New-York daily tribune., 1861-05-17
JOHN QUINCY ADAMS
ON SLAVERY AND EMANCIPATION As MFEcrE
BY WAR.


In 1912 april lith), JOIN QUINcY ADAMS
made in the House oi Representatives a speech
on apprehended war with Great Britain and with
Mexico, whereof the following extract VIII now
be- read with lively interest:
said that. as far as ] could understand the reso-
luious proposed by the gentleman ifom ONO lr'
Ciddnesl there were zone ol t'em Tor wficn was
ready 10 vote and some which must yOte ag1n-t;
ard will row tell this lOuse, my constituents, aud
tho world OF mankLd, that the resolution agslnst
which | would have voted was that ~ Whch he ae-
clres that what are cat tie Slave states have the
cyclasiye rioht of consultation on tie subject OF
slavery. For that res lnlion | never would vote
because l believe hat II is not just, aud does not
contain constitution doctrine. believe iaI 50
long as tlo slave States are able 10 sufi IN tc!f
institution without going abroad, or calling upon
other parts ot the Union 10 aid them o. 20 act
ON tle subject 70 long VII consent never 10 inter-
ieIe. But u they come TO TIE tree oates anu ~! ID
them you must help ~ TO keep down our slaves, you
NUT aid MS in IN insur?eciiOn and civil war, then
say that wi h that call coues full and penary power
% Ibis HOue and 10 tle soUatc over the whole snb-
iect. Il IS "a war power say Il y "as iV"Sli
and when your country is actually in war, whether
it be war Of invasion or a war OF insuTecon, Con
gie.s has power TO carry on the war; and must carry
it on according TO the laws Of war, aud by The Laws o
war invaded country has al its laws and TAnic pal
institutions swept by the board, aud martial Law
takes the Place OF them. This power IN congress mas
perhars never been called into exercise under the
ur sent Constitution OF The United States. But when
he laws OF war are IA force, what, ask, Is one OF
those laws Ii il this: tlat when country ls M
yaded aud two hostile armies are set in mar
tal array, the commanders ot boA arM'tS mare
5Or.r 10 cmdHciDate all Ne Siarts 40 he m-
raJed ,e~,tory Nor Is this a mere
theoretic statements. The history Of south America
shows that the doctrine has been carried INTO
practical execution within the last thirty years. Sy-
ery was abolished in Colombia iirst by The Spanish
| nd eeCDutly
eral Bolivar II was abosh by ylrne OF military
command given al the head of the army, and ~ aboi.
on continues 10 be law 10 tins day. IL was abolished
by the laws of war, and not by municipal enactmelts
The power was exercised by military commanders, IN
der usirucons OF course from their respective Gov.
ernments. CoDgTess IL now about passing grant TO
refund TO Gen. Jackson the amount OF certain line
imDosed uIon him by Judge under the laws OF TIE
State of Louisiana. lou are going refund him the
money with interest; and tins you are gong TO do
because the imposition OF the line WIS unjust.
Ard Ard WY unjust Because dcii' JACK
son was acting under the laws o, war, and be-
cause the moment You lace military command-
er in district which Is the thoter OF war, the laws o
war alply 10 that district. have sp9ndence
betUer "A len Jackson and the Governor OF Georgia
during the Seminole campaign, in which Gen. jack
son asserts the principle that he Is Governor OF q;
State wlin liz lGen. jackson'a military dll so!i, had
no right to giye military order while no (Gen. Jack
SOM was IL the field. The Governor contested the
power OF Cen. Jackson and sad al he could Tor state
rights; but Gen. jackson had given IN order and trt
order was carried mao effect, while the order OF he
Governor suppressed. Gen. Jackson had the
nght of the question.
Imioht furnish thousand proofs to show that the
preten.0ns al gentlemen 10 the saucty ot their mu
nicpai Institutions, under state OF actual INVASION
and OF actual war, whether seryile civil or io.eign
are wholly mIOundcd and that The laws Oi war 90, IA
all such cases take the precedence. lar tls down
~ the law OF nations. say that the military hory
tahes, for the time, The place OF ali municipal insn-
iiong, Siagery among ne rest Under taal state Of
thngs, FIR from its being true that the States where
Slavery exists have the exclusive mhnaG"Dent NJ the
satjooi, MT 0Riy the PrcsdHt IF the dat.d States
init tie c0mmdadtr u tie orrg, hdS pJ'ccr ~ Ofder
he cHa.r,rs0f caaHcYI II ne si0rts.
have given more in detail principle which have
assorted on this Aoor before now, ana of which have
no more doubt than that you Sir occupy that chair
give il in It's deyelopn cut, ia ORDER that any gentle
man, from any paIt OF tIe UuiOn may deny -o trUtn
of this posiiou if he thinks proper, and may maintain
bis dnal, not By Indignation, not by pa ion and fury,
brat by sound aud sober reasoning from the laws Of
nations and tho laws OF war II my position can be
answered and Iefnted, shall receive the reiGta!ol
with pleasure. 1 shall be glad to GS'en to reason,
aside, say, from indignation aud passion. II, by
the force of reasoning, my understanding can be coi-
WINGED, here pledge myself TO recant what nave as
serted.
Let my position be answered; let lne be told, let uy
constituents be told let the people Of my State be told,
In State whoc soil toerates not the foot ol aslayel,
tina, they are bound by the Constitution lons and
toilsOinc march, under burning Summer suns and
deadly Southern cline, for the suppression OF sorye
war. That they bound To leave their bodies TO rot
upon the sands Of Carolina TO leave their wives widows
and their children orphans; tina, those who cannot
march ae bound TO pour ont their treas nrc,, Winle
their or brothers pouring ont their blood, 10
suppress u ferve war, combined with oiyii or
foreign war; and yet that there peyond
the limits Of the Slave State where such war Is reifg 81
10 emancipatc the slaves. Let this be proved, say
am open 10 conviction; but til tha: conviction comes
put FORTH not as dictate of feeling butas settled
maxim OF The laws Of nations, that In such case tho
military pow ell supersedes the civil power.
FROM AUGUSTA.