| OCR Text |
Show • L'S-1 A POLIT,CJ.L TEXT-BOOR FOU 1860. On the 2n(l of March, 1803, )fr. Rnndolph m:ule what nppears to have ~een. n. llllani~nous report from this <Jornmittec, of wh1ch we g1ve so much ;.~ relates to Slan·ry-as follows: The rapid population or the State of Ohio sufficiently evince~, in the opinion of your Committee, that the labor of slave~ is not necessary to pr?mote the gr.owth and settlement of colonies in that region; that th1s labordcmonstrahly the dearest of any-can only be em}>loyc<l io the cuHi vation of products more valuable than any known to that quarter of the United States; th.at the Committee deem it. highly dangerouil antllne.xpe1heot to impair a provi!:lioo wisely calculated to promote the h:q>· pi ness and prot~)>erit of the northwest em c.ountry, ~nd to give strength and tS.ccurity t? that C;"t.cnMIVe !rontter. In the salutary operatiOn of Uti!! sagac10UM nn1l bencv~lent n!Stmint it i::~ believed that the luhahitants of ln(h· ana ,viii, at n~ very distant day, find ample remu~erat. lou for a. temporary privation of labor, and of enllgra- 1ion. 'l'hc Committee proceed to tli.;cu!'s other subjects set forth ~n th<: prayer of the mem?rinl, and conclude wtth c1ght resolves, whereoi th~ only one relating to Slavery is ns follows: Resot'()ed That it is Inexpedient to suspend, for a limited tim~ the opemtloo of tlte sixth article of the compact bct,~eeo the originall:ltate~ ami the peOl!lC aoll States west of the river Ohio. '!'his Report having been m:lde nL the close of the ssion, wns referred at the next to tt new Comtnittce, whe1·cof Cm~nr Hoduey, n. new RcprCi'Clltative from Delaware, was Chairllll\ll. Mr. Rodney, from thii Comntittee, r potted (.Fcllruary 17th, 180·1), That taking into tbeir consideration the fads 11tated !n the said memorial and petition, they are induced to believe that a qualifietl su!!peu!ion, Cor !l limit.etl lime, of the sixth article of COUipact between the original Stalc3 nnd the people aut! stattl west of the river Ohio, might be productive of bend\t ami advantage to sail! '.l'errito:·y. The Report goes Oil to uiscu~s the other topics ('tllhl'll~,;cd in tltt• l~tJian~t tttetn orinl, and conclutl~s wiLI1 eight re ~olvl'~, of which the fir 'L {and only one relative to. 'lavery) i a:• follows: R~solvt<l, That the sixth nr~icl c or the Ordinance or 17 7, which prohlhilcd .'lavery withln the said Terri tory, he su ·peude\1 in a qualifit!d manner, for ten years, so al! to permit the introllucr ion of slave~, hol'll wi1 hin the oi~ed Statt:s, from any of the in<iiviuual t<t:ues; 1)1'0· t•icle<i, that 1:1uch itHliv;dual 'tate do c~ not permiL the importation of slave:> from forc ·gn collntries: and pr·otCicled, /IH'ther, tlaaL the llt•::;ccndalll~ of all .,uch slaves shall,,if male..;, be free at Lite a.;c of tweut.y-ilvc yc:~.t'S, and, 1f Cetnale~, at lllt age of Lwcuty-one years. Tlte llou~c took 110 aetion on this l\cport. Tho origiual lltCiltOrin\ from lt1diall:t 1 with flcvcral additional metnol'ial:; of like purport, was again, in 1 '11 -.-u, r ·fcrr\!d hy the ll ou~e to a oelect eounuitt<'c, wlit·rt•ol' }h. Garnett or Virginia Wf\S chairman, w!to, 011 the l ·!Lh of February, 1806, made a r0port in fu\'O!' of the pra \'t.:r of the pHitioner::l-a:; fullowR : · That, having attentively coosidcrc<l the f:\cts st.llted in the said petitions and memorials, they are of opinion that n qualified suspension, for a liutit.ed tiwc of the sixth article of the compact between the origina'l Slntce, IUld the people and !:>tate:; west or the river Ohio woul<l be beneficial to the Jl~ople of the Indiana 'l'c11'1'llory. The suspension of th:s article i:~ :u1 objccL ahnost univerJally desired in that Territory. After. di"ctl.'l:-;ing otltcr :-uhjcets PllllH,Ilicll in the Inclt;ttla lll Ci nurial, the Cort,nlitt · l'IO!'' with tl Sf' r•ies or Re!'oh· c~, which thl'V l'Oillill{'lfd to the adoption of the Hou.::e. The lir~t a11<l only tll tl' gcrn1unc to our uhject is as follow::;: Re~ol!f1ed, 'l'llut the sixth article of the Onlin:mce 0f \7-,7,1\lakh prohibit:~ :::$lavery within the Iuu iana Ter ritory, l!t' dl~ pt·wlcll for h:u yt:IHil, so as w pcrwlt the introduc-tion of ~lxn~, born within lho Unltcu ?tat.!~, from any of the Individual f\tates. This report and rc ohc were comlllitlcu and made a 8pecial order on the Monday following, b~t were uever taken into con~ideration. At the next 3e ion, n fresh letter from Gov. 'Yilliam Hcury llani on, inclosing rc:-olves of the Legislative Council nnd. House of .Jl~prc entativea in favor of suspendmg, for a ltnllted period tbc sixth article of compact nf'oresaiJ, was recc 1 ived (Jan. ~1st, 1807) and referred to a ...,elect Committee, whereof Mt·. n. Parke, Jelcgntc from saitl TerriLory, was made Chairman. 'l'he eutit·e CommiLtce ( Mr. NaLhanicl Mal'on, of ~. C., being now ~p akcr,) con:-;istcd of ~lKsl:lns. A I.STON, of N. C. RuK.~, of Tenn. 1\lA~TKH::!, or N. Y. ANIWo no, of 1-i:y. Mouuow, of Ohio. 'l'HIGG, of Ya • l' .AnKK, of Ind Mr. Parke, from tlti:; <Jolllmittcr, made (,ll'cb. 12th,) rt t!tird Report to the House in favor of g ranting the prayer of the Ill ntorialists. 'l'his report, wiLh its pn•deccssor:-1, was committed, and made a ~pt•cia l orclcr, but never taken into con~ideratiou. 'l'hc Rnmc letter of Gen. lhrri.,on, an<l rcsolYes of the ln<.linna Lcgi:'lature, were :-uhmittcd to the Senate, Jan. ilst, 1807. They wl't·c laid on the table "fut· conside ration," and do not appear to have even been n •fcrrcd att ha~~es.ion; but at the next, or first se:-~sion of the fonnh Congress, which com·cttcd Ocr. ~tith. 1 'U7, the President (Nov. 7th) snl>mitted a ll•ttet· from Ucn. llarl'i ·on um1 his Ll'g i:-~latut·e-" !tether a ucw or old OtiC <.locs not appear-a111l it was now referred to a \:lect Connnittct', con..;i~ting of .\1 es~rs. J . . Fr:tnklill, or X. U., KiLcbel, of N. J., and Tiffin, of Ohio. Kov. 13th, ~lr . .Franklin, from said t:t>mmittee, reported as follows: The l.q~i -l!L ti vc Council an<l Ilo118e of f!cprestnta,.. ttve:~, in tlacir n.:~ol lltwu~, e:xpre~~ their St:ll'<l' of the p~ priety of intr.>duci11g Slavery into Lllt::ir Territory. an<! solicit. the Cou~n:~s uf the Uuitcd !:>tall!~ tu suspend, for a given numhcr of yean , lht: ~i.xl h art ide of compact., in the or<.liBitnce for the go l't: rnincnt ()!' ti Le 'l'crntory northwe~t or the Ohio, pa;.,o;:tl 011 the }:~II tluy of J nly, l i I. 'l'llat nrticlc th!dare~: ''There bliall l>e tH:itlu:r !:illLVery nor involuntary scrvitudc withiu the ~aid Territory." 'l'l•c cili%Cns of Clark County, in thcit· rt•mon:~tmn<·e, t· xprcss their sense of the iuaprupriely 11f tilt mt:l\bllr(), IIUtl sollcit the Congre ~of the United St •tt:i not to act 0 11 tln: ~uhjcCI. 1 ~0 ~~~ ~ 0 pl!rlllit lht: itl!rodu~;&illn of ~]aves into the 'l'uriLt•ry; 111 l l"a~ l, until tlacir popidtHion ~haJJ ellf.ille thctU to fonu 1\ Cuustilutioll and l:it atc OvvcriY tnenl .. Your Committee, after duly con~itl cr iug I he matt..:r, rospectfully l'ul,mit. the fulln wlllg n:~ohll ion : RIJIJOitved, 1'llat. it i:~ nut expedient ;1~ tllis time to suspen<.! the sixth article of c01npact fur the govcrnmeut of the Territory or the Uunc,l !:\tate:! uorthwcsL of the river Ollio. And hero en Jed, so far n we have been able to <.li~cove1·, tho cfl'ort, 'O long and earncRtly per.sisted in, to procure i\ suspension of the rosLriction in the Onlinancc of 17 7, so M to adtuiL ~lavery, fot· a lilllited term, into the Tcr: ritory lying lletween the Ohio and .Mi~sissippl river~, uow forming the tates of Oltio, Indiana, lllinui~, iliichigan, nnu Wisconsin. 'l'liK YIHS'r MISSOURI Sl'RUGGLH. The vast nnd indefinite 1'cnitory known ll-'f Louisiana, was ceded lly .Frauce to the United States in the year 1 ·u ~ t'or the sum of ~li>,llt•O,· 000, of which $3,7 5U,U00 was dl;\'Otcd to tlle TilE STRUGGLE }"OU SLA \RR Y RESTRICTIO~. payment of Amrricnn claims on Frart(·r. This I to this amendment, which was~~~ tninetl by the terri tory had just lll'f'ore l.H.'C ll ceded by ~pair1 ro I following vote : [rnk 11 first on ~ greei ng to so France witlt ot tL pel'unia1·y con~iclcr·:uion .. ·lavc - / ttnll..:h of it a[' pt'l.'Cl'tll'.'l nnd ittclude,· the w.> t·tl holding had lottg bren allowed thrJ·<> in, alik<> " <:On \'ictcd."] onder Spani~h Htld French rule, !llltl the Tr, at_y rert&-For the Re.~triction: of Ces ·iott l' Olltained the following l'lif1•llat ion: Kt·W-ll :alllp•hirc.. ... .... 4 N, w-York .... .......... 2~ Art. llf. '!'he iuhabitnnts of the ceded l'::•·rit nry l\la~~ ;l(·hu -ett ~ .. .... . . .. 15 Nt:w J t·r~l'.Y......... ... r, shall ho ira corpMalt•tl info the Union of tlat: Unl tt:d Slates, aJHl :ttlllllltcd ~~~ soon aR pos!:!ihlc, acco rding to lhc priucipk~ of 1he io'etlt:t'al Constitution, to the enj•>YIIItlllt of nllt l•c ri!{h l•, arlvHnt:Igo;::l and luHnuni liell of ci1i :~c n~ of the ulli t,·d ~I Hit·~; 1111d in ll•c meantime they >hull he mai 11 ta ined nucl I" Olel'tcd In the frt:c eujoylllt·nt of tJaeir J. L~:rly, propcny, nnd the rel igion which th1·y pro fc~~. The ..:tate of Louisiann, Clllbotlying the soul hcrn portion of tlli:; ncquit·ed territot·,v, wa~ rPCO,:! nized uy <Jo t~ gre~ · ill l 11, and fully a dill itted in 1 l :Z, with ll State 'onstitution. 'l'ho~c who cho e to dwell among the inltalli tar! tl' of the residue of' tlt t• LouiAiana purcha!'e, hcuceforth c:dlctl ll i~sott ri Tcnitory, continued to hol<.l sla.vrR in it.:; spa r~e ttttd Slllall but incrc:lsing scttlcut 'nrs, tttaiul,v in it:) southea ·tern quarter, and n pro- 'Ia ,·cry 'ourL-perhups nny Court -would un tloubt ' lll_v have pronoutH.:cd ::)lnve t·y legal any where on its vast expanse, fron1 the Mississippi lo Lhe crest:iof the Hock.v Uountnins, if not lleyond t it •rn, and from the Hetl River of Louisiana to the Lake of the \Voods. 'l'he XV tit Cong ress a~ Ctttblcd at WaRbington, on Mouday, Dec. ht. 1 '17. II enry <Jlay was cho~en ..:'pl':tk<'r of the llouse. ~fr. John ::;cott appeared 011 t ltc ·· tit, a dell' gate frotu ~li :~ouri Territory, and was Rdlllittcd to a seat a ·uch. On the Hith of ~I:Hch following, he prcsc11ted petitions of sundry inhauit•tnts of Mi:!souri, in addition to silll ilar petitions already presented by him, praying for the adutission of Missouri into the Union as a State, which wer e, on motion, ref'cned to a. Select Com111ittee, consisting of Messr~. Scott, of l\lo.; Poindexter, of Miss.; Robertson, of I<y. ; Jl cllll r ick~, of l11<1.; Livermore, of N. H.; Mills, of Ma:>s.; llaltlwi11 1 of Pa. .A pril 3d, ~lr. Scott, from this Committee, reported a bill to authorize the people of Missouri Territory to fonu a Constitution and Stat • Govemmcut, and for the a.dmis. ion of such State into the Uuion on an equal footin(l' with the original 'tate. ; which llill was read the first and ecOtlll titnc, and sent to the Committee of the Whole, where it slept for the remainder of t.he session. '!'hat Congress convened a.t \V ashington for its second se sion, on the l Gth of November, 1818. Feb. 13th, t..he Hou e went into Committee of tJ1c Whole-Gen. rnith, of Md., in the Ch:lirantl took up the M.i souri bill afot·esaid, which was considct·ed through that sitt.ing, a also that af the lfith, when sevet·al amendments were adopted, the most irnpot·tn.nt of which was the followin(l', moved in Committee by Gen. Jamrs Tallmadge, of' Duchess county, New-York, (lately tlec ttsed) : And prorridecl also, That the further Introduction of !'lavery or involun tary 8ervitucle bQ prohibited, except for the puui~hment. of crimes, whereof the party ~hall he d~ly. couvi.:tctl: antl thttt nil child ren of sla1·c•, born Wll~11n tlac said State, after tho:: admission thereof iuro the Un10n, .shall he free, but may be held to service until the ago:: of twenty-five years. _On coming out of Committee, the Yeas and ~ays were called on the question of a_ O'reeiu (l' 0 0 Hhode hla nd ..... . .. .. . 1 l'en ll~y l vaum .......... \!,) Oonnecticnl ........... 7 Ohio .................. 0 Vcnnol!t... .. .. .. .. .. . 6 l ndlaua......... .... . ... 1 J)clawnre ............. . Total Y as 87- ot,ly OtiC ( Dcla ware ) from a Sla,·e 'ta tr. l\ay&-.A(Jril1l-'l the lle11tridion : l\ln.ssnchusetts . ....... .. 8 Yirg-iuin. ...... . . ...... . . 18 New-York ..... ... ...... 8 North Camlina ......... 18 Ncw-,ltrscy . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 f<outh Carolina.. .. . . . . . t5 New-II:.~.mpshire.. ..... .. 1 Ocorl-o'ia.......... .. .... 4 Ohio................... 1 1\:cntutky... . ... . ...... 9 lllinols... .. ... . . . . . . . . . 1 '1\·nnc::~~ce.. . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Dcln ware. . . .. . . . . .. . . . . 1 l\li~si!!sippi. . . . . .. . .. . . . . 1 Mn.rylnnd.. .... ........ 9 J.oulliialll\ ............... , 1 Total Xa.v~, 76-10 from Free. lu tes, GG from In vc ~ta tcs . The Hou~c now procectled to vote on the residue o(' the l''J>Orted :llllClllllll •n t (from the wo1·d "convictetl" abo,·e), which w:ts likewise su tnined.-Yca~, 2; N'ayE~, '7!:!. So the whole ant('Ihlment-as moH·d by Gen. 'l'allmnclge in Com tni ttce of tho " ' hole, and there ca rri l'd--wa sustained when repon ed to the Honse. Mr. Stons, of Xew York (oppos 'd to theRe-triction ), now mo,·ed the Rtrikin~ out of so much of the bill a~ providrR that the new tate shall lle a llmi ttcd into the Unio11 "on an equal footing with the original StatL•s "-which, he contended, wa' nullified by the votes just taken . 'l'ho IIou:e nega tived the 1110tion. Me s:~ rs. De~ltn, of Ky., Cobb, of Ga., nnd Rhr a, of Tenn., declared agaiust the bill as amended. M' . t· . Scott, of Uo., nnd Ander·:-;on, of Ky., pt· ferrcd the lli ll as amended, to no11e. The lfon, e ordered the hill, as amended, to a thirdrcadiug; Yeas, 9 ; Nays, uti. The bill thus pa ed tlte lion e next <.lay, a11d W<tS sent to the enate. '!'he following 1'ketch of the debate on thi& que tion (Feb. 15th) is eonden~ •d from that in the Appendix to ..1.Vilds R<'yister, vol. x'i. ROUSE Oi' REPR~:SJo:NTATI'\E::l , l<'lo:Jl. ] 5, 1819. Mr. Ta;Jmadge, of Kew York, lta,·ing moved the followitwo atttetllltnent on th e •' atur<.la.v pre-ce<. ling- " ...tn<l provirlul that tile introtltu· tirm r1l, lm•ery. or i nl'olunt<£ry 8N't'1'tude, !18 f>i 'Oli illilt!d, fO'c'rpt for th~ puni~Simz e11toj crimf.~. 'tohe,:ef?flht3 J!llrty /~,o;. bee11 clu~~ C01lltir)ted · cwd that all cluldrcn lwrn ., 1/h ~n tlte tWt<l State a;~e~· the (U/mi.~l'!ion the1·eoj info the Cnion, shall be (/ eI claretl jreo (/ t t rI t e (I o~ OJ• 2"" YtJ(//'8, ll Mr Fuller of :\I a~:t ·n chu!lctt~, nrguccl that, to t:O'cct a concoct ~f lntc:·cl>!$, it wa~ proper to make conces~ions. The SLtLtcs wlacre Slavery cxbkd not only claiuH·d the rlgh.t t.o continue it hut it wus manlft~t that n gc rwrnl emanctpaiion of shL,;cs coulcl not he askccl of tiiem. 'l'llt'ir political cxi:-;tcncc would ll<LVC been In jt•opardy; bol.h ma~tc rli and 11lavcw mu;;t havo IJccn lt1voh·cd in the tno:;t fatal corl£6- qucnct:.l.!. . To guarcl a.:;ain~t snch !utolcrnhle <' vll:l, It t'! provided In the Con~tltntion "that the mlgrat.lnn or importation of such persons, as 'any of the .erriatil~{/ !"tatt:+ think proP'·r to 1\<lmit shall not he vro!lllJilcd 1111 1 OS.-Art. 1, sec. !l. Anu it il; 1 pro\'lllcd elsl•whcre, t.l1at Jh't'Son::~ heiJ to sen·lce by the laws or any fo:tate, shall he given up hy olhtl' Sta.tes to which they may have e!:ll':tpt'<l, t'fc.-Art. 4, sec. 2. ~fhe;e prodsioul! elfcctually reCO)!'tizcd the right In l.bu |
