Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1859-12-29

euntuTEu. ana Snail NUM- " Nv NeatiofNNs ~
execute the laws AeAins, The African slave trade
Afcr = mos, careful aud rigorous examination q
cur coasts and a thorough investigation ct thu
subject, ws have not been able ~ discover that
any slaves have been imported into the United
States except the cargo by the Wanderer, numbc
ring between three and four hundred. Those
engaged in this unlawful enterprise have been RI
~gorously prosecuted: but not with rs much success
a. their crimes have deserved. \ number ut then
nrc still under prosecution.
Oar history proves that the Fathers Of the Re
public. in advance Of all other nations. condemn.
ci the African slave trade. Il was, notwithstand
ing. deemed expedien, by tie trainers Of the Con
s~titution to deprive Congress Of the power to pro
hibit 1.-The migration or importation OF such per
sons es any Of the States now existing shall think
proper to admit" prior 10 the year one thousand
eight hundred and eight"
II will be seen That this restriction on the power
Of Congress. Was confined % such States only rs
might mink proper to admit the Importation Of .lav-
es. II did not extend to other States or to The trade
carried on abroad. Accordingly. we find no carly
as the 22l March. 1874. Congress passed I'm act
imposing severe penalties and punishmcnts upon
citizens and residents Of the United States who
should engage in this trade between foreign mn
tons. The provisions OF this act were extended
and enforced by the act Of 10Th May, 1900.
Again The States Themselves had n clear right
To waive the constitutional privilege intended for
their benefit, and to prohibit. by their own laws,
this trade ut any time they thought proper pre-
yious to 1908. Several Of them exercised this right
before that period, and among them some contain
ing the greatest number Of slaves. This gave to
Congress the immediate power TO net in regard to
all such States, because they themselves had re-
moved the constitutional barrier. Congress ac-
corlingiy passed an net on 18th February, 1903,
ITO prevent the importation III certain persons in
to certain States where, by the laws thereof, their
admission is prohibited" In this manner the i'm
p~or,ation Of African slaves into the United Stntcs
was, to a great extent, prohibited some years in
advance Of lsOs.
As The year 1903 approached, Congress dcteriu-
incd not 10 suffer this trade to exist even for II sim
gle day after they had the power to abolish it. On
the 81 March, 1907, they passed an act to take cf-
feet from and after the LIST day OF January. 1905"
prohibiting the importation OF African slaves int"
the United States. This was followed by subsc-
qncnt acts II II similar character, to which | need
not specially refer. Such wero tho princip pies aud
such tho practice Of our ancestors more than fifty
years agoi in regard to the African slave trnde.
1t did not occur to the rcyercd patriots who had
leen 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 30 much care and de-
iiheration. They supposed that to prohibit Con
gress. in express terms, from exercising n specific
power before an appointed day. necessarily involv-
ell the right to exercise this power after that day
had arrived.
If this were not the case, the trainers Of the
Constitution had crpcn lei mtfth labor in vain
Had they imagined that Congress would possess
no power to prohibit The trade either before or al-
ter lopS, they would not have taken 80 much care
to project the States against the exercise of this
power before that period. My more, they would
MT have attached such vast Importance TO this
provision as to have excluded it from the posi-.
hility If future repeal or amendment, to which
other portions Of the Constitutions were exposed.
1t won. then, hive been wholly unnecessary tn
cugrn.t on the fifth article OF the Constitution.
prescribing the mode Of it's own future amend-
tncpt, the proyisn, that no amendment which
may be made, prior to tho year one thousand
eight hundrnd and eight, shall in any manner nf
ic,t' the provision in the Constitution securing tC
the States tho right to admit the importation u
African slaves previous to that period.
According to the adverse construction, the
clause itself, on which so much cnre and discus
sion hal been employed by the members of til,
convention. was an absolute nullity from the he
GINNING, md MI that lns since been done under
it a mere usurpaiion.
1t WAS well and wise to confer this power nr
Congress, because, had i, been left 10 the States
its efficient exercise would have been impossible.
Ii that event any ono State could have c!icc!uall,
continued the trade not only tor itself but for all
the other slave states. though mover so mucl
against their will. And why? Bccalso Ai:l
can slaves Z when once Thought into the limits o
any one State, in accordance with its laws, can
10 practically lie excluded from any otter State
where slavery exists. And even il all tho State
had separately passed laws prohibiting the i'm
pa;tatinn Of slaves. these laws would have iaile,
oi effect snr want of Il naval free to capture t.,
slasrrs and to guard the coasts. Such n force NJ
State can employ III time 81 peace without III,
consent If Congress.
These acts of Congress. Ills believed, have, wiz!
very rare and insignificant exceptions, accomplish.
ed their purpose. For a period Of more thar
half II century there has been no perccptihlc ad
ditiun Ia the number ci our domestic slaves. Du
ring this period their advancement in civilization
hns lar surpassed that of any other portion Of til,
African race. The light md the blessings e
Christianity have been extended t., thrm,' M,
both THEN moral and physical condition has beer
greatly improved.
Reopen the trade, and it would DO difficult t
determine whether the effect would be more de
le,erious on the Interests ofthe master or on thos,
Of The native born slave. OF the evils to the mas
ter, the one most to be dreaded would be the in
PRODUCTION of wild. heather, and ignorant harlu
rims among the sober orderly. and quiet slaves
whose ancestors have been on the soil for seyera
generations. This might tend to barbarizc, de
mornlize, and exasperate the whole mass, an,
produce most deplorahlc consequences.
The effect upon the existing slave would, ifpos
sible. be still more deplorablc. AT present he i
treated with kindness and humanity. lie is wei
fed, we'll clothed, and not overworkeI. His cundi
ton is incomparably better than that of the coolio
which modern nations IF high civilization hay
employed as substitute for African slaves
Both the rhi!anthrophy and the selfiaterest o
the master have combined to produce this human,
result. But let this trade be reopcned, and, wha
will be the effect? The same to n considerable
extent, us on u neishboring island-the only spo
now ON Garth where the African slave trade i
openly tolerated and this in defiance of solemn
treaties with n power nhundantly uhle Mt any mo
ment to enforce their execution. There tho mas
ter, Intent upon present gain, EFFORTS from tn