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Show 6 INTnonucrronY. ~ locked up in scores of huge Congrcs ional voltnncs, entirely inacccs iblc to the g ncral nw. s of readers; or if, by chance or othcr¥visc, accessible, requiring so much time and research as to render it comparatively valueless. I believe the most that the people-the voters-of this country de ire, in reference to the qu stion of slavery, is, to kno,v, from an authentic source, what the fram rs of the Con titution n1eant to do with it; 'vhat relation th y meant the government should hold to the in titution, if any ; and that, knowing this, rcgardlc s of the selfishness and fanaticism of politicians, north or south, ca t or w st, they will steadily pursue the path marked out by their father , and p rpetuate the principles of Constitutional liberty with every energy and cfl'ort in th ir po·wcr. That there need be no mistake in this matter, I have commenced this compilation with the debates in the congre s of the confederation, the first form of a national o-ovcrnmcnt adopt d by the coloni after the d claration of inclcp ndcnc . The e "Note '' were k pt by T'ho1na J cff rson. They are mcao·re, it is true, a arc all the debates of those time~, for stenography was then un- INTR DUC'PORY. 7 known; but they furnish all, as "vell as the best, lio-hts we can get, of the opinions of the tat sJncn at that time. It will be seen that the "N otcs " relate ahnost exclusively to the slavery que 'Lion, and hence we may conclude that th n, as no¥v, that subject 'vas one of difficulty as well as delicacy. I have given the "Notes" in full, pro and con-I could do no more ; and the reader must form his o'vn opinions,-1u inc would be superfluous. l)a sing from the Articles of the Confederation, I have next taken up the Convention to fonn the present Constitution. The only debates prcscrvcd in that body were taken by Mr. l\1ac1i ·on and Mr. Yatc, ; the latt r, ho'v vcr, l ft th' Convention before its atljoun11n nt, and h nee did not take thc1n fully. I have carefully con1piled, fron1 both these sources, everything that was said and done relating to slavery, together with such other n1attcr as seemed likely to be of interest at the present time. It "vill be seen that here, too, difficulties 'vcrc presented, that for a "vhilc seem d. likely to preclude the possibility of a union of the Stutes on their present basis; but they were happily arranged, in a spirit of mutual |
