The Feliciana Democrat., 1859-05-07

! is not recognized MS piracy, by the laws of all
nations. 1t certainly does no, mean, that it II
man was to commit rape. while sailing from
Africa, to Charleston. Congress may rghtlully
declare it piracy. "'rhey shall driiue aud pun
ish piracy, &c" The term 'piracy" used III
the sentence, il nn express limitation, aud
shows that nothing more was meant, than TINT
Congress might more fully, aud more specii
cnlly state and define piracy, so that no quib
/ blcs and suhlcrlligrs, should screen Offenders
/ II it had given to Congress the power to de-
/ fine what otiircrS committed on the high seas
should constitute piracy, then the assumption
would be founded nponmore plausible grounds
In the same section of the constitution, Con
gress has power " TO regulate commerce with
Foreign Nations Should the advocates of
this law claim the power under this sentence,
they would be arlning Congress with power,
not only "to regulate" hut to destroy com
merce with Foreign Nations For if the right
can he exercised with regard TO Africans rs an
article of commerce, it can I've exercised with
regard to any other article of commerce, and
Congress could declare the purchase Of iron IL
Cuba llood,d horse IN Arabia, cnSlmvr
goat in P'rsn. n bag of coffee IN Cnbn or u
yard of silk ~ China. piracy. This would b.
regulating commerce with Foreign nations with
n vengeance
Look at this question then. from every stand.
point of constitutional construction, We can
not resist the ncviirhlr conclusion. that Con
grcSs has assumed = jurisdiction and power, not
LEGITIMATE and proper
| Property in i v"s i recognized hy the con.
<i'uiop of the Uniird States. indeed it is the
only prop r'v wlIich II r"rn r'iizh w that III
srnment No' oufv - I'M Il guarantee j.
given - hos" who own 'hrm. thai If thcy cs.
cape into nnnl"r State they shall lr deliver.
ed up Notwithstanding this clear and cxplir-
it recognition Congress has passed law, ma
king il piracy, 10 import one from Africa M
In moral or legal point Of view what is the
ldiF romeo br'wcen bringing y slave into Mis-
SisSippi. from Africa TO Virginia If the one
ho unlawful, Why not make the other equally
50?
In this homogeneous aul paradoxcal Situn
tion tire government places thr proposition of
encouraging aid proicciin" slavery in the fun
damentaI law and having in her code extra.
ordinary prnal laws against slavery Onr or
the other, is stigma and blur upon onr IN.
tional cScu'chcon
As the one is the net of onr fathers. who
won onr liberties. and framed "ur constitution,
and the other the act of their degenerate sons,
we cannot hesitate as TO which Shonld be en-
Plunged from the statute huok
Slavery occupies not only high and lofty.
hnt u sacred position among us. Onr consti.
tuition recognizes and protects it, aud our Ea.
ge is to defend and shield it This day. in
stead of having fonr war vessels on the coast
of Africa, to capture aud swing mp to thrir'yard
ar tns ,,,l,n tL,rn fnr
n negro, our Goycrmmcut ought to have the
same force there. for the purpose of shielding
them, under the ample folds Of her flag, against
the assaults of all atons
Instead of hunting mp with the harpics of
! the law, and charging and coneicting citizens
before the courts. for bringing slaves upon our
coasts, they should be planting their cannon
to protect them whonthry come, aud welcome
them home with open arms
We belize slavery not only an element of
natioml wealth but Of national strength =
Fonr millions OF slaves occupying that portion
of our country almost under the vertical rays
Of q tropical sun, whore it is morally impoSS-
bic for the Anglo Saxon race Ia do the nrceS
snry labor. growing not only provisions for ex-
portntion hnt three million hnleS Of cotton an.
nually, worth from one hundred and twenty to
one hundred aud fifty millions Of dollars, is an
argumcnt so gratifying and CONCLUSIVE, that il
needs no comments Or hinnrt> 10 sustain il
Why ar iicl negroes now sell NJ for such
high prices? Is il hcciusc cotton is high, or
because their labor is so rrtnnnrruiive? il il
neither the one or the other, but bccau>e Ia
hor is so scarce. Supply the demand, furnish
plenty OF lab0rerS, and the price OF negroes
will go down at once, nor wiIl it lessen the pro
duction of the slave State. The planter who
works twenty hands will make ms many bales
of cotton when those hands are worth ten thou.
sand dollars, ms when they are worth twenty
Thousand His income, and not the price of
his labors, is the true criterion aud standard
of his wealth
If we were all negro traders, and onr ne.
groes were for sale, the reduction Of their pr
ces would lessen our inlividnn and iHt,0np
wealth; but as we desire to purchase more n
stead of selling those we we il matters no
what their price may be, since they will 10 'rt
same amount Of labor ut one price rs uno'h,l
[Conrlu.'on mkt tek.]
FINGERS AND RINGS The selection of fingers
for the ring is by no means an indiffr mat
ter: il forms a cOiirSe of stuly The index