The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1860-01-06
NO. 26.

Ist even for a sing e day after they had
the power to abolish it. On the 2d o.
March, 1907, they passed an act to take
effect from and after the 1st day of Jan,
uary, 1so8," prohibiting the importation
of African slaves into the United States
This was followed by subsequent acts of a
similar character, to which | need not spe-
cially refer. Such were the principles
and such the practice Of our ancestors
more than fifty years ago in regard to the
African slave trade.
1t did not occur to the revered patriots
who had been delegates to the Conven-
ton, and afterwards became members of
Congress, that in passing these laws they
had violated the Constitution which they
had framed with SO much care and delib-
Grafton. They supposed, that to prohibit
Congress in express terms, from exercising
a specified power before an appointed day.
necessarily 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 la
Dor IL vain. Had they imagined that
| Congress would possess no power to pro
| Q,
they would not have taken so much care
to protect the States against this power
before that period. Nay, more, they wo'd
not have attached such vast Importance to
this provision as to have excluded it from
the possibility of future repeal or amend
ment, to which other portions Of the Con.
! stitution were exposed. 1t would then
have been wholly unnecessary to engraft
on the fifth article Of the Constitution. pre-
scribing the mode ofits own future amend
ment, the proviso "that no amendment
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 night to admit
the importation Of AFRICAN slaves previous
to that period.
According to the adverse construction
the clause isef, on which SO much care
and discussion had been employed by
members of the Convention, was All abso-
lutte nulity from the beginning, and all
! that had been done under it mere psur-
patton.
1t was we'll and wise to confer this pow
er on Congress, because had it been left
to the States its efficient exercise would
have been impossible. In that event any
one State could have effectually continued
the trade, not only for itself but for all the
other slave States, though never so much
against their will And why? Because
African slaves, when once brought within
! the limits Of any one State, in accordance
with its laws, cannot practically be exclu
ded from any other State where slavery
| exists. And even if all the States had
! separately passed laws prohibiting the i'm
portation Of slaves, these laws would have
failed Of effect for want Of naval force to
capture the slaves and to guard the coasts
Such force m state can employ in time
OF Teace without tie consent of Congress
These acts of Congress, it is believed
have, with very rare and insignificant eX
ceptions, accomplished their purpose. For
period of more than half a century there
has been no perceptibIe addition to the
number of our domestic slaves. During
.hisper.od 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 extend
ed to them and both their moral and phys.
zeal condition has been greatly improved
Reopen the slave trade and it w0UC
be difficult to determine whether the eli
feet v ovid be more deleterious on the in
terests of the master or on those to the
native-born slave. OF the evils to the
master, the one most to be dreaded would
be the introduction of wild, heather anC
ignorant barbarians among the sober, or
derly and quiet slaves, whose ancestor:
have been on the soil for several genera
tions. This might lend to barbarize, de
moraIize and exasperate the whole mass
and produce most deplorable consequen
ces.
The effect upon the existing slave woull
if possible, be still more deplorable. a
present lie is treated with kindness and
humanity. He is well fed, well clothed
and not over worked. His condition i
incomparably better than that of the COO
lies which modern civilization has employ
ed as a substitute for African slaves Boil
the philanthropy and the self interest 0
the master have combined to produce thi
result. But let the trade be re, opened
aud what will be the effect? The same
, to considerable extent, as on neighbor
ing isIand-the only spot now on cart
where the African slave trade is openl
, loleratel and this in defiance with sol
emn treaties with power abundant y abl
, to enforce tLeir execution. There tn
master, intent upon present gain, extort
t from the slave as much labor as his phys
f ical powers are capable of enduring
knowing that when death comes to hi
a relief, his place can be supplied at pric
: reduced to the lowest point by the comp'
, tition of rival African slave traders. Sho'
this ever be The case in our country
D which | DO not deem possible the pre-:
: ent useful character Of the domestic ins:
. tuition, wherein those too old and taske
# would undergo an unfortunate change
: The feeling Of reciprocal dependence an
i attachment which now exists betwee
J. master aud slave would be converted .in'
mutual distrust and hostility.
h Bat we are obliged AS Christian AT
l. moral nation to consider what would
.s the effect upon unhappy Africa itself