Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1856-03-20

gresJ full power to prevent the increase I
Slavery by prohibiting the slave trade ha,
out of regard for existing interests on
vested rights, postponed the exercise {
that power over the States then existir
until the year 1885, leaving Congress fre
to exercise 1t over new States and owe
the Territories Of the United States
prohibiting the migration or importation @
slaves inlo them, without any restriction
except such as its own discretion nigh
supply. Congress promptly availed itsel
of this permission by reaffirmlng that grea
Ordinance of the Confederation by wbic
I it was ordained and decreed that all th
territory then belonging to the Unite
States should be forever free. -Four new
States were formed out OF territory lyin,
south Of the Ohio River, and admitted int,
the Union previous to lssej but the ter
ritory from which they were formed ha,
belonged to States in which Slavery exist
ed at the time of their formation; and il
ceding it to the General Government, o
in asserting to the formation OF new States
within it, the old States to which it be
loDged had inserted proviso against any
regulation OF Congress that should tend tc
the emancipation of Slaves. Congress wa.
thus prevented from prohibiting Slavery il
these new States, by the action Of the ole
States out of which they had been formed
But, as soon as the Constitutional lmila
zion upon its power over the States then
existing had expired, Congress prohibited
by fearful penalties, the addition by impor-
tation 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 to Slavery, and in their con-
viction that il was hostile in its nature
and its influences to Republican freedom,
after taking these steps to prevent its in
crease, did not interfere with it further in
the States where it then listed. Those
States were seperate communities, jealous
of their sovereignty and unwilling to enter
into anv league which should trench, in
the least degree, upon their own control
over their own affairs. This sentiment
the frsmers OF the Constitution were COM
PEELED to respect; and they accordingly lett
Slavery. as they left all other local interests
to the control of the several States. But
no one who reads with care 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 en-
powered to prevent its increase, with a
vie y ia its gradual and ultimate extinc-
ton. Nor did the period of Emancipation
seem remote. Save LABOR, employed, as it
was, in agriculture, was less profitable than
the free labor which was pouring in TO
take its place. And even in States where
this consideration did not prevail, other TO-.
fluences tended to the same result The
spirit Of Liberty was then young, generous
and strong. The men of the nation had
IN ade sacrifices and waged battles for the
vindication Of their inaIienable ii. hts OF
life, liberty, and The pursuit of happiness;
and it was not possible for them to si,
down in the quiet enjoyment of blessings
thus achieved, without feeling the injustice
as we'll as the inconvenience, of holdi g
great numbers of their fellow men in bond.
age. In all the States, therefore, there
existed strong tendency towards eman.
cipation. The removal o. so great an evil
was felt to be worthy object of ambition
by the best and meet sagacious statesmen
Of that age; and WAsHrNaroN, JEFFERSON,
FRANKLrN, and all the great leaders and
representatives of public opinion, were &C.
tive ard earnest in devising measures by
which it could be accomplished.
But the great change produced in the in
dustry OF the Southern States, in the early
part of the present century, by the ncreas-
ed culture of cotton, the intro luction ol
new inventions to prepare it for use, and
its growing importance to the commerce
of the country and the labor Of the world
by making Slave labor more profitable than
it had ever been before, checked this tend.
ency towards emancipation and soon put
an end to it altogether. AS the demant
for cotton increased, the interests of the
cotton growing States became more unG
more connected with Slavery, the spiri: o.
freedom gradually gave way before the
spirit of gain; the sentiments and the Ian
guage Of the Southern States became chang
ed;-and all attempts at emancipation be
gan to be regarded, and resisted,,s assaults
upon the rights and the interests of tn,
slavehoIting sections OF the Union. Fo
many years, however, this change did no
affect the political relations Of the subject
Ststes, both Free and Slaveholding, wer
successfully added to the Confederacy with
out exciting the fears of either action
Vermont came into the Union in 1871
with a constitution excluding Slavery =
Kentucky, formed out of Virginia, was ad
mitted in l792; Tennessee in 1896; Mis-
sssippi in 1917, and Alabama in lSl9,-
all Slave States, formed out of Territor
belonging to Slave States, and having SlH
very established in them at the time of the
formation. On the other hand Ohio wa
admitted in 1903, Indiana in 1916, and III
nois in 1918, having formed State Cover.
ment under acts OF Congress which made
fundamental condition, that their Constit'
tioas should contain nothing repugnsnt
the ordinance Of l7s7,-.e in other word
: that Slavery should be prohibited with
their limits forever. In all these occu
rences, as in the admission of Louisiana
e 1912, there had been no contest betSe'
d Freedom and Slavery, for it had not be-