Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1860-08-11

TO liberal course ON THIS question OF the
| slave trade in the District This is the seat
| of the National Government The gentlemen
| of the North are compelled To meet here. at
| this common and central point OF legislation
| II is not a matter of choice with them, whetn.
/ er they come as members of Congress, or upon
| business connected with the Government
| They must come, or renonnce the benefits of
National Government They complain
they appeal to rs they say that this traffic
| is offensive TO them aud whether they see
any OF the more revolving exhibitions con-
nected with this traffic or not, they are com
| PEELED to hear of them. The idea of human
| beings. not criminals, in chains, or kept IN
| thee Stare pens. within the verge of the Capt.
| tai, wounds their sensibilitics. | have been
| in the habit of spending part OF my time in
| this District, annually, during a period of
| near twenty years, aud must say that have
never seen d slave in chains but upon one oc-
| casion, and that, was told, was purposeIy
| cOntrived. AS for slave pens, | know moth
ing of them, and suppose they are nothing
more or worse than private houses in which
traders secure their slaves against escape I'M
til thew are tranieTed 10 Southern market
But. whatever may be the nature or extent
Of This traffic in the District, our northern
brethren call upon us to prohibit il. They
inform US that there are thousands at the
North who have,tender consciences upon this
point: remove this stumbling block out CT
their way. and one of the chief grounds of
agitation they aver will be removed
But while Dir. BELL, for the reasons here
stated, ''acqaicsced" in the policy OF sup
pressing the slave trade in the District of
Columbia, he strongly objected 10 the bill,
as reported by the Committee. One OF his
objections he sets forth i'll the following cx-
tract from his speech
"A word in regard TO the other features Of
this Bill which may give cause Of dislrust
and discomfort at The South. This bill pre-
poses that slaves brought into the District for
sale shall be emancipated Now agree that
not once in twenty years, perhaps, woald a
real slave-trader bring his slaves here with
such penalty staring him in the face. But
here is the power Indirectly provided for
emancipation; and, although but few slaves
will acquire their freedom by the fair opera
ton o. the bill, yet thousand of emancipated
slaves may be thrown into the District by
pretended traders, who are only agents of
masters in the adjoining States who desire to
Hibernate their slaves bat are forbidden by the
laws OF the States in which they reside.
system OF emancipation may thus be estab-
lished through the operation of this bill,
which will contribute to- swell the free color
ed population to an indefinite extent, and yet
no provision Is made either Tor their control
or their removal. The District is already
overIun with this class of population, and [
repeat that unless steps are taken to check
the progress oi this evil, not only slave pro
perty, bat every other social interest of the
white inhabitants, will be put to hazards
that provision shall be made to exclude slaves
emancipated under this act from residence
IN the District. But where are they TO go?
We have BALI million of this class OF in
habltanls In the States already. Instead of
adding to their numbers, the highest cOnsid-
crdtiOns demand that they Shall be diminish
cd. This bill should be so amended as not
to augment an evil that already weighs
heavily upon the country. Make the penal
ty for Violating the provisions of the bill
pecuniary one Let il be twice the value of
the slave, If you please ii that is not
enough, imprison the offender. 1t is alleged
that the bill in its present shape is IN con-
fOrmity with the laws Of Maryland when the
District was ceded to the United States; but
the whole question in relation 10 slavery Is
greatly changed since that period. Then
there was no agiiatiOn npOn the subject that
threatened the Union. The inhabitants of
the free and slave States lived in harmony.
There was no concerted system for the seduc-
ton and carrying of slaves from their mas
tiers The evils of free colOred population
were not felt. There were not keen senslblh-
ties North or South, to be offended or aroused
to indignation 10y discussions and doctrines
held on either side. Now all is changed,
and SO greatly changed. that we must pro-
coed with the greatest caution and dellcacy
in all that we do relating 10 the sui jet OF
slavery. The feelings and sensibilities at the
North demand that the slave trade shall
be abolished at the seat of the National Gov
eminent. The South proposes To acquIesce
in this measure in "a spirit Of Difference and
courtesy to their Northern brethren; bat they
ask that the North, in the exercise OF Il re-
ciprocal comfy and Difference towards them,
hall adapt the provisions Of this bill, as Tar
rs possible, to the interests, or, II you please,
10 the feelings and preiudicics of the South
What good reason eau be assigned Tor rctns-
ing to do So / can see none"
Mr. Bell, it will be scen, in behalf OF the
South, demanded that the provisions Of the
bill should be adapted, as far as possible, TO
s-thc interests" of the South. He tried, by
bis arguments and his votes, to have it thus
adapted; and failing 10 that, he voted against
it. What have his Southern assailants TO say
to thai? What have they to say to his
vote in favor OF motion OF Mr. Pearce.
of Maryland to strike out Of tie first
section of the bill the clause provi-
ding that slaves brought into the Dis
trict for sale should become free, and insert
ing in lieu thereof clause sublecting the
owner. who should bring them in tor that
purpose. to a fiue of five hundred dollars:
The vote in the Senate on this proposition
of Mr.. Pearce was as follows:
YEAs-Messrs Atchison of Missouri, BELL
of Tennessee. Berrien. of Georgia, Downs OF
louisiana. Dawson of Georgia, FOote of Mis-
sissippi, Houston of Texas, King of Alabama,
Mason of Virginia. Morton of Florida, Pea &c
of Maryland. Pratt of Maryland. Rusk of
Arkansas. Sebastian of Arkansas. Underwood
of Kentucky, and Yulee of FIOrida-I6.
NAYs-Messrs. Badger, Baldwin, Benton,
Chase. Clay, Davis of Massachusetts,, Dayton,
Dickinson, Dodge of Wisconsin. Dodge of
Iowa, Ewing, Fitch, Green, HamIin, Jones,
Mangum, Morris, Seward, Shields, Smith,
Spruauce, Sturgeon, Wales, Walker, Whit
comb, and WinihrOP-26.-[SeeC OngressiOn-
al Globe, Vol. Fl, part :, page 1881
1t may be wen to call the special attention
of such of Mr.. Bells Southern opponents as
are afflicted with doabts as TO his loyalty to
the SOUTH TO the unimpeachable Southern
Democratic company which he kept in all the
votes, "itHout single cACeptioD, given Dy
him throughout the entire progress of this
bill.
In addition TO the vote oboye referred 10,
Mr. Bell voted for an amendment, also offered
by Mr.. Pearee, as an additional section to the
bill, making if penitentiary offence for any
person within the District of Columbia to Gu
tice slave to run away. or to abet or as
sist him in running away, or to harbor him
with intent to aid him in escaping from his
owner
The yeas and nays ON the adoption of
this amendment were as follows
YEAs-Messrs. Barnwell of South Caroli-
ma. Badger of North Carolina, BELL OF Ten
nessee, Berrien of Georgia, Butler of South
Carolina Davis of MiSSissipDi Dawson of