New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1862-02-28
TEE CONVERSATIONS OF THE
BUILDERS.

terms of Union with the SlayehOlding States.
Every reader of history-about which the editor
of The Journal evidently knows nothing, for we
are not to suppose that be would deliberately
and knowingly falSiiy it-every reader Of his
tory knows that the great difficulty in framing
the Constitution was the Slavery question. and
that &" Compromises" as they are called, the
foreign slave.trade, the three.ffths role. aud
the rendition Of fugtives, were concessions very
reluctantly made by members from States where
Slavery was already disappearing, and reluc-
family accepted because it was all they could
get, BY those from States where Slavery seemed
likely to linger for some time longer. "we
4" will give you," said the North in effect
" twenty years more of African slaye-trade.
" because you assert that you can't start fair in
4" the race for prosperity without more labOrers;
ave will permit your slave property to 10
q" reckoned os three-ffths in the Congressional
" representation, on the condition that when
direct taxes ere levied, three-ff!bs Of tho
+" slaves shall then be counted as taxable per.
" Sons; and we will agree to enact no direct
" law forbiddirg you to come over our borders
" to recover your fugitive slaves. But, mind
you, we will not recognize your system ia
I" any other way whatever; it shall have no
" constitutional guaranty-the blot even of tho
% word s!arc shall not rest upon the Constita.
4" ton, and the little We here give you, We
give because Slavery 10 dying out every.
"where, and will disappear with you whom
" the twenty years of the Foreign Trade 10
over" How mistaken they were in this LAT
ter expectation, We know TO our cost 10 those
years of 1872, but they believed they had
Gained Union at Q small cost, and had no
thought that what seemed to be and wers
meant IS very slight concessions. would build
mp what they proposed to pull down, and pro-
cipitate their own country, perhaps the world,
into u war, before three-fourths of century
were over.
"Muy the grave Of your father be defled"
is the worst aGathema OF the Turk; but The
journal Of Commerce, aud all Ike it, do that
ioIl choice which the infde denounces as q
curse upon his enemy. 1t defiles the graves o{
ne Fathers and defaces and blackens tho
monuments raised to them by grateful pos
teriiy. They loved liberty. A people never
wrote upon their history fact so plain ~
this-,hey loved liberty, and they did no, love
Slavery. The Constitution was made for free
men and by freemeu, aud they would not per-
mt the word siGrt to blot its fair pages.
They gave no guaranty TO Slavery; they did
not recognize 10 il any right whatever; they
thought too i'll of it, aud we're too much
ashamed of it, 10 aude to it by pane; thsy
stated in precise terms how far they would be
Implicated in its support; and they gave duo
rotlce then and to all future time that beyond
that they would have nothing to do with it.
II The Journal knew anything of the writings
Of Toe great men of that day, or could have
any conception of their character, 1t would un-
dorstand how it resies their memory when it
talks of making the Constitution instrumental
in reducing men to Slavery whom the war has
made free, or Of restoring to the Shareholders
the privileges they have forfeited. Its spirit 10
as opposed 10 theirs a. darkness is to light.
1t i. true-and We hasten to acknowledge the
admission made by such paper as The Jour.
noi-wo have been put back again, In the
Proyidence of God, where ~e may take new
departure in our relations to Slavery. Those
who went before us did not crush it, because
they believed they could be called upon only to
tolerate it for brief season. They made Q
bitter mistaks; but ours would be frightful
wrong # wo should profit little by their
example aud our sad experience us TO commit
over again the same biunier. No; let US fol.
low ihes example, in their spirit and DO.
according to our hight, "a intolerant Of human
boldege as they were The Republican doc.
trne Is good doctrine. Slavery should DO
excluded from all Territory now belonging to.
or hereafter 10 be acquired BY the United
States Wherever the Constitution goes exclu-
siy,iy let It carry freedom with 1t, and though
t,at instrument be not amended, let it be tho
work Of th, generation to provide, as It's trainers
intended. that the rendition clause and tho
.brer.nlths rule shall, like the twenty years
permission To the slave.lrade, become dead
letter because the class to which they apply
30 longer exists among us. The revolted STATES
must be held for some time to come BY military
occupation. and should they, at tho same time.
be declared Territories and Slavery prohibited
Al motive for rebellion will be taken away
The Constitution Was meant for treedom-ios
us secure the purpose which its founders 'ai'e"
TO accomplish.
The Quarterly Reristc OF London for January