Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1861-01-31

and suppose in all mems judgments since, il
is received as q settled truth, that slave labor
and free labor do not exist well together. /
have before me declaration of Mr. Mason, in
the convention that formed the constitution, to
that effect. Mr. Mason, as is well known. was
a distinguished member from Virginia. He
says that the objection to slave labor is that il
puts free white labor to disrcpute; that it caus-
es labor to be regarded as derogatory TO the
character of the free white man, and that the
free white man despises to work, to use his ex-
preston, where slaves are employed. This is
a matter of great interest to the free States. if
it be true, as to great extent il certainly is,
that wherever slave labor prevails, free white
labor is excluded or discouraged. l agree that
slave labor does not necessarily exclude free la
Dor totally. There is free white labor in Vir-
ginia, Tennessee and other States, where m ost of
the labor is done by slaves. But il necessari-
ly loses something Of its respectability, by the
side of, and when associated with, slave labor.
Wherever labor is mainly performed by slaves,
1t is degrading to frcemen. The freemen of
the North, therefore, have q deep interest in
keeping labor free, exclusively free, in the new
territories.
But, sir, let us look further into this aledg-
ed inequality. There is no pretence that south
ern people may not go into territory which
only restraint is that thcy shall not carry slaves
thther, and continue their relation. They say
this shuts them altogether out. Why, sir,
there can be nothing more inaccurate in point
of fact than this statement. | understand that
une-half the people who settled Illinois are peo-
pie, or descendants of people, who came from
the southern States, and | suppose that one
ird Of the people of Ohio are those or de-
scendents of those, who emigrated from the
South and | venture to say, that in respect to
those two States, they are at this day settled by
people OF southern origin in as great portion as
they are by people of northern origin according
TO the general numbers and proportion ofpeople
South and North. There are as many people
from the South in proportion to the whole peo-
pie of the South, in those States, as there are
from the North, in proportion to the whole peo-
pie of the North. There is, then, no exclusion
of southern people; there is only exclusion Of
a peculiar local law. Neither in principle nor
in fact is there any inequality"
Judge Douglas, in 1850, said
"But you say that we propose to prohibit by
law your emigration to the Territories with your
! property. We propose no such thing. We
recognize your right, in common with our own,
to emgrate to the Territories with your prop
erty, and there hold and enjoy it in subordina-
tion to the law you may find in force in the
! SouHIl' luOSt laws III some respects, Qltlef
from our own, as the laws of the various States
OF this Union vary, on some points, from the
laws of each other. Some species of property
are excluded by law in most of the States, as
well as Territories, as being unwise, immoral,
or contrary to the principles of sound public
policy. For instance, the banker is prohibited
from emigrating to Minnesota Oregon, or Cali
fornia, with his bank. The bank may be prop
erty by the laws of New York. but ceases to be
so when taken into State or Territory where
banking is prohibited blythe local law. So, ar
dent spirits, whisky, brandy, all the intoxicating
drinks, are recognized and protected as proper
ty in most of the States, if not all of them !; but
no citizen, whether from the North or South
can take this species of property him. and
hold, sell, or use it at his pleasure in all the
Territories, because it is prohibited by the local
LAWN Oregon by the statutes of the Territory,
and in the Indian country by the acts of Con-
gress. Nor can a man go there and hold his
slave, for the same reason. These laws and
many others involving similar principles, are d-
rected against no section, and impair the rights
of no Stale in the Union. They are laws
against the Introduction, sale, and use of specific
kinds of property, whether brought from the
North or the South or from foreign countries