Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1871-10-20
vorron+ Never = Slave State.

Editor Of the Free Press: We have nouced
an article going the rounds Of the press, the
purport Of which is to show tina; Vermont never
vssA slave State Ia support Of this aver
ment. it is proved that the census Of 1890,
which assigns sixteen slaves to Vermont, is an
error.
The history Of slavery in Vermont is very
brief and Ineligible The very first clause Of
her fret Constitution, which was adopted in
III, one yesr after the national declaration Of
independence. reads as follows:
That all men are born equally free and irtepen-
dent and have certain natural, inherent ana ma
nenable rights, smongs. which are the etJoylh-
and defending lie ard l0erty acquiring 'ssess
ing, and protecting property, and pursuing ana %
taipiog happiness and tafety. Therefore. no male
person born in this country or brought from over
sea ought 70 be holden by law, to serve any per
son as servant slave, or apprentice, after ne ar
rives TO the age Of twentyone years, nor ma e. IN
like manner after she arrives TO the axe Of eighteen
years unless they arc holnd by their own consent,
after they arrive to such age, or bound by law
the paymslt of debts, damages lines, costs, or the
like.
But notwithstanding the unmstaksbe clear
meas of this provision of the Constitution Of the
State, for abolishing slavery within it's limits 1t
appears that men were found then, as there
have been since, who sought to evade its bind
ing force, and to still continue the traffic in
human beings In consequence Of this DISPOSE
ton to e7ade this fundamental law Of the land,
the following act was passed by the Legislature
Of the State in l7S6.
IN Aet 10 p-,ueHt the sal, and transportation Of
Negroes and Muiafoes out Of his STATE.
Whereas BY the Constitution of this State, all the
subjects Of this cOmmonweal tn, Of whatever color
are equally entitled t. the iuestimahle bless n OF
freedom unless they have forfeited the same by the
commission Of some crine' and the ldea q slavery
is expressly aad totally exploded from our Tree
government
And Uhereas. instances have happened Of the
former owners OF nero slaves in this commonwealth
making sale, Of such persons As slaves, notHlth
standing their being linerate1 by the Constitution
and attempts been made to transport snch persons
to foreign parts, in opea violation OF the laws oi
the land.
Be IL ther,fors ,naot,d, ete, That if any person
shall, hereafter, make sale Of any subject Of TINS
State or shall convey, or attempt % convey, am
subject cut this State, with intent o hoo tr sell
sucn person slave; every pers n so offending anu
convicted thereof snall Err cit and pay u me p-r
injured, or such offence the sum o. one hundred
pounds and cost of suit; TO be recovered by alton
Of deut, complaint, or information.
Such WAS the position of Vermont with respect
to slavery in IVY, and reiterated by especial
y
ofI790, and two years before the formation Of
our National Constitution. Is it likely, there
fore, that the State would ever have become
party 10 ,hAt National Constitution, if that in
strum Mt could be interpreted in favor Of per-
petusl slavery The question as to whether
there we're come sixteen persons held or
sold in Vermont in 1890, or in the ten
years preceding that period, is Of no conse-
quence /; bat the real question is whether the
Constitution Of the SIste ever recognized slavery
except to prohibit it by its very first article and
whether this action of the State did not express,
at that period, the sentiments Of vast majority
Of the entire country on the slave question. This
is the question and when considered together
with the Declaration of Independence, the
Ordinance of 1877, and all the provisions Of the
National Constitution itself. followed by the
abolition of slavery by Connecticut, Rhode Island,
New York. New Jersey, and Pennsylvania,
there should never be any doubt on the mind Of
a true Vermonter as to what the Interpretation
of the National Constitution with respect to
slavery was.
If any additional proof were needed, the per-
sousl liberty bill Of the State, passed but short
time previous to the war, should leave no doubt
on the subject
Itis very possible, indeed, that slaves we're
held and sold in. and sold out from the State as
late as 1890 but if so, the act was in direct
and positive violstion of both TIE constitution
and the law. And go was the subsequent pre-
psgstion Of slavery. and its extension TO new
States and territories, under the uturped prero-
gatives Of the general government, volstive Of
our National Constitution.
We stzte these facts, Mr.. Editor, in order to
60 to the bottom Of subject which has nov but
little interest, but which has been merely touch
ed on by the article alluded to; and above all 10
point out the Caring fact Of how little in accord
with the historical antecelents Of the State, on
the slsye question, has been its political repre-
sentation during the war. By examining the
course of oar delegation in Congress during the
slave war, one could never imagine that they re-
presented State whose very first act as a State |
was to utterly " explode - slavery from its gov
ernment, in III.
J. W. PHELPS.
BRkrTLFBoRo, Vt, Oct. 9th, 1871.