Page:The History of Slavery and the Slave Trade.djvu/466

 In his message, at the commencement of the session of 1806-1, President Jefferson suggested to congress the interposition of its authority for the abolition of the African slave-trade. He says:

"I congratulate you, fellow-citizens, on the approach of the period at which you may interpose your authority, constitutionally, to withdraw the citizens of the United States from all further participation in those violations of human rights which have so long been continued on the unoffending inhabitants of Africa, and which the morality, the reputation, and the best interests of our coun try have long been eager to proscribe."

This portion of the message was referred to a select committee of the house consisting of Messrs. Early, of Georgia, T. M. Randolph, of Va., J. Camp bell, of Md., Thomas Kenan, of N. C, Cook, of Mass., Kelly, of Pa., and Van Ransellaer, of New York.

The committee reported a bill "to prohibit the importation or bringing of slaves into the United States or the territories thereof after the 31st day of December, 1807."

As originally reported by the committee, of which Early, of Georgia, was chairman, the bill provided that all negroes, mulattoes, and persons of color illegally introduced, "should be forfeited and sold for life for the benefit of the United States." Sloan, of N. J., moved to substitute "shall be entitled to his or her freedom," an amendment very violently opposed by the southern members. Early maintained with great earnestness that the persons so illegally introduced must not only be forfeited, but must be sold as slaves and continued as such. "What else can be done with them? We of the south consider slavery a dreadful evil, but the existence of large numbers of free blacks among us as a greater evil; and yet you would by this amendment turn loose all who may be imported. You can not execute such a law, for no man will inform who loves himself or his neighbor."

The same view, the impossibility of enforcing the law, if negroes illegally imported were to become free, was urged by Macon, the speaker. Other arguments were added by his colleague, Willis Alston. "Should a state by law forbid the freeing of any slaves, congress could not contravene such a law." "Slaves being property by the laws of a state, congress could not, in opposition to those laws, consider them otherwise."

On the other hand, Smilie, of Pa., called attention to the inconsistency of laying severe penalties, as this bill did, upon all concerned in buying or selling imported slaves, while, at the same time, the United States set themselves up as sellers! Barker, of Massachusetts, argued that the United States ought not only to declare all illegally imported Africans free, but to convey them safely back to their native country. That, Macon thought, would be impracticable. Quincy opposed the amendment, because it was not right to say that a certain class of people should be free, who could not be so according to the laws of the state where they might be, and whose freedom might produce a fatal, injurious, or disagreeable effect. Only nineteen members voted in favor of Sloan's amendment; but the next day, Pitkin, of Connecticut, urged some