Hi!
1
i iwm of tlic, Watchman -
J'&riTk pefrfeiil Two DoVlars' payable in
fd'SStVat If nptpa.J in dTace. To dollar
4 filly iris! wUt bcbrgedu;.,C ;, ' '
;ptfj.VTijiiNt3in-rjed at $1 for the first, and 25 els.
f,f ach lufReq'nt insertion. Court orJf rs chirged
2.1 jrr'ctrhr,i. Ihftii thes ratca. ; A.. liberal deduc
tiod t tltoa.who advertls by the year.
rrTTtaOo'ihatditoramuat be post paid.
HOV SOFTLY ON TUE BRUISED HEART;
-'-, " t
1
How if 1 1 V on die bruised hem
' A wfcrJ of kindnesa fails,
'"And jo -e dry and parched tool
-i ; j i Ttje moiat'ninj teir-drop calls
. j O, if jibey know, who walk the earth
Mi jborrow,-grief and pain,
The1 poWer -a wold of kindness barb,
, .; rTwehrcj paradise again.
The wakeijt, and lbf poorest, may
: ; This, aim pie piiunceiye.
i '.mA,U;M .Liicrhr to wilber'd hearts
V- j i jttfwVn '-nd ,ivr ' '
Hi pi'Vhaj idife if love be lost ?
,. If pai. nnkirifl ta .inn --
Orwhnf tbf htraven Hit' v.) beyond
' Tbiabriff but mortal ppan I
Aaataratipon ui tranquil sea
In rniinic fory shine;
So words oTliiritJnr-- in the heart
; Betray (heir source divine ;
. u O, then,Ae kind, 'whoe'er thou art
T I !' Thnjt breatbest mortal breath,
j And it afiall brighten all thy life,
,;',! Arid sveeen every death. "
r SPKECII OF MR. THOMPSON,
Qfclndian(t ifi the House of Rrprtstnta
;? ii tivh, January 25, 1819.
Mr. THOMPSON, of India na, was cn
''tit fed to the floor, and addressed the com
mittee durjrfg the hour. 1
rA-Ji' .V" .. . - v, v . r T u " u V1 , V V .J-UJL-LL JJ U LV JLLJLJlLX l U and immediaiely aftrwafd3 tleclarrd.hr i '
N , X ' ' 1' r - f - -V ' . - ' r . - ----- '-
T vr y 'if1 jjA-EEF A CHECK. CPOH ALL TOCR 1 " C- Do THIS, A?D LtBEBTY IS SAFE."
', I 'Iff.'
NEW' SERIES,
VOLCMEi'V, NUMBER 40
SALISBURY, N. C, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1849.
which greW out of that interesting and
important question. The discussiori of the!
Missouri compromise, and the admission
ofnhat State into the Union, shook this
Union to its very centre ; the spirit of fa
naticism and of faction well nigh worked
the dissolution of that glorious Union, un
der whose' preservation our rights had
been so long guarantied and maintained.
But conciliation, compromised and conces
sion, arrain nrevHilprK nnrl tK Union nrl
i a i ----- itv v iiiyu a a V4
us integrity were safe.
We heard nothing more of 'tliet agita
ting question of the abolition of sllaverv
(pre one who bore his own name- a name
Jvrr revered and honored had become
Associated with a political hack, through
the instrumentality of a political organi
ithis transaction wjhich struck his mind-as j tion : " and is notoriously a reproach to
rather curious: that was.jhat ultra-slavery j our country throughout Christendom." and
jmen on that side of the House and ultra- ; said, if he wanted to do anything else thnn
ianti-slavery men this sale coalesced ; that ; agitate the question ol slavery for politi
and immediateh- afterwards declared by
law, that nothing in the act of 1601 should
be to construed as to present the ngh't'bf ',
the master to take his slave ifrdfrr onV
i county into the other, and to bring him
irom iUaryianti witnin uie uisinci; to
that now,' while a gentleman living; in '
Virginia could not bring his slave into tlieJ
District of Columbia, onleiss be came with''
the bona JiJc intention of 'becoming 'a crt
izen. or as a temporary sojourner. yetia J
citizen of iManland might do so, because
of the compact between the General Go
vernmeut and Maryland. Now, all they s
had cot to do was this! inst rental thi :
" , - , j
Ration, to carry into execution the very .they got together in pressing this question cal purposes, he would seek to do it by : law of Congress of 1801, which made pro-'"
doctrines against his illustrious father had j upon the action of the House. How tbey ! earnest appeal to his brethren of the South. I vision for ihe right oL the 'master to ifa f
i T " J. l",uuSuo"- 3 wuoie oug aiiu i Koi togetner, ne tna noi unaerstara. rer- lie would employ no terms ot tlenuncia- , with his slave to and fro, and they revived
j Useful life. jhaps before this session of Congress ex-' tion or rebuke. The men of the South the oneratinn of the Marvln'ml Uw rir7rt
i .t
The result of the late Presidential elec
tjon had seemed to produce one convic
tion upon the minds of certain gentlemen,
and that Was. tht there Was in some of
the Mates of this Union, lodged in the j iMr. Gott. It was in the following words: 1 the earnest entreaty of our fathers.
-m-.-a a . s. . .
r ,u oi ,nis party, me oaiance oi pomi- : Whereas the traffic now orosecuted in this
- - - w a
1835-30, akin to and precisely like the
one which was made immediately after
the formation of the Constitution, to inter
fere with slavery and the slave trade
State of Pennsylvania, in 1835-3G- pray
ing Uongress to abolish theslave trade and
slavery in the District oPtolumbiaj. The
question which arose at that time was on
the reception of the memorial : a inittinn
j ; '(le said he proposed to spend the brief! was made to lay it on the table, and a ve-
Lour allotted to him in the consideration j rv large majoritv of the House of Renre.
of matters connect el with the question of I sentatives did lay that memorial on the
slavery ; and he did this, he could assure j table, by voting to lay the question; of its
the 'committee, with no little reluctance, reception on that table ; and at the Wad
for t was tlje first time in his life wheii of . those who voted in the majority upon
he had, entered upon such a discussion. j that occasion, stood the venerable afid dis-
11 e did it, however, from the promptings r tinguished gentleman from Massachusetts,
who but the other day fell in this Hall,
covered all over with national glory and
renown. Men had not learned in that
day to disregard the Constitution a(id the
law ;. men had not learned at that day to
be continually attempting encroachments
upon the rights of the States , of this Un
ion, as fixed andi guarantied under our
Federal Constitution.
the Whig Or the Democratic DartV tO Come i atttl is nntnrinulv a rpnrnnrh tr nnr r.mntri;
to them, and thus enable them to accom- jlhroughout' Christendom, and a seiious hinder"
Irtish, their purpose. , They were mistaken j ante to ihe progress of republican liberty a
ih the Whig nartv of the! North and the Having the nations of the earlh : therefore,
the District of Columbia. A memorial i Democratic nartv of the North, neither!! " solved. That the Committee on the DJs-
was presented to .this House, frqm the ! of whom sympathized in anv degree what- i lricl of Columbia be instructed lo report a bill,
in
of a cofivicion that he represented on this
floor, a class. of people 'who required at his
bands that upon all and every suitable
occAiiqn hrj Should endeavor, with what
evef ability .he might possess, to bring1 to
tear upon tljis great question which now
agitated the ji Union all tbconservatism
itMl!coiiciliaion which he knew and be-,
lieveu that they felt. It needed not now,
ti said, (fwlcvrrybody' knew it.) that to
ipgujge "in tjensuro and denunciation of
"one Section of the Uiibn against another.
was not only calculated to do no good,
hut io do serious liarm ; to disturb the
harmony of that Union which had so long
;been"our security .and ""our strength.
Tlie institutiJn' of slavery was one
tlUtcli found jits existence in this country
against the consent of our forefathers, irt
despite of (lie urgent remonstrances, the
ifbeftls of; eVery single one 6T the Amef
tcn coloniei. it was found here at the
commencement of that gloridus Uevolu
iion vvhicb sulted-in the establishment
of otlr Federal Constitution : and. at the
di;e of our Declaration oY American I tit
jpired. they would get together again. ( (said Mr. T.) are not responsible for slave- and then if a man brought his slave her-,
- " - x-- i j uui iiifr tuuiu nut uciji j iuc iiiiMiirui uu came vi I III I ii me limns OI-"
He proposed how to speak of the reso-! it. It was fixed upon the n, evil as it was, i the District of Columbia for the purpose
Lot ion of the srentleman from New York, acainst the earnest rpmonstmnn naHinst of earrvin" nn th illrrol iruilt Kni-in.
r-j - c . . - .... .a v- a ww,tcw .
r "" . - 1 i . .i ii . .1.. s ... . .
It ' anu selling slaves, that moment his slaves
was there ; let them get rid of it accord- , were free ; but if he came wiih the bona
ing to the promptings of their own judg- j fide intention of becoming a resident Of
ment, in the best way they could. But the District, or-as a necessary sojourner,
when thej' here, in this Hall dedicated to he held his s'aves. He ventured to affirm,
national legislation, talked about an insti- that there- was not a gentleman from the
tut ion which existed in one part of this extreme South who would not vote to ,e
union under the .law of the sovereign
States they had no right lo denounce it as
against the spirit of the age, and against
the liberalizing influences of Christianity.
This was the Hall of the national legisla
tion a Hall consecrated to the Union of
He had voted against this resolution ! the States; and though one gentlemahjlhepurpo.se and be passed to do this ve
'of the gentleman from New York, for the i came from a slave constituency, and an- ry thing, to restore the law of 1796,-arid
reason, first, that it assumed that " traffic i other came from a free constituency, they then the old law of Maryland would be
now prosecuted in this metropolis of the i were each bone of the other's bone and ; in force, and slaves could not be brought
T LI' '' I ... L I -.1 n t I n I II '!
in nere lor sale. c
4
be well doubted, however, bow
as soon as practicable, prohibiting the slave
trade in said District.
vive this law today. Here, then, was -common
ground on which gentlemen from
all sections of the country might stand. .
Let such a bill be introduced and if no
other gentleman did, he was ready to in- y
.1 ;.vi I i ?
irouuce it, ior ne nau a oil! drawn up lor
erican
ever with the objects, purposes, or ulti
hate designs of the political, fanatical
abolitionists. " '
I The Presidential election over, this ses
sion of Congress commenced. What did
vi'e see? First, a nronnsitinn marie, nnnn
the floor of the House of Renresentnt i vp i IluDublic iti human beinffs as chattels, is flesh of his flesh : we were all Am
directly, unaualifiedlv. to aholish slavprv I'contrarv to natural iustice and the funds- ! citizens, nrotected and shielded hv the It mieht
. . i "-r-' - 'J. i - . . ... . . .- .. ,. " . . . . . - : - . " .. -
in the District ol Columbia, without tjie jtmental principles ot our political system, j same Constitution, guarded by the same tar they could now complain of tne fact
consent of Maryland without the consent iHe did not recognize that as being true ; laws; we had a common fame a common hat the slave trade continued toexist in
of Virginia, without the consent of the jand this led him to the consideration of ancestry, and a common revolutionary re- 1 that part of the District east of the Poto
slaveholders of the District. A direct at- i;the question whether, under our Feder- ! nown. He held that the Congress of the mac river, when it-ras recollected that
tipmpt to exercise the Federal power of H' Constitution and the compact between United States hadjno right to employ terms , only two or three years had elapsed since
this Government to do that which all good'ihe States, we were compelled to recog- of denunciation iaginst the South or the retrocession of the,county of Alexan
rhen of all parties had declared that Con- I jnze property as existing in the slaves of j against the North. They stood here, he j dria to Virginia. He could not imagine
gress had neither the legal power to do. !the South ? He knew but one mode, un- repeated it, upon ground consecrated by how it was that gentlemen who advoca-
ider the Constitution and the law of this j the labors and wisdom of our fathers, and 7 ted retrocession of that county to Virginia,
mr thatit was right that itshould be done.
That resolution had been voted down by
this House, but he was astonished to see
that it commanded so large a vote as it
did.
Next, they saw a proposition to submit
country, to determincupon a question of
law arising upon a conflict between the
-States, or between the States and the Fed
eral Government. In determining wheth
er slaves were property, he was compell
1
This attempt was frowned down bv the
House of Representatives. 13ut still the
country was agitated ; and that agnation
continued until about 1840, when these
petitions were continually prese:ntingH
themselves to the consideration ofl Con
gress; and when to get rid of them, sou
thern gentlemen on this floor adoptejd the
celebrated fwentyrst rule," which de
nied to the peopled! the North the right
to petition Congress on the question of
slavery. Here, two extremes wereibouf
to meet. Immediately upon the adoption
of the '' twenty-first rule," the questjon of
the abolition of slavery in the District of
to the people of the District of Columbia ; p(l to at the decisions of the Supreme
the question as to whether slavery should iCourt of the United States, and nowhere
secured by that Constitution which was fixing slavery forever upon the county of
Iramed by the conservatism ot that day ; Alexandria, unless the Legislature of Vir
the checks and balances of which guarded ! ginia chose to abolish it, now complained
against inroads from abroad and from fac- f the existence of that institution on this
tion at home, by the wisdom, virtue, and side of the line. If Congress had juris-
or should not exist here, and placing the
negro man even the slave of the Dis
trictupon a par with the White man in
determining the question whether the
slave's bonds should be broken. A prop
osition thus to legislate needed but to be
slated to any portion of the American peo
ple to be repudiated, condemned, jand
else ; and he must express his surprise to
have heard, upon this floor, the doctrine
asserted, that under the Constitution of
he United States there was no recogni
tion of the right of the slaveholder to his
property. He did not intend to detain the
moderation which characterized that era.
This resolution asserted that slavery, as
it existed in the United States, was " a
serious hinderance in the progress of re
publican liberty throughout the earth."
Well, he could not, for the life of him, im-
diction (as they thought) of this question,
they had given it upas far as related to
the county of Alexandria, and surrender
ed the power of ever disturbing the rela
tion of master and slave there.
Hut suppose they passed this resolution
committee by reading at any length, but j lieve evil though he agreed the institu
agine what, sort of an abstraction that , suppose they passed a bill in this gen-
was ; nut it was not true, lie did not he- eral form abolishing s averv in thn ni
ne had before him the interpretation of
;the clause of the Constitution " No per
son held to service or labor in one State,"
spurned by that people.
5 Next, they had before them a nronosi
tion to abolish the slave trade within the j i&c bearing upon this subject, given by
District of Columbia. He would remark i Judge Stocy.
: .. - . . . . . . " . ' i ti'. . I TT;
with reference to this, that he had thought-
Columbia became a suspended question. ! ,here was a class of gentlemen on this
. . i I . i i i i and there was, substituted in lieu of it, in
dependence, which; on its lace declared Ll 'nt.tun ,u . C
.! ' . ,1 1 ,. the nortnern -fNta fps th miPttmn Af ika
that all tti eir a ro - c r e a ted equal ," e ye r y
iiriRle;oieiqf.the American coJonies held,
by viruof Existing laws, a rignt'in slaves
to property, lixed and recognized by the
municipal legislation of each one of the
colonies. . ; . '
j The insjthution of slavery existed, there
tore, hrfori? tlie formation of the Articles
Confederation,. and before the forma
tion of our; Federal Constitution, But
ies grew out of. its existence even
in the! Congress of the. Confederation : in
the apportionment between the Colonics
of the amounts to be paid by the se veral
Idiom
the northern -States, the question qf the
right of petition." The consideration of
that question appealed so strongly to the
feelings of the North, that a large propor
tion of northern citizens became accus
tomed to act with the party which, was
urging upon Congress the recognition of
the right ol petition, and continued to act
floor who had always denied to Congress
jurisdiction of the question of slavery with
in the District of Columbia, or within the
States ; yet he was astonished, when that
resolution came into this Hall, to find
these same gentlemen forcing the House
to take jurisdiction of this bill, and, that
against the earnest remonstrances of this
side of the Hall. When that resolution
Story says, in the case of Prigg vs. the
Common wealth of Pennsylvania, 10 Pe
Uers, 611:
"The last clause is that, the true inter-
tion of slavery was that the slavery of
the African race had ever kept the Anglo
Saxon, or any other white race from free
dom in any degree whatever. He did
not believe it. Historically, it was not
true. The fact of the institution of slave
ry existing in the colonies jof the United
States did not impede the progress of our
trier of Columbia what next ? The next
proposition which would come from the
political Abolitionists of the North would'
be to abolish the slave trade between the
States. He was no alarmist ; he abomi
nated these continual threats of dissolu
tion ; he had no respect for the man who
eternally talked about breaking asunder
of concord and fraternal affection which
fathers in their establishment of a repub- had so long held us together ; be had no
sympathy with such movements ; but h
the number of political; fanatical aboli
tionists at the North. This right of j peti
tion was a "sacred right. The North was
ies :. towards defraying the .public
i I i . Li.- : . . ..."
Wvthe institution ol si t , , ry was a very j addressed in this behalf ; and there (point
Knout ami tiiHrmmg imp, .lmni m uie ; ing to the sat formerly occupied by Mr,
anu iicn, ior. uie nrsw utile in uie utMory
bf American legislaiion, in the old Con
g.resa of th'e poiifederaiion, was adopted
that phociplr of compromise by which, in
it
with them in defence of this great riht, PJ-oposing to abolish the slave trade in the
so thatthey became, almost insensibly,' Pis,,:ct of Columbia was submitted to the
political abolitionists; and thus he yerily i Cons'oeration of this House, the! previous
believed, the adoption of the 21st (rule" 1 9uest,on ws calkd upon it ; and it would
bad a.tendenev to stremM bon n,l in-.. ! be recollected that the distinguished gen-
; j . o . . t .. . c r .1 I e .t
iieman irom vjiiio, ine cnairman oi tne
Committee of Ways and Means, Mr.
Yinton," got up in his place and implored
the House to pass by that resolution, -by
Voting down the proposition to put the
.-i - . . ? . . 1 1 ... i i . i
Afl.ml sfnnd th. iivt inoniichurt rrnti i main question, uur. me records ot tne
man from Massachusetts to whom he had 1 uLse showed that twenty-six gentlemen
just alluded, day after day, month 'after ; lhe democratic party from the slave
month, and year after year, continually! States., representing slave constituents;
pmnrni,t in tni Hu in ti. r,L., M voted to order the main question, and force
the enumtf ration of the inhabitants to be tion Gf that high constitutional right juntit i;Te Housf to a d,rect vote uPon the 9ues'
taieaj two thirds of the slaves in each of ' tjlft excitement became so great that a ron' against the earnest remonstrances
urvyi,mes vere xieoucieu. i nai com- porli0n of the northern people, living in
promise wa, he4dby the men ol that day lhe Slilte of Massachusetts, throushl that
same distinguished Representative, j pre
sented a memorial Upon this floor praying
tht flnni'rpw VVm'llfl ! L- i etcne fur' tha
f TT- , rri TU:,. .
immediate dissolution of the Union. , ' U,,,L vu,,,ueu mr. i., in3.
Those gentlemen who were present recol- -ou .He always denied that Congress has
lected the exciting scenes which hook ! Jurisdiction over the questmn.of which
place upon this floor on that occasion, and ;ou ,orced u to take Jurisdiction by your
rnllorteil wirb wht hilirv witK ivKr !,own vote. when vve wanted to stave itoft
5. r-l lf ft - n I I n r I.Mn 4t-k-krMftn r-xri i n '
power, that " old Iman rvuwt luc l-''v.uu
.i-.i.i u: i,. ... .u was iiiooiueu.
assaults of those who ntthffl him elim.
tw of representation in the Congress of ; ing ony this that while. he did not,feith'
, ui)ueu .fcjaies. mis same uiiucuiiy a er in sentiment or feeling, accord ir one
. andUhi same difliculty was compro- jot or tit,le with the-sentiments of thp me
nedjnrefcis'ely the same way as it had morialhe stood prepared to maintain the
right of - petition; as guarantied to the
American citizen. - Upon that
Jnretation whereof is directlv in iudgment lican government. But it was true that
before us. Historically, it is well known j those countries where vice and immorali
jtbat the object of this clause was to se- ! ty and superstition and ignorance prevail
jcure to the citizens of the slaveholding J ed to the greatest extent as for example,
States the complete right and title of own- Mexico, and he believed a number of the
jership in their slaves as property, in eve- j oouth American republics recognized no
;ry State in the Union into which they 1 such thing as the institution of slavery,
jmight escape from the State where they j The question of slavery was not one to be
were held in servitude. The full recog- j viewed in this light ; it was a question be-
nition of this right and title was indispen- tween the immediate personal interest of
Isible to the' security of this specie of pro- ! the slaveholder and the slave ; and he did
perty in all the slaveholding States ; and. ; not now expect to discuss the question, ! trample upon the rights of the South.
indeed, was so vital to the preservation of as to whether slavery might or might not He had spent the first one-half of his life
their domestic interests and institutions. 1 have been an evil to : the black race. If south of Mason and Dixon's line, and the
the colonization scheme, or any other other north. of Mason andDixou's lino
scheme which might be devised by the
ingenuity and benevolence of man for
planting the African race on its native
shores, should be instrumental in building
hold them that just so sure as the sun of
heaven shone, just so sure as we were
now a union of .States, just so certainly
must that union become dissevered and
broken, if the municipal rights of tho
States were thus interfered with. The
South should not trample upon the rights
of the North, so far as he represented the
rights of the North ; nor would he so
help him God he would not attempt to
that it cannot be doubted that it constitu
ted a fundamental article, without the ad
option of which the Union could not have
been formed. Its true design was to guard
against the doctrines and principles prev
alent in the non-slavcholding States by ! up a republican form of government there
he thought he knew the Wople of the
North, and he thought He knew the peo
ple of the South ; and he told those gen
tlemen here, both from the South and from
the North, who talked about disunion, that
to he 'necessary; and essential to the har-
tpohyj.of.rthc Confederacy. It did restore
fcaCj and quiet.' But the Confederated
vof rrtment.lor reasons which were man
ffotvto jQut fathers at the. time, was not
lulRc'u'ntly strong to enforce uponthe.
Monies he legislation of the Confedera
ted Ctingressj and hence the Convention
as called which resulted in the forma- 1 earnestness and
"on 'pi our preseitt r ederal Constitution.
Anu in titini?. in that Convention, the ra
preventing them from intermeddling with,
or obstructing or abolishing the rights of
the owners of slaves." j
Now. fsaid Mr. T.. there was a solemn.
and direct vot of twenty-eight Whigs and j; deliberate opinion of the Supreme Court ;
tn Democrats from the slave States. (of the United States, given by Judge Sto-
I Mr. MEADE, (in his seat.) What of jry, a northern judge, of the highest attain
i - ; ments, which settled the question as be-
What of it ? is asked by the gentleman tween the North and the South of the.
right of the master to his slave, by the
Federal Constitution, Was recognized as
property. He held that the man who at
tempted to array popular opinion against
this settled law of the land, as expounded
by our highest judicial tribunal, and thus
forever fixed and settled, was an enemy to
the public welfare and the public peace-lie
and establishing the freedom of that race, they did not represent the feelings of the ""
he would leave it for the moralist of after
days to determine, whether slavery had
or had not been an evil to the black man.
This resolution proposed to abolish the
slave trade in the District of Colombia.
What was the " slave trade ?" HecouIJ
not understand this resolution as meaning
anything more or less than that they pro
American people on this great question.
No; they did fiot represent the heart of
the American people. The heart was es
sentially conservative oh this and all oth
er questions. , . jf.
But suppose Congress attempted to in- -terfere
with the slave trade between the '
States: the inevitable, positive, direct rc:
law by which the District of Columbia
was ceded to the United States for the
nurnoses of a seat of the Federal Govern-
begged that gentlemen would not inter- j or elsewhere. Look at the effect of it up- ment, Congress had no legal right to in
posed to interfere with the relation of the suit must be the dissolution of the Union.'
slaveholder and the slave in the District He did not complnin of ;the severe terms
of Columbia. He had shown that Con- of denunciation which southern gentle,
gress had at no time before hesitated for a men were in the habit of s metims em
single instant in declaring that this ought ploying towards the North. Northern
not to be done. He held that, under the man though he was, he'w'as compelled to
Mr. MEADE rose to say a word, but
Mr. 1 HOMPSON declined to yield, and scared not whether he was upon this floor
n donti b'the Congress of the Confed
eration.
ftnts of the Government, and by the peo- tion on which the House bad been com
fk themselues, efforts were made by ap- pelled to vote within the last two or three
Ms to Fetleral. legislation to interfere 1 weeks. He then said, in order to f stop
;Mtfe the rights; which had beepguaran- j this agitation, in order to arouse thejeon
MWd secured under thatglorious char- I ciliatory spirit of his countrvmen. Within
r of our riihiL and at a very fearly time i the District of Columbia, vou men of the
rupt him. j on the institutions of our country, there
4 When the cause (he said) is once in j was a time in our history when the " slow,
court, and you have takea jurisdiction of junmoving finger of scorn," would be "poin-
it, you may decide either for the claimant ted" with fixed purpose upon the man who
in the
checks and bal-
ftrkeinn
..-.IW..,. V I tl. v I lull, V w f IV,.,! . . a .: !
Mr. Adams-as it were, almost pressed lo ' or lnst h,m ; vh!n Vou have no dared attempt to break down or i
the- wall by his adversaries-was com- i Jurisdiction, you have no power to decide j least degree impair those checks an
Very soon after the formation of the
Phnel ii iaii ''tit tli.. TTnifXt Stnl.ic ami K
X. - i ii .-iii' - : L ii ' . ,-t. ... i i i either wav. Hv nressirtof this nnestinn nn. Unnoc ti l.'h ttS Pn&titntirtn 5it4( law h:iH
ore a titpi rr n;tri nt nn, nau oeen oiven nenea 10 tier nrn nmi riirt r nrA what nis i J '---o. -----, -r . ..... . . ..
iMbatiihstrument bv the several depart- own feelings were upon this Very W5n,yQa have admitlH the jurisdiction thrown around the rights of tl
of Congress over slavery within the Dis
thct ot Columbia.
! Mr. VINTON (the floor being yielded;
at bis request, for a word of explanation)
said he had asked the House not to sus-
the citizen ;
but we had seen the Constitution and the
law trodden down beneath the foot of par
terfere with the' relations between slave
and master here.! What was the " slave
trade" here ? He heard a great deal said
about " slave pens ;" about slaves sold at
auction ; about stripping the mo'her from
the child, cc. These things might exist
here, but he did not know of them. Since
he had first come to the District of Colum
bia, he had never seen a negro sold ; he
had never seen a band of negroes taken
tv occasionally, and Dorrism and other off by the slave-trader; he had never seen
;m snrintrinfr nn nnnn the shattered fracr. the slave-trader. He did not know where
ments of the broken Constitution and law.
admit that some of the people of the North
deserved a good deal of what was said bf
them by southern men. : He. could not im
agine, for instance, what was better cal
culated to arouse the feelings of the South !
their indignation, if gentlemen pleased'
than an atttempt ori the part of the
northern States of this Union to interfere
with and check lhat Congressional legis
lation which had been devised, under the
Constitution, for the securing of the rights
of the master when his slave escaped from'
him into another State. He believed there
were some of the States of this Unjon
who had repealed their; legislation on this
subject, and there were others whoinfiic
iVNal fys Wde to the,Feileral arm , North have nothing to do with the fight "on necause ne v
inter ff re With tlie institution of slaver of the master to his slave ; and helsaidi Tre' vo,ing . 11 w
!mfeWraIiStatesofthe Union. Con;, i if he were called upon to vote upon a bill save off '0,t,ng u
tain the previous questjon on the proposi- j except when the pover of the States and
Hon because he wanted' to amend it De- of the Federal Government was enabled
was not his i purpose to ? to hold these factions in check.
! j?RSVcomr)s d of -'wise, jof grave, of de to abolish slavery in lhe District of Co
tie
the preamble.
Mr. THOMPSON continued.
f . i r i a i - r . it
upon It, but lo Strike OUt, : qp P,npatmt Sflntiment. and hft wish. sew ne Daa no iasie ,or &uc"
your "slave pen was. It might be here, ted a penalty upontheir officers for aid-'
however, and these things might happen ing the mister in arresting hisslave. ' He
every day before the eyes of those gentle- thanked God h'e did not c6me from such'
I 1 .1 ..1 .-. m. i I ' ' " "
men wno cnose to nuni inem up ; ior mm- a constituency. 1 he people 'Wtiom ne re-
Hecon-
ed it fixed upon the minds of every man
who heard him and of the country, that
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'.'UCrAt mJn J ,7 hni.,tii Aalmli' ou rn. l Inmhm. hp vvnnlM votn nannitf ir
e iraploredlthe men from whom tfiese fMr.T.) well recollected the remark!; he ; curred with the gentleman from Ohio that, under-our form of Government, when our
cAmf tn lt this nvritihir And arri
Jl'no tiuej5t(otii alQhe, and stand by the
Proise joliLthe Constitution. The
iteration; the forbearance, the concilia
Jbe cdmbrornfles of that day, tri-
i,?l"Ptte(l Over faction: fact on became, still.
recollected the sensation which itoroduc- i there was a desire on hisside ol the House; - highest judicial tribunal, the supreme ex
ed in this Hall. (He had the reppj-t of i to strike out the preamble and that there pounder of the Constitution and law, had .; not. Jf
the remarks by him ; but he would not ! Vas no disposition to stave off the ques4 fixed what the Constitution and law was, ; the slave
consume me imie oi ine nouse ny reading : jf x ii-ii
it.) The influence which Mr.',Adamf was sNrT') was not afraid to meet it. Gomj
enabled to exercise unon this imDokant ng into this House from a free constitu?
i r"" laciion; inciion orcame sun. enauieu iu itciisu ujiuh iiu uiipuri-mtv ,, "
1 The Country was not again excited with question was vry great throughou the r;ncy be had not voted ior it, but directly
io'rtot'slavery.'until the applicaf ! wbble circumference of this land. But he , gnst it. r .
as a State into the Union. He had scarcely been carried home to thd arly what the resolution' was. he wished
icWcd,not refer to the acitatinc . scenes burial olacc of his fathers at Ouinci. be. ! l9 remark that there was one feature of
What was the " slave tra- - " as refer: ;
red to in this resolution ? It'was the right
of the master to sell his slave. Congress
had no right to say to him that he. should
If gentlemen wanted to abolish
trade, in the ordinary general
he held that man to be an enemy to the acceptation of that term, it was very ea-sy
public welfare who sought to array the to do it. When the btates ol Maryland
popular opinon against the Constitution ; and Virginia ceded this ten miles square
and law. There slaves were property ; to the United States for the purpose of a
thev were'sn made bv the municinal laws seat of Government, provision was made
of the States, and were so recognised un by the Maryland and Virginia law, that lhe
der our Federal Constitution.
He read the next clause of the resolu-
lr' rxV vne. ri-snective States should
prevail in the District of Columbia uutil
presented, the Stale from which lie came
Was essentially, emphatically, conserva
tive upon this question of slavery. He
represented a constituency among whom
the master would be just as secure under
the law ot the land, in attempting to re
cover his fugi'ive slave, as he would 4e
in any county in Virginia or North Caro .
lina. He did not know of a judge or a
justice of the peace within his State who
would not give to the master every posw
hie aid in his power to rrest hiA fugitive
slave. They n her sympathised with
the fanatical -A"litiotiist-iM'r uith the
ultra pro slavery men of the South ; all
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