Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1859-09-23
The Law Forbidding the African Slave
Trade.

Trade.
In answer to n question addressed to the Ma
nonai IntcltgeRcer by correspondent in
Georgia, as to whether The Southern atatesm, n
took the lead in enacting the law against the
African Slave trade, that paper gives an inter.
csting account of the passage Of the act in ques.
ton. 1t says
The Act was passed on the Recommendation
OF President Jefferson, and each branch OF
Congress We'd with the other in its promptness
to move for the earliest possible suppression Of
the infamous traffic, for So Il was regarded at
that day BY the Representatives Of the People
| from every quarter Of the Union. On the day
after the annual message OF Mr.. Jefferson for
December, 1906, had been read in the Senate,
the first act recorded among the proceedings OF
| that body consists in a notice, given on We'd
nesday, December 81, by Mr. Bradley, of Yer
mont. 10 the effect that he would, ION the fol-
lowing Monday, (DeeemberS ask leave To bring
| in a bill to prohibit the importation Of slaves
into any port or place within the jurisdiction OF
the United States, from aud alter the first day
of January, 1908" In the House OF Represen-
tatves il was also resolved, on the same day,
"that so much of the message of the President
of the United States relates to the prohibition
oftho African slave trade, be referred to a select
committee; and Mcssrs. Peter Early, of Georgia,
Thomas NJ. Randolph, of Virginia; j ohm Camp
| bell, of Maryland; Thomas KonOn, of North
Carolina, Orchard Cook, of Massachusetts;
James Kelly, of Pennsylvania, and William X.
| Van Rensselaer,, Of New York, were appointed
such committee.
The committee raised by the Senate on the
same subject consisted of Messrs. stephen Il.
Brady, of Vermont; David Stone, Of North
/ 4. ltiIaa Of lain,
Gaillard, Of South Carolina, and Abraham Bald
win of Georgia.
These committees, which il will be seen,
comprised in their number a majority from
Southern and slaveholding States, reported to
their respective Houses bills strongly prohibitory
of the foreign saye.trade after the first Of Janu-
ary, 1908.
The bill introduced by the Senate committee
was passed in that body without division on
the 9Th of January, 1907. The measures re.
ported to the House by its committee was de-
bated from time TO time, with the view of as
certaining and inserting the most effective ptn-
alties by which TO put an end to the tTaiic,
when, on the 18th Of February, 1907, the bill
cent from the Senate, after being amended, was
read and passed with only five dissentients--
Messrs Silas Betton, ofMaine; Martin Chitten-
den of VeImont James n Garnett, OF Virginia;
Abraham Trigg, Of Virginia; anG David X.
Williams, of South Carollua.
1t may be proper to state that the S.h section
Of the bill, as amended by tue House of Re
prcsentatives, contained a proyisO excepting
the coastwise trade in negro slaves (uot import
ed contrary TO the provisions Of the act under
cOnsdeIatiun) from the restrictions and penal
ties embraced in the bill. To this amendment
the Senate refused to agree, and, the House
! insisting committees of conference were res
pectively appointed on the part of both branches
| of Congress. As the result of this conference
the views of the House substanttly prevailed,
thought not without some notifications, which
provoked strong dissent on the part of many
Representatives.
! The bill was finally passed in the House by a
vote of G3 yeas against 4S nays. Among the
latter is recorded the name OF Mr.. Early OF
Georgia, who had been so actively instrumental
in framing the act but it is iMF0rtant to add
that he expressly based his opposition on the
ground that the bill, as modified, left, in his
Judgment a door wide open TO evasion, and
would not prevent the introduction of a single
slave" The great mass of those who voted
with him in the negative were. in like manner,
prompted by dissatisfaction with the details aud
not with the substance or object of the meas
uTe
| The subsequent measures adopted in 1918
and 1920, afiixna additional penalties to the
| traffic, were in like manner adopted by the COM
mon consent of Representatives from all parts
of the Union, and received the assent of Presi-
dent Monroe, in pursuance Of whose earnest
r Communications they were passed by National
| Legislature.