Sioux City register. [volume] (Sioux City, Iowa) 1858-1871, 1860-01-14

| reMeuy.3 bhO0io thSy Iali 70 40 this here-
after, il, viii then be time enough tx
strengthen their hands by further legisla-
tion. Had 1t been decided that eilhel
Congress or ths territorial legislature pos
sess the power, to annul or impair the righ
to property in slaves. the evil would be in
tolerab!s. In the latter event, there would
be = strugse for . majority Of the mem
bers Of the legislature at each successive
election, and tho sacred rights of property
held under the Federal Constitution would
depend for the time being, on the result
The agitation would thus BE- rendered in
cessant whilst the territorial condition re
mainsd, and its baneful influence would
keep alive dangerous excitement among
the, people Of the several States. .ss.,s..,,
| Tins has the status Of a Territery. dur.
ing the intermediate period from its frs.
settlement, until it shall become State,
be n irrevocably fixed by the final decis-
ion Of the Supreme Court Fortunate has
this been for the prosperity OF the Terri
tories, az well as the tranquility of the
Ssaasa. Now. ssaaig igranss. lxoul the North
and the South, the East ard the West, win
meet in the Territories on a com mon
platform having brought with them that
species Of property best adapted, in their
own opinion, to promote their welfare
From natural causes the slavery question
will IN each case soon virtually settle it.
self; and before tho Territory is prepared
for admission a. 4 State into the Union,
this decision one waycrthe other. will have
been toregons conclusion Meanwhile
Al e A.
proceed without serious Interruption and
its progress and prosperity viii not be en-.
dangered or retarded by violent political
struggles. a. s=a.-tJar8 s. a.ir.nl ,stf.s --.rs
n Wenrin the progress of events the in
habitants OF any Territory shall have
reached the number required to form y
State. they will then proceed, in a regular
manner, and in the exercise OF the rights
Of popular sovereignty, to form a censtitu.
tion preparatory to admission into the
Union After this has been dbtie, 10 en-
ploy the language Of the Kansas aud Ne.
brAska act, they "shall be received into
the Union, with or without slavery, ns
their constitution may prescribe at the time
of their admission. This sound princi.
pie has happily been recognized, in some
form or other, by an almost unanimous
vote of both houses of the last Congress.
Im All lawtal means at my e0nmaud have
been employed, and shall continue TO be
employed 10 execute the laws against the
African slave trade. After most careful
and rigorous examination Of our coasts,
and a thorough investigation OF the sub
ject, we have not been able TO discover
that any slaves have been imported into
the United States except the cargo bv the
Wanderer, numbering between three and
{ u hundred. Those engaged in this un-
lawful enterprise have been vigorously
prosecuted but not with as much success
as their crimes have deserved. A number
Of them are still under prosecution. s
Our history proves that the fathers of
the Republic, ia advance of all other ma
tions, condemned the African slave trade
1t was. notwithstanding deeme exped,ent
by the trainers Of the Constitution to de-
priye Congress of the powor to prohibit
:" the migration or importation Of such
persons as any Of the States now existing
shall think proper to admit, "prior to the
year ls0S.'
/, will be seen that this restriction on
the power Of Congress was confined to
such States only As might think proper to
admit the importation of slaves. 1t did
not tend 10 other States or to the trade
carried on abroad. Acrardiny, we find
that 80 early as the 22d March, 1894, Con.
gress passed an act imposing severe pen.
altiss and punishments upon citizens and
residents of the United States who should
engage in this trade between foreign na.
tions The provisions of this act were ex
tended and enforced by the ac. OF 10th
May, 1900. .a...s.. l.....s.,.-.
Again: The States themselves had q
clesr right to waive the Constitutional pri
vilegs intended tor their benefit, and to
prohibit, ny their own laws, this trade a.
any time they thought proper previous TO
lsUS. Several eof them exercised this
rgh before that period, and among them
some containing the greatest number of
slaves This gave to Congress the im,na-
date power to act in regard TO all such
States, because they themselves had re-
moved the Constitutional barrier Con.
gvess accordingly passed an act on 2Slh
February, 1868, 9 to prevent the iniporta
ton OF certain persons into certain States
where, by the laws thereof, their admission
is prohibited In this manner the inpor
tation Of African slaves in the United
Sta;es was, to q great extent, prohibited
some years in advance OF 1903, .z ..s.
As the year 1903 appr oached, Congress
determined not TO suffer this trade to exist
even for a 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 lst day Of January,
ls0s," prohibiting the importation of AZ
rican slaves in the United States. This
was followed by subsequent acts Of 81
milar character, 70 which 1 need not spe-
cially refer. Such we're the principles and
such the practice Of our ancestors more
than fifty years ago in regard to ths Airi-
can slave trade. eas5v sb a..slszz a.
1t did not occur to the reverend patriots
who had been delegates to the convention,
and afterwards became members Of Con-
eress, that inapnssing these laws they had
violated the Constitution, which they had
framed with so much care and delbera-
ton They supposed that to prohibit Con-
gress. in express terms, from exercising a
Specified power before an appointed day,
necessarily involved the right 10 exercise
this power after tint day had arrived
II this were not the case. the trainers OF
the Constitution had expended much labor
ii vain. Had they imagined that Congress
would possess no power 10 prohibit the
trade either before o. after 1908, they wo'd
not have taken 50 mach care to p,otec.
| the States against the exercise Of this