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Show 244 three-fifths of tho sln.vcs arc cnumcrntcd. 'l'hc Com;tiLntion was frnmcd by patriots of the H.cvolulion; and the }Wincip1cs of that cvc11t were too d 'eply engraven upon their minds to sull"er them to scpn.rn.tc lhe ratio of repros 'tlln.tio11 from that of inxation; nnd, by mutual compromise, the rn.tio was settled by all th ' taLes as we now have i L. Bnt, i~ the organi'l;n.tion of this branch of the I •gi~laturc, there is a total departure from this rule. Upoll what priu ciplc docs tho little State or Delaware Hand two members to lllis body, and tho gr ·at State of N cw York send no more? rl'hi also was sctllcd upon a principle of ompromisc. It is, that State sovereign tics may be here rcprcscn ted, alld, in the coufedcracy the States, arc all equal. 'l'he federal character is here preserved; and, in the other liou. e, the rcprcscntati ve character. In on house every tate is equal, in tho other every individual; and none would wish it otl.Jcrwise. In ~hat way, I would ask, is the jnst princip1c of representation violated, by taking threc-fit't hs of the slaves i11to the calculation ? The n.nswcr is g iven, because slaves have no polilical rights. AtHl whn.t political ri ~hts have the female and the minor? And how many free p 'rsons of full age arc excluded from the exercise of tho elective franchise in the di[ercnt tales? Yet all arc taken into the enumeration as tho Lasis for representation. Why ? Becanso they are also taken into tho enumeration for taxation; so ore three-fifths of the slaves taken into the enumeration as the basis for taxation, and of course for representation. In the one case no complaint is made, but in tho other inju Lice is urged. Every argument, true or false, must be brought to bear upon the subject; which, in the end, will effect nothin cr, and is, in fact, worse than nothing. There is anothct· article of tlto Com~titution, which is thought to hnve some relation to this intended restriction. "Congress shall guarantee to each State a republican form '!'liE M T.'SOUHl QU~STION. 245 of government;" and ltcrc we Jmvc a controlling powo. Suppose, then, you cr ct your stn.tHlanl of republicanism anc1 revise the conHt itutionH of tltc <lifT rent tn.tcH. Vir: gin in. requires n. frr ·hold q11n1ificnt,iou in the voter. Diclntc to h t' belt ' l' principl •s. Most of the other tntcs rcquiro some property quulifications. Chang their con:litutions I nnd proclaim nnuual elections and univ rsn.l RttfTragr, snch as we have in J( 11 tu ·ky, where every pNsou is equal ; and the b ~gar (if Sll<'h a bcincr can be found thrre) has os good n. vot c as the mn.n of wcalt h. A ttcmpt these thing~, aud yon will hn.v' enough to do; hut. you mny nccompli~-ilt it as easily, ancl upon as fnir '1onf'ti tulional ground, as tltc re triction upon Missouri. 'I' he fact iR, we , hnll be be it <'r employed in confi tting ourselves to the great objects of the confederacy, and leave every SLate to manage its own concerns. Philosophers hn.vc said much npon the theory of colors, nnd especially upou the variety of compJ •xion iu the h1m1:u1 species. It is con trncl c1 hy some thn.t the black man, t Ito red man, n.ncl the white man, originally Rprang from diiTere11t ancc tors; by others that a11 prang from one common stock; and the hst theory i support <l l>y rev elation. r t is further helieve<l, that. the difTcr •nee of co1or, from the slio·hteRL Rha<le to the <lcepc. t bln.ck, iF! owing principn.11y to climate, n11d the difl"•rent d<'grccs of lH'nt to which they lutvo been fot· mnny ages expos '(1. To whatever cause it mn.y be owing, the difl'ercncc do'S now exist.; nncl it is as wc11 kno\vn that a univ •rsal pn•jndicc al o cxisls ns to 1he color of the .African, whi ·h in a g reat nt cn:nrc depriv<'S him of the blessing of frc •clom wit 'II mnncipated. 'l'ill this pr<'judicc is eradicated, or till the Ethiopian shn.l1 •hnngc his skin, his frccLlom i, nominnl in every part of the U nited lntcs. If not, where is the bln<'k man of the north? Like the red man, he i: nearly extinct. If your ltttrnnni t.y hns conqncrcd your prejudice, til1 you know no color, where aro you1· • 4 I |
