Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1859-07-20
VOLUME XXIV.---No. %.

little time, the committee, by great majori.
ty, agreed on report; by which the General
Government was to be: prohibited from pre-.
venting the importation ofslaves for limited
tims, and the restrictive clause relative TO
navigation acts was to be on itted." The. re-
port of the Committee was worded as follows :
The migration or impor. alton of such per.
sons as the several States, nov existing; shall
think proper to admit, shall not be prohibited
by the Legislature prior to tho year 1900"
The change from. the original clause will be
apparent; the, insertion Of the words 8 now
existing" show that they did not intend any
new State to take the benefit of the indulgence.
Gen. Finckney moved to insert 1908, instead
Of 1900. MIR. Madison strongly opposed it.
he did not want an ertensicn Of The time.
Gen. Pinekney; by proposing the extension,
and MIR. Madison, By opposing It, both evinced
that when the limitation expired they expec.
ted Congress to resume and execute the power
temporarily suspended. When the question
then came up to amend the Constitution, Gov.
Rutledse proposed the proviso, which was &C.
cepted, that no amendment Which might be-
made before the year 1903, should in any
manner affect the lst and 4th clauses in the
ninth ection of article l.. Colonel Yancey
caims from this that an amendment to the
Constitution will be required before Congress
can reopen the trade. But The plain object.
OF this proviso was to prevent AMI amendment,
ny which the extension until the year 1908
might be revoked. The expression, "prior-
10 the year lSOo," is the same as that used In
the clause for extension, and show that the
proviso was limited to the particular caseit
vas intended to meet. After: the year 1908, /,
the limitation expired and the power of Com
gress was revived. The object cf the proyiso
was to prevent the revival of the suspended
power of Congress before the expiration.
the constitutional limitation. After the YEAR,
1908, the whole control over the trade, which
the trainers of the Constitution al conceded !,
was inherent in Congress under the grants, Of:
power to it, revived in full force, and it then !
required no amendment to giyeit control. In
accordance with this view, as soon as the limita.
ton expired, an act of Congress prohibiting
the trade was passed, without any amendment
and without any complaint Or opposition.
After the Constitution had been formed,
it was submitted to conventions of the sever.
al States for ratification. Hero again, we
find the same opinions expressed. RaRlins !,
Lowndes opposed the Constitution, because,
after the year 1908, Congress world have,
the power to prohibit the trade. He brought
all the fervor of his. eloquence to bear upon /.
it: He used the following expressive lam
guase in reference tothis clause: - Why con-
fine US to twenty years, or ratherwhy limit
us at alI2"'.: lie sfully impressadwith.the
idea that the trade was to he limited, and
that at the expiration of the twenty years,
Congress would prohibit it. Gen. 'Plnckney, /,
Charles Pinckney, llaj. Butler and Gov. /.
Rutledse, who had been memters of the
Federal Convention, were all three members
of the Legislature, when this assertion was
made. Yet not ono Of them repadiated the
assertion that the trade was confined; to TWEEN
tY years. Gen. Pinckney acknowledged that
restrictions might be put upon. tho. trade af-
ter the year 1SO8 Hon.-Rn5at sBarnWell
raid elruc ,ytrn tne cIause IN reference ro-.s.:-
question, he was particularly pleased" Al
luding to the right of importing Africans, he
said, Congress has guaranteed this right for
that space of time, and at its expiration may
continue it as long as they please" In his
opinion, at tue expiration OF the limitation
Congress was to continue it at pleasure. We
60 to tue North Carolina Convention, and
there We find the same Interpretation placed
upon this clause. Mr.. Spraight, who had
also been a member OF the Federal Conven-.
ton, stated "that the Hsitdtiou Of This trade
To the icrht Of tlccniY gears, was g. compro-
mise between the Eastern and Southern
States" We might go Oh through the other
Conventions aud give extracts, but it would
be supcriluous. In Virginia. in Massachusetts,
in New Hampshire wherever there was an
expression OF opinion on The subject, it was
an opinion against the construction held by
Mr.. Iancey. In tie whole history of the
question, from its origin i'll the Federal Con-
vention, throughout the debates there, and
in tue State Conventions, wherever any opin-
ion is expressed by the Fathers of the Con.
stitutioll, it is clear and explicit in favor OF
the power and right Of Congress to prohibit
the trade ;uter the year 1908. Even those
in favor of the trade never pretended to deny
this. Nor can single instance be furnished.
To whom, then, are We to tnrn for informa-
tiun, if not to these men? What further
evidence can be required han the expression
of the Constitution, and the concurrent tes-
timony Of the wise framers2 If none higher
can be given, then we contend that the right
of Congress to lcgislatc against the trade is g
constitutional one, and that the repeal Of
those laws can only be demanded on the
ground that the trade would be eZpedient
for the South. To this, Mr.. Yancey must
come. As he does not touch the questain of
exrediency, any reply to him on that point
would be out Of place. Ii. then, the ground
he stands on be not only questionable, but
constitutions Y nntcnablc, does he not impe-
ril the State Lifts cause Of the South by
linking it theret. Does his policy promise
greater strength to l.. South than that de-
fined by NJ, ltiett anG hrr Southern Lead
er6, who col,. (! the South 10 avoid al issues
not immediately connected with the aggrea.
sion. nf the North 1t beilooyes thoso who
li.tnncd to bis stirring appeals, and those who
read them in their living and enduring plgor,
when conveyed in print, to weigh we'll the
consequences, and to sound thoroughly the
ground upon which, with more OF intcepidity
than judgment and circunlspection, he in
yites theln 10 follow him.-South Carolinian.
IMPORTS OF Day GooDs.-The imports Of
foreign dry goods at New York for tho month
of June are larger than for any previous June
in our history, the total being nearly three
times as large as for the corresponding month
of last ear the total being 81 ,2SC, ,O6O, against
Sl.5O3,769 for June Of 1858. The journal