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Show 88 TlH~ FEDEHAL CONVEN1.'ION. "To in stitute temporary governments for now States arising therein. "rr0 regulate affairs with the Indians, &c." Mr. Pinckney al o submitted cvcral propositions, relating to tho scat of government, public debt, post-offices, &c. From this till the 22d, nothiug important by way of discus. sion transpired. August 22. .Article 7, section 4, was resumed. Mr. Sherman was for ]caving the clause as it stands. IIe disapproved of the slave trade; yet, as the States wcro now possessed of the right to import slaves, as the public good did not require it to be taken from them, and as it was expedient to have as few objections as possiule to the proposed scheme of government, he thought it best to leave the matter as we find it. He observed that the abolition of slavery seemed to be going on in the United States, and that the good sense of the several States would probably, by degrees, complete it. ITo urged on the Convention the necessity of dispatching its business. Col. Mason. This infernal traffic originated in the avarice of British merchants. 'l'he British government constantly checked the attempts of Virginia to put a stop to it. 'l'hc present question concerns not the importing States alone, but the whole Union. 'l'be evil of having slaves was experienced dnring the late war. llau slaves been treated as they might have been l>y the enemy, they would huve proved dangerous instruments in their hanus. But their folly dealt by the slaves as it did uy the tories. Tic men· tioued the dangerous insurrections of slaves in Greece and Sicily; and the instructions given by Cromwell, to the com· missioners sent to Virginia, to arm the servants and slaves in case other means of obtaining its submission might fail. Maryland and Virginia, he said, had already prohibited the importation of slaves expressly; N ortb Carolina bad done ihe same in sul>stancc. All this would Lc vain, if South 'l'll.l!.: F l•:nE HA 1, CONV EN'l'JON. 89 Carolina and Georgia he at liberty to import. rrhc wes\crn people arc already calling out for slave for th eir new laJHls, ~tnd will fill that country with slaves, if they can be got through South Carolina n.n<l Georcria. Slavery discourages nrts and mannfaeturcs. rrhc poor despise labor when performed uy slaves. '11 hcy prevent the emigration of whites, who really enrich and strengthen a country. 1'hcy produce the most pernicious effect on manners. Every muster of slaves is born a petty tyrant. rrhcy bring tho judgment of HEAVEN on a co untry. As nations cannot be rc\vanl c<l or pullished in the next world, th ey run t be in this. By an inevitable chain of causes and eiT'ccts, Providence punishes national sin by n11ti onal calamities. lie lamented that some of our Eastern l>rcthren had, from a lust of gai n, embarked in this nefarious traffic. As to the States being in po session of the right to import, this was the ca. c with many other rights, now to l>e properly given up. IIc lt eld jt essential, in every point of view, that the general government should have power to prevent the increase of slavery. Mr. Ellswot'Lh, as he bau never owned a slave, could not judge of the effects of slavery on character. lie aiel, however, that if it was to Lc eousiderecl in a moralliO'ht, we ought to go further, and free those already in the country. As slaves also multiply so fast in VirginiR, and :Maryland, that it is cheaper to raise than import them, whil.·t in the 1-lickly rice-swamps foreign supplies arc necessary, if we go no fnrther than is urged, we shall l>c unjnst toward South Carolina and Gcorcria. Let ns not intermeddle. As population increases, poor laborer. will be so plenty as to rend er slaves usclcs . Slavery, in time, will not he a speck in our couutry. Provision is already made in Connecticut for auolishing it. And the abolition has already taken place in Ma. sachnsctts. As to tho danger of in urrcctions from foreig·n iu !lucncc, that will become a moLi vc to kind treat· ment of the slaves. |