Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1862-06-26
speech Of Henry Clay OH the ABB
OlitiOD Of slavery in the Dis
trict OF Columbia.
Deliored il The Senate Of tie Unhcd States, on
Thursday, February 2, 1889.

consider the several cases in which the
authority Of Congress is invoked by these
Abolition petitioners on the subject Of do.
nestle slavery. The first relates to it as
it exists in the District Of Columbia
The following is the provision of the
Constitution Of the United States in refer
ence to that matter:
"To exercise exclusive legislation in all cases
whatsoever over such District mot exceeding ten
miles square) aS may by cession of particular
States, and the acceptance of Congress, become
the seat Of Government Of the United States"
This provision preceded, in point Of
time. the actual cessions which were made
by the State Of Maryland and Virginia.
The object OF the cession was to establish
a seat of government Of the United States,
and the grant in the Constitution of ex-
elusive legislation must be understood,
as having relation to the object of the
ccssion. 1t was with full knowledge
Of this clause in the Constitution that
these two States ceded to the General
Government the ten miles square, consti.
tuting the District Of Columbia. In
making the cession, they supposed that
it was to be applied, and applied solely,
to the purpose Of seat Of government,
for which it was asked. When it was
made, slavery existed in both these Com
monwealths, and in the ceded territory,
as it now continues to exist in all Of
them. Neither Maryland nor Virginia
could have anticipated that while the in.
stitutions remained within their respective
limits, its abolition would be attempted
| by Congress without their consent. Nei-
thcr Of them would probably have made
an unconditional cession, if they would
have anticipated such a result.
From the nature of the provision in the
Constitution, and the avowed object oi
the acquisition of the territory, two du.
ties arise on the part of Congress The
first is, to render the District available,
comfortable and convenient, as a seat oil
government Of the whole Union; the other
is, to govern the people within the Dis
trict so as best to promote their happi-
ness and prosperity. These objections
are totally distinct in their nature, and
interpreting and exercising the grant of
the power of exclusive legislation. that
distinction should be constantly borne in
mind. is it necessary, in order to rem
| der this place comfortable seat of the
general government, to abolish slavery
within its limits No one man can OF
will advance such a proposition. The
government has remained here near fort,
years without the slightest Inconvenience,
from the presence of domestic slavery
Is it necessary to the well being of the
people ofthe District that slavery shou Id
be abolished from amongst them p
They not only neither ask nor desire. but
are almost unanimously opposed to it,
1t exists here in the mldest and most
mitigated form. In a population of &c..
S34, there were, at the last numeratior
of the population of the United States,
but 6, 116 slaves. The number has no
probably much increased since. They
are dispersed over the ten miles square
engaged in the quiet pursuits of husba
dry, or in mental offices in domestic life
If it were necessary to the efficiency 0
this place as seat OF the general govern
lnent to abolish slavery, which is utterly
denied, the abolition should be confined tc
the necessity which prompts it, that is, to
the limits of the city of Washington itself
Beyond those limits persons concerned
in the government OF the United States
have no more to do with the inhabitant,
of the District, than they have with tn,
inhabitants of the adjacent counties o
Maryland and Virginia, which lie beyonc
the District,
TO abolish slavery within the Dstric
Of Columbia, whilst it remains in Vir
ginia and Maryland, situated as the Dis
trct is, within the very heart OF thoSt
States, would expose them to great prac
teal Inconvenience ard and annoyance
The District would become place Of ref
uge and escape for fugitive slaves from
the two STATES, and place from which &
spirit of discomfort, insubordination and
insurrection might be fostered and en-
couraged in the two States. Suppose
as was at one time under consideration
Pennsylvania had granted ten miles squar,
within its limits tor the purpose of th'
General Government ; could Congress
without q violation of good faith, have
introduced and established slavery with.
in the bosom of that comm monwealth, il
the ceded territory, after she had abolish
ed so long ago as the year 1850? Yet tht
inconvenience TO Pennsylvania in the
case supposed would have been much lesi
than that to Virginia and Maryland il
the case we are urging.
Itwas upon this view Of the subjec
that the Senate, at its last session sol
, emnly declared that it would be viola
, ton of implied faith, resulting from the
transaction of the cession, to abolish sla'
very within the District of Columbia
And would it not be? By implied faitl
is meant that when a grant is made for ont
avowed and declared purpose known tC
, the parties, the grant should not be per
, verted to another purpose, unavowed anc
, undeclarcd, and injurious to the grantor
This grant, in the case we are consider
ing, Of the territory of Columbia, was fol
, a seat of Government. Whatever power
} is necessary to accomplish that object il
| carried along by the grant. But the abol
/ ition of slavery is not necessary to th'
enjoyment of this site as q seat of the gen
eral government. The grant in the Con
5 stitution, of exclusive power oflegislatiol
over the District, was made to insure tn
} exercise Of an exclusive authority Of tn
general government to render this plac
a safe and secure scat of government anC
to promote the well being of the iDhabi
, .onts Of the District. The power gran