Meigs County telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy [Ohio]) 1848-1859, 1856-07-01

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that is by Legislative authority. and this 80
far as my suffrage will 60 shall nsysr be
found wanting. --Spafks'l Was'ingtop l6si
Goodelps, Slugeryap.8l. fr .s9iommo0 !
"A Ina letter to John f.. Mercer, September
>, 1896, he again ayowed this sentiment;
II never mean (said he) unless some par
ticular circumstance should compel me to it,
to possess another slave by purchase; it be-
ing among my first sOishes to see some plan
adopted by which slavery in this country
may, be abolished BY alay.i-( I6ia) But But
again: in letter to Lafayette. written May
IojIl78e. he Says, H"Your late purchase Of
ian estate in the colony Of Cayenne, with the
view Of emancipating the slaves, upon, is q
generous and noble proof of your Aaasaaity.
Woaldlto God aziks spirit might difuse it.
self, generally through the minds Of the
people Of this lcountry."-(J Jays Works on
,S7agsry, p, 45s.) Once more: in his last
will and testament, Washington freed all bis
slaves, and made provision for them after
his death. am aware that it has been as
serted on the floor Of Congress, that this
emancipation was not the result Of princi-
Pile in Washington, but that it happened in
consequence ofIhis not having any children.
The utter falsity Of this statement will be
seen from the following extract from letter
addressed to his private secretary, Tobias
Lear, on the 9th of May, 1894. Mr.. Lear
was in Great Britain charged with nego-
tiations for the sale Of portion Of Washing
TOMS landed estate. Washington said:7-
II have no scruple in disclosing to you that
my motives to these sales are to reduce my
income, be it more or less to specialities;
that the remainder of my days may thereby
be more tranquil and free from care; and
that may be enabled knowing what my
depend dence is to do as much good as my re-
sources will admit: for although in the esti
nation Of the world I possess a good and
clear estate, yetso unproductive is it that
am oftentimes ashamed to refuse aid which
cannot afford unless / sell part of tfol
that purpose. Besides these, have another
motive which makes ME earnestly wish for
these things--it is indeed more poweJM than
all the rest--namely: to. liberate certain
species of property which possess, very
Irspagaaatly tommy own feelings, ebut which
imper;ous necessity compels until I can SUBJ
stitute some. other expedient by which ex-
|penses not in my power to avoid (however
well disposed may be to do it) can be de,
Ifrayed." This letter was first publishedm
the New York Tribune, two years age f@me
time this month, from the originafnanu-
script Its authenticity has sinc| been at
tested by Jared Sparks, L L, D., as well as
by the general character Of Washington's
writings on slavery. 49, ,'a5tw
From the above extracts it will be seen
thar the Father of his country was not only
opposed to extending slavery but he was al
so in favor Of its abolition. If the hearts of
Pierce, Douglas, Atchison, Stripgfellow,
and Co., would swell to size sufficient to
appreciate the sentiments of Washington,
our country would no longer be embroiled
in civil war, in consequence Of the attempts
of corrupt and imbecile administration, 10
force slavery into territory nearly twelve
times as large as the State Of Ohio, contra
Try to the expressed will Of its lawful inhab-
Iitants. But Washington was not only in
Ifavortof the abolition, and opposed to the
extentiOn Ofslavery, he also looked forward
ito the time when it should be abolished in
1.-THE slave States, Hear him in a letter ts
ISirJ John Sinclair; .There are in Pennsylr
1 vania (said hey laws for the gradual aboli
ton Of slavery which neither Virginia o.
i Maryland have at present, but which moth
j ing is more certain than they must have
and at period Aotremots ~ ( GooaeN p. Sl.,
Ilwashington little dreamed when he pennet
! the above, extract that in 1856 his natiE'
\ State would still cling to that crushing des
\ potism, and thatsthe organ Of arhghii
! Democracy t?)Lsunk toa depth Of degra
! dation hitherto unknown in our history--
4 would advocate the enslaving Of the labor
4 Ing classes aOhite and black, yet such is tn
sl lameTtable fact. iaii 10 eo4 20 ~
/ Washington believed Congress had til
4 constitutional power to prohibit slavery i
/ thelterritories ofthe us. In 1857 the oil
o Congress acting under the Articles of Con
federation, passed an Ordinance t,rohiJitin
4 blSsery in every foot Of territory Of the y
81 s.i This Ordinance was reaAirrned by
special actof lthslfrst Congress under Ii
: new Constitutionlh few alterations bein
Q made in regard to officers &c. but none bt
e ing made SO as tSs affect the slagsry prohib
y tios. The afirmatory actreceived the apprc
1 n . L ~.