The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1860-08-31

should be brought into those colonies and
finally, in l764, South Carolina passed law
imposing penalty of one hundred pounds
Tor five hundred dollars) for every negro
slave subsequently introduced into that
colony. a5t .a 5A.4e.
The colony of Georgia was originally
founded on strict anti-slavery principles,
and rigidly maintained this policy for a
series OF years, until the inhabitants became
convinced by experience, that. with their
climate and productions, slave labor, if not
essential to their existence, would prove
beneficial and useful to their material inter-
ests. Maryland and Delaware protected and
regulated African slavery as one of their
domestic Institutions. Pennsylvania, under
the advice of William Penn, substituted
fourteen years service and perpetual adj
script to the soil for hereditary slavery, and
attempted to legislate, not for the total abo-
lition of slavery, but for the sanctity of
marriage among slaves, and for their per-
sonal security. New Jersey, New York,
and Connecticut, recognized African slave
ry as domestic institution lawfully existing
within their respective limits, and passed the
requisite laws for its control and regulation.
Rhode Island provided by law that no
slave should serve more than ten years, at
the end of which time he was to be set free !;
and if the master should refuse to let him go
free, or sold him elsewhere for longer Pc
riod of service, he was subject to penalty of
forty pounds, which was supposed at that
period to be nearly double the value of the
slave. ........ .......
Massachusetts imposed heavy taxes upon
all slaves brought into the colony, and pro-
vided in some instances for sending the
slaves back to their native land and finally
prohibited the introduction of any more
slaves into the colony under any circum-
stances
When New Hampshire passed laws which
were designed to prevent the introduction of
any more slaves, the British cabinets issued
the following order to Governor Went.
worth " You are not to give your assent
to, or pass any law imposing duties upon,
negroes imported into New Hampshire"
While the legislation of the several colo
MES exhibits dissimilarity of views, founded
on diversity of interests, on the merits
and policy of slavery, it shows conclusively
that they all regarded it as a domestic ques-
ton affecting their internal polity in respect
to which they were entitled to full and ex-
elusive power of legislation in the several
provincial legislatures. For few years
Immediately preceding the American Revo-
luton, the African slave trade was encour-
aged and stimulated by the British govern
ment and carried on with more vigor by the
English merchants than at any other period
in the history of the colonies and this fact,
taken in connection with the extraordinary
claim asserted in the memorable preamble
to the act repeating the Stamp duties, that
Parliament. possessed the right to bind
the colonies in all cases whatsoever" not
only in respect to all matters affecting the
general welfare of the empire, but also in
regard to the domestic relations and inter.
nal polity of the colonies produced a power
full impression upon the minds of the colo
MES, and impaired peculiar prominence to
the principle involved in the controversy.
Hence the enactments by the several col
onial legislatures calculated and designed to
restrain and prevent the increase of slaves
and, on the other hand, the orders issued by
the crown instructing the colonial gov
errors not to sign or permit any legislative
enactment prejudicial or injurious to the
African slave trade, unless such enactm ent
should contain clause suspending its Upper.
alton until the royal pleasure should be
made known in the premises; or, in other
words, until the'king should have an opor-
tunity of annulling the act of the colonial
legislatures by the " inhuman use Of the roy.
al negative .rsa .aa.
Thus the policy of the colonies on the
slavery question had assumed a direct an
tagonism to that of the British Government;
and this antagonism not only added to the
importance of the principle Of local self-gov-
eminent in the colonies, but produced gen.
eral concurrence of opinion and action in
respect to the question of,slavery in the pro-
ceedings of the Continental Congress, which
assembled at Philadelphia for the first time
on the 5th of September, 1774.
On the l4th of October, the Congress
adopted bill of rights for the colonies, in
the form of a series of resolutions, in which,
after conceding to the British government
the power to:regulate commerce and do'such
other things as affected the general welfare
OF the empire without interfering with the
internal policy of the colonies, they declared,
"That they are entitled to free and exclu-
sive power in their several provincial legis-
latures, where their right Misrepresentation can
alone be preserved, in all cases of taxation
and internal polity." Having thus defined
the principle for which they were contending,
the Congress proceeded to adoptthe following
L" peaceful measures" which they still hoped
would be sufficient to induce compliance
with their just and reasonable demands.
These peaceful measure " consisted of ad-
dresses to the King, to the Parliament, aud
the people of Great Britain, together with
an Association of Non Intercourse to be
observed and maintained SO long as their
grievances should remain unredressed.
The second article of this association,
which was adopted without opposition and
signed by the delegates from all the colonies,
was in these words y sd q. bgiDo,l..
"That we will neither import ror puchase
any slave imported after the first day Of Decem.
Der next; after which time we will wholly dis
continue the slave trade, and will neither be
concerned in it ourselves, nor will we hire our
vessels, nor sell our commodities or manufac-
lures to those who are engaged in it," gil
This bill Of rights, together with these
articles of association, were subsequently
submitted to and adopted BY each of the
thirteen colonies in their respective provin-
c;ol loUis1afrirpa - tAt.s 4