The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1859-12-01

Ills Honor Judge w ANNE, OF lne supreme court,
lately delivered charge to the Grand Jury of the
United S States Circuit Court in Savannah, in which
he discussed the laws applicable TO the Slave Trade,
and reviewed the history of the legislation on that
subject. In so doing he has rendered the country
some service. Although no man of average hon
esty and sense, who studies the subject can have
any doubt about the constitutionality of the acts
which prohibit and punish that base traffic, a
number of the people of the Southern States, who,
upon this point, possess neither accurate Informal
ton nor the means of acquiring it, have been mis-
led by the ignorant assertions that have been so
positively made to the contrary. The concise and
lucid opinion of Judge WAYNE is, therefore, time
ly, and will, we hope, forever dsabuse mems
minds of the erroneous notions that certain poll
ticans of the South have too successfully nstilled
into them. He shows how the legislation he speaks
of was "the result Of an early and continued dis
approval by the people of the UNITED STATES,
"both North and South, of the African Slave
Grade" and that in the preparation of the ne
cessary laws for its suppression, 'the distinguish
''ed men of both sections took an active part,
land none of them more decsively than South
Germ statesmen The first Constitutional Con-
gress Of TIA expressed, unanimously, its objec-
lions to the Slave Trade, and the Congress OF
l776 passed Il resolution to the effect that it
should be abandoned. The Constitution as final
~ agreed upon, conferred upon the Federal
Government the power to prohibit the introduce
ton of African slaves after 1907 Mr. JEFFERSON, in
1906, congratulated Congress upon the approach
'of that period when its power became plenary,
land invited it TO pass suitable laws for the final
suppression of the trade This was done at his
recommendation with unusual harmony of senti-
''ment by Congress- In the treaty Of Client be-
tween this country and Great Britain the trade
was pronounced to be 'irreconciiable with hui
'manlty and Justice and in 1918, 1919, 1920.
the laws relating TO it were revised and additional
severity given to the enactmcnts So far from OBJ
jecting to these provisions, the representatives of
the South uniformly advocated the views that had
been maintained in their respective States while
these We're yet Colonies of England Georgia and
South Carolina had, as early as 1898, prohibited
the importation of slaves from Africa; and in 1926
Judge BERRIEN, Of the former State said in the
Senate: 81 abhor the Slave trade 1t is abhorred
"by my constituents" and the representative of
South Carolina, Col. HAYNE remarked on the
same occasion: 'In the State | have the honor to
represent any man concerned, directly or indi-
''rectly, in this traffic. would be Indignantly
"driyen out of society" As late as l843 the
Ashburton treaty, which required the contracting
parties to their efforts to close all the markets
in which African negroes were bought and Sold
was ratified, only three of the Senators who voted
against the treaty being from slave States, and of
these three, one took occasion to declare the trade
''diaboEcal and infamous We have reproduced
these few extracts from Judge WAYNEs opinion,
not because conceive it necessary to argue
here in favor of the plain proposition he has de-
monstraed to the citizens of Savannah, but we
desire 10 refresh the recollectons of intelligent
people upon these points, that they may be the
better enabled TO estimate the recllessness of
the demagogues who deny the constitutionality
of these laws. Some very good men may think
them Unfair and impolitic, and propose their re-
peal; but it is impossible that any one, whose
attention has been specially directed TO the cir.
cumstances under which they were enacted, can
question their validity. A serious responsibility
then, rests upon those who, affecting to consider
themselves absolved from obedience TO them. have
connived at their violation IL the case of the
Waadercr. "Somc of the persons who were con
'cernnd in fitting out'' that vessel for her ega
and shameful voyage, have not, the Judge stated
'as yet been brought to the bar of Justice. >
The chief criminal in that disgraceful affair made
no concealmCnt Of his connection with it, ant
there is every reason for believing that some O
the State officials, through guilty completely
with the offenders enabled the Iottcr IN caour
the frnits Of their pratical act, as well as the
own exemption from punishment If this is so
now is the proper time for the Grand Jury a
Savannah to do what should have been done Ions
ago, and give the country some assurance tina
the right is not the less mantainable there becaus
it may be unpopular. There has been considera
bic clamor among the public men of Georgi.
against the reasonable doctrines that are preached
in the North and the resistance that is sometime
offered to the execution of the Federal DEGREES 81
long they refuse for profit or through passion, tC
enforce the statutes of the land themselves. the,
must be silent concerning those who also plan
themselves upon the precepts of the 'higher law ,
They should hang the violator of the Act whicl
declares the Slave-trade piracy, with as it'll
compunction as Virginia will hang JOHN Brown
and in no other fashion can they so readily mani
fest that loyalty to the Republic of which the,
continually boast There is no honest NAV O
multiplying these laws save by procuring their re
peal, and this any one has the right to apply for
though we trust no changes will be made il
them, except when some more stringent provision
be substituted in their stead.