Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1860-01-03
4 q N TON SPECTl9n 9n,
s-geged ID this unlawful
entesps'ise have been
not with a. much snc-
served. a number

cess as their GRIMES n aerveosT a Rpm0e
of them are still undel tx
| Our history proves | g''ers OF tlleite
public, in advance ef nations, oondenln
ed the African sls ad It was. notwith
standing, deemed expedient by Tue trainers Q
the Constitution to deprive Congress of the pow
er to prohibit 1.-THE migration or importation Q
such persons as any of the States now existing
shall think proper to admit "prior to the yea
one thousand eight hundred and eight"
1t will be seen that this restriction on the pow
er of Congress was confined to such States onl,
as might think proper to admit the importation
Iof slaves. 1t did not extend to other States o.
to the trade carried on abroad. Accordingly
we find that SO early as the 92d March, 1874
Congress passed an act imposing severe penalties
and punshments upon citizens aud residents o
the United States who should engage IN this trade
| between foreign nations. The provisions OF thl
act were extended and enforcedby the act OF l0tt
May, 1900
Again: The States themselves had cleal
lrightto waive the constitutional privilege intend
ed for their benefit, and to prohibit. BY thei
own laws, this trade at any tina they though
proper previous to 1908 Several of them exer
cised this right before that period, and among
them some containing the greatest number O
slaves. This gave to Congress the immediate
power to act in regard to all such States because
they themselves had removed the constitutions
barrier. Congress accordingly passed an act OF
2Sth February 1903, 'to prevent the lmportauor
of certain persons into certain States where Dy
the laws thereof, their admission is prohibited.
In this manner the importation OF African slaves
Iinto the listed States was, to a great extent
prohibited solnes yFsrs in advance of 1908.
as the year 1903 approached, CONGRESS- deter:
mined not to suffer this toexiss ever fora single
dal' after they had he power 70 aoc1 IT, W
the I'd of Marc, 1907, they passed an act to take
effect "from and safter the 1st day of January
i 1885," prohibiting the importation OF African
slaves into the United States. This was follow.
ed by subsequent acts OF similar character, tc
which need not specially refer. Such were the
principles and such the practice OF our ancestors
more than fifty years ago in regard to the Atri.
can slave-trade.
1t did not occur to the reverend patriots who
had been delegates to the convention, and after
wards became members of Congress, that in pass
ing these laws they had violated tia Constitu-
tion which they had framed with somuch care
and delberation. They supposed that to prohibit
Congress, in express terms, faom exercising a
specified power before an appointed cay, neces-
sarily involved the right to exercise this power
after that day had arrived.
Constitution had expended much labor in vain.
Had they imagined that Congress would possess
no power to prohibit the trade either before or
after 1903, they would not have taken so much
care to protect the States against the exercise OF
this power before that period. Nay more, they
would not have attached such vast Importance
to this provision as to have excluded it from the
possibility of future repeal or amendment, to
which other portions of the Constitution were
exposed. 1t would, then, have been wholly un-
necessary to engraft On the fifth article of the
Constitution, prescribing the mode of its own
future amendment, the proviso, 'sthat no amend
ment which may be made prior to the year one
thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any
manner Affect the provision in the Constitution
securing to the States the right to admit the i'm
portaton of African slaves previous to that Pc
riod.
! According to the adverse construction, the
clause ITSELF on which so much care and discus
sion had been employed by the members of The
convention, was an absolute nullity from the be
| ginning. and all that has since been done under
t.a mere usurpation.
1t was well and wise to confer this power or
Congress, BECAUSE had it been left to the States
its efficient exercise would have been impossible
In that event any one State could have efectually
continued the trade not only for itself but for al
the other slave States, though never so much q
gainst their will And why Because Africai
slaves when once brought within the limits o
any one State ein ssaance with . Y ws, cat
not practica!as b. saedt a any Q. ner Stata
where slevesy EXISTS. al en- ii a.. !. 81 as
had senerately 2as avs Prohibiting the in
porta of ssav1a s3Agse Laws would nave faileJ
of effect for want OF naval force to capture tbs
slavers and to guard the coasts. Such force nd
State can employ in time of peace without the
consent of Congress.
j These acts of Congress, it is believed, have
; with very rare and Insignificant exceptions, &C.
complished their purpose. For period of more
! than halt a century there has been no percspi
! beaddition to the number of our domestic slaves
II During this period their advancement in civil
zation has far surpassed that of any other por
ton of the African race. The light and th
blessing of Christianity have been extended Il
them, and both their moral and physical condi
tion has been greatly improved.
4 Reopen the trade, and it would be Difficult
j to determine whether the effect wonld be NOR
: deleterious on the interests of the master or d
those of the native-born slave. Ofthe evils t
the master, the one most to be dreaded woul
be the introduction of wild, heaihen, and igno
rant barbarians among the sober, orderly, an
quiet slaves, whose ancestors have been on th
barbarize, demoralize, and exasperate the Who'll
mass, and produce most deplorable consequence
The effect upon the existing slave would, j
possible, be still more deplorable. At presen
| he is treated with kindness and humanity. FL
t is well fed, well clothed, and not overworked =
His condition is lncomparably better than tia
of the coolies which modern Datons of high civ
il.zation have employed as a substitute for Afrl
can slaves. Both the philanthropy and the sell
interest of the master have combined to produc
this humane result. But let this trade be re
opened, and what will be the effect2 The same
to considerable extent, as on neighboring is
land-the only spot now on earth where the Al
rican slave-trade is openly tolerated: and tli
; in defiance of solemn treaties with power a
bundantly able at any moment to enforce thA
} execution. There the master, intent upon prs
ent gain, extorts from the slave as much labol
! as his physical powers are capable of enduring
! knowing that, when death comes to his rest
his place can be- supplied at q price reduced IL
I the lowest point by the competition of rival Af
rican slave-traders. Should this ever be tx
case in our country-which do not deem pos
t sible-the present useful character of the domaB
: tic institution, wherein those too old aud til
) young to work are provided tor ~ re ~.
! humanity, ssnI those cap1hle of laoor ~ . pel
The feeling of reci procai iepslsasnce aud at7lae
nent whioa now exists between master aud slaV
would be converted into mutual distrust an
hostility.
> But we are obliged as Christian and NOR,
nation to consider what would be the effect upo
unhappy Africa itself if we should reopen tt