The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1860-01-05

cause they themselves had removed
the constitutional barrier. Congress
accordingly passed an act on 2sth
FEBRUARY, 1903, ito prevent the inn
portation of certain persons into GER
tain States where, by the laws thereof
their admission is prohibited" In this
manner the importation of African
slaves into the United States was, to a
great extent, prohibited some years in
advance of 1903. 9e ni
AS the year 1903 approached, Con
gress determined not to suffer this
trade to exist ever for single day af-
ter 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 1st day of January, lsOs,'' prohib-
iting the importation of African slaves
into into the United States. This was
followed by subsequent acts of a SINH
lar character, to which / need not
specially refer. Such were the princi-
pies and such the practice of our an
oestors more than fifty years ago, in re-
gard to the African slaye-trade.
>
1t did not occur to the revered patri-
OTIS who had been delegates to the con-
vention, and afterwards became mem
bers of Congress, that in passing these
laws they had violated the Constitution
which they had framed with so much
care and deliberation. They supposed
that to prohibit Congress, in express
terms, from exercising specified
power before an appointed day, neces-
sarily involved the right to exercise
this power after that day had arrived.
If this were not the case, the trainers
of the Constitution had expended much
labor in vain. Had they imagined that
Congress would possess the power to
prohibit the trade either before or af-
ter 1908, they would not have taken
so much care to protect the States
against the exercise of this power be-
fore that period. Nay, more, they
would not have attached such vast i'm
portance to this provision as to have
excluded it from the possibility of flu
ture repeal or amendment, to which
other portions of the Constitution
were exposed. 1t would, then, have
been wholly unnecessary to cngraft on
the fifth article of the Constitution,
prescribing the mode of its own future
amendment, the proviso, {" that no a
mendment which may be made prior
to the year one thousand eight hun
dred and eight shall in any manner af-
feet" the provision in the Constitution
securing to the States the right to ad-
nit the importation of African slaves
previous to that period.
According to the adverse construc-
ton, the cause itself, on which so much
care and discussion had been employed
by the members of the convention,
was an absolute nullity from the begin
ming, and all that has since been done
under it mere usurpation.
1t was well and wise to confer this
power on Congress, because, had it
been left to the States, its efficient ex-
ercise would have been impossible.
In that event any one State could have
effectually continued the trade, not
only for itself, but for the other slave
States, though never so mut against
their will. And why? Because Afri
can slaves, when once brought within
the limits of any one State, in accor-
dance with its laws, cannot practically
be excluded from any other State
where slavery exists. And even if all
the States had separately passed laws
prohibiting the Importation of slaves,
these laws would have failed of effect
for want of a naval force to capture
the slavers and to guard the coast.
Such force no State can employ with.
out the consent of Congress.
These acts of Congress, it is be-
lieved, have, with very rare and insig-
nificant exceptions. accomplished their
purpose. For period of more than
half century there has been no per-
ceptible addition to the number of our
domestic slaves. During this period
their advancement in civilization has
far surpassed that of any other portion
of the African race. The light and
the blessings of Christianity have been
extended to them, and both their moral
and physical condition has been greatly
improved.
Reopen the trade, and it would be
difficult to determine whether the eff
feet would be more deleterious on the
interests of the master or on those OF
the native-born slave. Of the evils to
the master, the one most to be dreaded
would be the introduction Of wild
heather and ignorant barbarians
among the sober, orderly and quiet
slaves, whose ancestors have been on
the soil for several generations. This
might tend to barbarize, demoralize
and exasperate the whole mass, and
produce the most deplorable conse
quences. ffse2 liaIis
The effect upon the existing slave would, if pos
ible be still more deplorable. At present he j:
treated with kindness and humanity. He is wei
fed, well clothed, and not overwOrked, His con
dition is ncomparably better than that of the COO
lies which modern nations of high civilization hav,
employed as a substitute for African slaves. Boil
the philanthropy and selfinterest OF the maste
| have combined to produce this humane result
But let this trade be reopened, and what will b'
the effect? The same to considerable extent, a
/ on a neighboring island-the only spot now OF
earth where the African slave trade is openly tol
Grated; and this in defiance OF solemn treatie
with power abundantly able at any moment I.
enforce their execution. There the master, inten
upon present gain, extorts from the slave as mucl
labor as his physical powers are capable OF endur
ling-knowing that when death comes to his relief
his place can be supplied at price reduced to tn
lowest point by the competition of rival Africa
slave-traders. Should this ever be the case in ou