The Portage County Democrat. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1859-12-28

Our history proves that the Fathers of the Be.
public, ia airance Of ali other nations, condemns
ed the African Slave trade. It was, snotEith.
standing, deemed expedient BY the trainers OF
power to prohibit 'sthe migration or importation
Of such persons as any Of the States now exist
ing shall think proper TO admit" "prior to the
year one thousand eight hundred and eight.
Il will be seen that this restriction on the
power Of Congress was connned 70 snca states
oniY as might think proper "a admit the impor-
tation of slaves. Ii did not extend to other
States or to the trade carried on abroad. Acccr-
dinghy, we find that 30 early as the 22d March,
1874, Congress passed an Act imposing severe
penalties and punishments upon citizens and
residents ofthe United States who should engage
in this trade between foreign nations The pro-
visions Of this Act were extended and enforced
by the Act Of 10Th May, 1900.
Again The States Themselves had a clear
right to waive the constitutional privilege inten-
ded for their benefit, and to prohibit, by their
own laws, this trade, at any time they thought
proper previous to lsos- Several OF them ex-
ercised 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 had removed the constitutional
barrier. Congress accordingly passed an Act
on 28th February 1903, ito prevent the impor-
tation Of certain persons into certain States
where, by the laws thereof, their admission Is
prohibited.n In this manner the importation
of African slaves into the United States was
to great extent, prohibited some years in ad-
vance of l8es
As the year 1908 approached, Congress de-
termined not to suffer this trade to exist even
for single day after they had the power to
abolish it. On the I'd of March, 1907, they
passed an act to take effect from and after the
LIST of January, 1906, prohibiting the importa-
tion of African slaves INTO the United States.
This was followed by subsequent acts of SIM
liar character, to which need not specially re-
fer. Such were the principles and such the
practice Of our ancestors more than fifty years
ago in regard to the African Slave-trade.
It did not occur TO the revered patriots who
had been delegated to the Convention, and af-
terwards became members of Congress, that in
passing these laws they had violated the Con-
stitution which they had framed with so much
care and deliberation. They supposed that to
prohibit Congress, in express terms, from exer-
cising specified power before an appointed
day, necessaria1ly involved the right to exercise
this power after that day had arrived
II this were not the case, the trainers of the
Constitution, had expended much labor in vain.
Had they imagined that Congress would possess
no power TO prohibit the trake either before OF
after 1908, they would not have taken SO mucn
care TO prott ct the States against the exercise
of this power before that period Nay more,
they would not have attached such vast lmpor'
tance to this provision as to have excluded II
from the possibility of future repeal or amend.
ment to which other portions OF the Constitn.
ton were exposed. It would, then, have been
wholly unnecessary TO engraft on the fifth arti.
Gle of the Constitution, prescribing the mode Of
its own future amendment, the pfoylso, thai
no amendment which may De made prior to the
year one tnousand eight hunored- ana elght
shall IN any manner anect the. provision IN the
Constitution securing to the States the right tt
admit the importation OF African slaves prevl
Gus to that period.
According to the adverse construction, tht
clause itself, on which so much care and discus
sion had been employed by the members of th
Convention, was an absolute nullity from the be
ginning, aud all that has since been done unde
it mere usurpation.
1t was well and wise to confer this power Oh
Congress, because had it been left to the State
its efficient exercise would have been impossible
In that event any one State could have effectu
ally continued the trade not only for itself bu
| for all the other Slave States, though never s
much against their win. And why? Becaus
African slaves, when once brought within tn
limits OF any one State, In accordance with Ii
laws cannot pracueaily oe excluded from an
otner Ssate Whe5e slavery exlsts. ana even !,
~. ane . osa.es nau passeu iams proni,
,.. tS e,d pe 81 ad"s s, W..
.s' .ta " 49,. -. ans =,
S,Iof sa.oa -, Ss,tao,,s - 80, ~, soas.
.,,;.os,. 49,, - Go:, - ''-'e
Peaue N,'c s.S ro So..se.as =.
asss - - -, a. 70 Deneseu n"t
WIN rely iaio anu q
conp,lsusu 1s slicI Puipose. rola perloo ~ mo
.an nan cstsafy sllere nss pesn no pereep'
p,s ~ sns u our aonessic sase
t;o hs. f,, sa sasf tat e ~ o,o,
Of tbs frcar rsce Th.s iet aad the h,pss;r,
of Christianity have been extended to them. an
both their moral and nhpsical cond;tion ba,
-, s.-sa.,-- ;,,s..s..sa f-i' s's' --''
peei greatly niiproveq-
Reopen the trade and it would be difficult