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Show 24 this Constitution was adopted, nobody looked for any new acquisition of territory to be formed into slaveholding Stale3. S econdly: That the principles of the Constitution prohibited, and were intended to prohibit, and should be construed to prohibit, all interference of the General Gov .. ernment with slavery as it existed and as it still eJCists in the S tates. And then , that look ing to the e ffect of these new acquisitions, which have in this great degree enured to strengthen that inte rest in the South by the addit ion of these five S tates, there is nothing unjust, nothing of which nny honest man can complain, if he is intelligent ; and I feel there is nothing which the c ivilized world, if they take notice of so humble a person as myself, will reproach me with, when I say, as I said the other day, that l had made up my mind , for one, that under no circumstances would I consent to the farther extension of the nren of slavery in the United Sta tes, or to the fa rther increase of Slave R epresentation in the House of Representatives. UU |