere with 1t further In the States where
1t then existed. Those States were separate
communities. Jealous of their sovereignty
and unwilling to enter into any league which
should trench, in the least degree, upon their
own control over their own affairs. This
sentiment the trainers Of the Constitution
were compelled to respect; and they accord
ingly left Slavery, as they left all other To-
cal interests, to the control Of the several
States. But no one who reads with caro- the
debates and the recorded opinions Of that
age, can doubt that the ultimate removal OF
Slavery was desired by the people of the
whole country, and that Congress had been
empowered to prevent its increase, with a
view to Its gradual and ultimate extinction
Nor did the period of Emancipation seem re-
mote. Slave labor, employed, as it was, in
agriculture, was less profitable than the free
labor which was pouring in TO take its place.
And even Ia States where this consideration
dlu not prevail, other influences tended to the
same result. The spirit Of Liberty was then
young. generous and strong. The men Of
the nation had made sacrifices and waged bat
ties for the ylndication of their inaienable
rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of hap
plness and II was not possible for them to
SIT down in the quiet enjoyment Of blessings
thus achieved, without feeling the injustice,
as well the inconvenience, of holding
great numbers of their fellow-men in bond
age. In all the States, therefore, there cx-
Isted strong tendency towards emancipation.
The removal of so great an evil was felt to
be worthy object of ambition by the best
and most sagaclous statesmen Of that age
and Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, and all
the great leaders and representatives OF
public opinion, were active and earnest in
deyising measures by which II could be ac-
complishel.
But the great change produced in the in
dustry of the Southern States, in the early
part Of the present century, by the increased
culture OF cotton, the introduction Of new
inventions 10 prepareit for use, and its grow
lns Importance to the commerce of the coun-
try and the labor of the world, by making
Slave labor more profitable than it had ever
been before, checked this tendency towards
emancipation and soon put an end to it alto
gether. As the demand for cotton increased
the interests Of the cotton growing States
became more and more connected with Slave
ry the spirit of freedom gradually gave way
before the spirit of gain; the sentiments and
the language of the Southern States became
changed; and all attempts at emancipation
began to be regarded, and resisted as assaults
upon the rights and interests of the slave.
holding section Of the Union. For many
years, however, this change did not affect the
political relations of the subject. States
] both free and sIaveholding. were successiyel