Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1859-12-31

| PLY been recognized, in some form or other Nv
| an almost unanimous vote Of both houses of the
| last Congress.
THE AFRICAN SLAVE TRADE AND ITS EFFECTS.
All lawful means at my command have been
| employed, and shall continue to be employed, to
| execute the laws against the African slave trade
| After most careful and rigorous examination
OF our coasts and thorough investigation of the
| subject, we have not been able TO discover that
| any slaves have been imported into the United
| States except the cargo by the Wanderer num-
| bering between three and four hundred, Those
engaged In this unlawful enterprise have been
| Vigorously prosecuted, but not with as much sue.
| cess as their crimes have deserved. number of
| them are still under prosecution.
Our history proves that the fathers of the re-
| public, in advance of all other nations con.
demned the African slave trade. Il was, notwith.
standing, deemed expedieut by the trainers of the
| constitution 10 deprive Congress of the power to
| prohibit the migration or importation of such
| persons as any of the states now existing snail
| think proper to admit" "prior to the wear one
| thousand eight hundred and eight"
IL VIII be seen that this restriction on the pow.
| er OF Congress was confined to such states only
| as might think proper to admit the importation
OF slaves. IL did not extend to other states or to
| tue trade carried on abroad. Accordingly we
mud tnat so early as the 22d of March, 1894 Con-
gress passed an act imposing severe penalties and
| punishmeuts upon citizens aud residents of the
United States who should engage in this trade
between foreign nations. TIE provisions of this
act were extended and enforced by the act of 10th
| May, 1900.
Again: the states themselves had clear right
TO waive The constitutional privilege intended for
| their heneit, and to prohibit by their own laws
| this trade at any time they thought proper pre-
vlous to lSOS. Several of them exercised this
| right before that period, and among them some
| containing the greatest number of slaves This
| gave TO Congress the immediate power to act in
regard to all such states because they themselves
mad removed the constltutio al barrier. Congress
| accordingly passed an act on 2sth February 1893
to prevent the importation of certain persons
| into certain states where, by the laws thereof
| t6eir admission Is prohibited" In this manner
the importation of African slaves into tue United
| States, was, to a grea, extent, prohibited soma
| years in advance of 1903
| As The year 1898 approached Congress deter
mined not to suffer this trade 10 exist even for
single day after they had the power to abolish il.
| On the I'd Of March, 1907, they passed an act to
take effect from and after the LIST day of Janua.
| ry, lSOS, prohibiting the importation of African
| slaves into the United States. This was followed
/ by subsequent acts of similar character, to
which need not specially refer Such were the
| principles and such the practice of our ancestors
more than fifty years ago in regard to the African
| slave trade.
1t did not occur to the revered patriots who had
1 been delegates TO the convention and afterwards
| became members of Congress, that in passing
these laws they had violated the constitution
| which they had framed with so much care and
| elaboration. They supposed that to prohibit
| Congress, in express terms, from exercising a
specified power before an appointed day, necessa.
|
| that day had arrived.
If this were not the case, the trainers of the
| constitution had expended much laoor IN vain
| Had they imagined that Congress would possess
| no power 10 prohoit the trade either before or
| after 1908, they would not have taken SO much
care to protect the states against the exercise of
| this power before that PERIOD Nay, more-ihey
| would not have attached such vast importance TO
this provision as to have excluded 1t from the
SHich loEer p polons Of The constitution were ex
posed. II would, then, have been wholly un-
| necessary to engraft on the fifth article of the
| constitution, prescribing the mode of It's own fu-
| ture amendment the provso, that no amend
ment which may be made prior TO the year 1898
| shall in any manner affect" the provision 10 tue
constitution securing 10 the states the right to
| admit the importation of African slaves previous
| TO that period.
According to the adverse construction, the
clause itself on which so puch and discus.
| sion had been employed by the members of the
convention, was an absolute nullity from the be.
ginning, and all that has since been done under 1t
| mere usurpation.
IL was well and wise to confer this power on
Congress, because, bad it been left to the states
its efficient exercise would have been impossible
In that event any one state could have effectualy
continued the trade not only for itself but for all
the other slave states, though never SO much
against their will. Aud why? Because African
slaves, when once bro lght within the limits of
any one state, IN accordance WI n its laws, cannot
| practically be excluded from any other state
where slavery exists. And even if all the states
had separately passed laws prohibiting the impor-
tstion of slaves, these laws would have failed of
effect for want OF naval force to capture the
slavers and to guard the coasts. Such force no
state can employ in time of peace without the
| consent of Congress.
These acts of Congress, II Is believed have.
with very rare and insignificant exceptions, ac-
compshed their purpose. For period of more
than half a century there has been no perceptiDle
addition TO the Dumber OF our domestic slaves.
During this period their advancement in civiza.
ton mas far surpassed that of any other portion
of the African race. Tue light and the bes sin Is
| OF Christianity have been extended to them, and
both their moral and physical condition mas been
greatly improved.
dete IN ne whether the effect would be moro dele
FERROUS on the interests of the master or on tho,
OF the native born slave. OF the evils to the
master, the one most to be dreaded would be the
introduction of wild, heather and Ignorant bar.
barans among the sober, orderly and iiet sla YES,
| whose ancestors have been ON the soil tor several
| generations. This might tend TO Darbarize, de-
moralize and exasperate the whole mass, and
produce the most deplorable consequences.
The, effect upon the existing slave weuld II
possible, be still more deplorable. At present he
is treated with kindness and umanity. He is
well fed well clothed, and not over worked. His
condition Is incomparably better than that of the
coolies which modern nations of high civilization
have employed as substitute for African slaves.
Both the philanthropy and the self interest of the
| master have combined to produce this humane
will be the effect? The same, to a considerable
extent as on a neighboring island-the only spot
now on earth where the African slave trade ID
openly tolerated; and this in defiance of solemn
treaties with power nbundantly able at any mo-
ment to enforce their execution. There the mas.
ter, intent upon present gain, EFFORTS from the
slave as much labor as his physical powers are
capable of misunderstanding that, when death
comes to his relief. his place can be sup
piled at price reduced to the lowest point by the
competition of rival African slave traders. Should
this ever be the case in our country-whch do
not deem possible-the present usual character Of
the domestic institution, wherein those too old
! and too young to work are provided for with care
} and humanity and those capable of labor are moi
} over tasked wsuld undergo an unfortunate
} change. The feeling of reciprocal dependence
and attachment which now exists between mas
ter and slave would be converted into mutual dis
trust and hostility.
: But we are obliged as Christian and mora
nation 10 consider what would be the effect upor
unhappy Africa itself if we should reopen tht
r slave trade. This would give the trade an i'm
, pulse and extension which it has never had ever
> in its palmiest days. The numerous victims 10
quired to supply II would convert the whole slave
| coast inta n narfect Pandemonum for which mi,