Page:An Appeal in Favor of that Class of Americans Called Africans.djvu/137

Rh New England seems to be like the poor lamb that tried to drink at the same stream with the wolf. "You make the water so muddy I can't drink," says the wolf: "I stand below you," replied the lamb, "and therefore it cannot be." "You did me an injury last year," retorted the wolf "I was not born last year," rejoined the lamb. "Well, well," exclaimed the wolf, "then it was your father or mother. I'll eat you, at all events."

The bitter discussions in Congress have grown out of this strong dislike to the free States; and the crown of the whole policy is nullification. The single state of South Carolina has undertaken to abolish the revenues of the whole nation; and threatened the Federal Government with secession from the Union, in case the laws were enforced by any other means than through the judicial tribunals.

"South Carolina has the privilege of excessive representation, and is released from the payment of direct taxes, which, according to the ratio of her representation, would be nearly double that of any non-slave-holding State; it is therefore not a little extraordinary that she should complain of an unequal proportion of duties of imposts.

"It is not a little extraordinary that this new pretension of South Carolina, the State which above all others enjoys this unrequited privilege of excessive representation, released from all payment of the direct taxes, of which her proportion would be nearly double that of any non-slave-holding State, should proceed from that very complaint that she bears an unequal proportion of duties of imposts, which, by the constitution of the United States, are required to be uniform throughout the Union. Vermont, with a free population of two hundred and eighty thousand souls, has five representatives in the popular House of Congress, and seven Electors for President and Vice President. South Carolina, with a free population of less than two hundred and sixty thousand souls, sends nine members to the House of Representatives, and honors the Governor of Virginia with eleven votes for the office of President of the United States. If the rule of representation were the same for South Carolina and for Vermont, they would have the same number of