Rensselaer Gazette, Volume 3, Number 33, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 December 1859 — The Truth of History. [ARTICLE]

The Truth of History.

I From the: Nashville (Teini.) Sews, 17th inst*

The Union and American “most unhesitatingly, earnestly and emphatically” denies that there have been “liberal and enlightened statesmen” in the South, who regard the existence of slavery among us as a “defect or blemish” in our system of government, and it cites the simple statement of this tact by Mr, Bell, asssvidence of his unsoundness on the slavery question. On Tuesday, we published by one of Gen, Washington's letters that he regarded the institution as so great an evil and blemish, that he would have rejoiced, to use his p\yn words in aw feasible;scheme to get rid ofmt. To-day we shall show that James* Madison also regarded it as a very great ‘-defect or b]einish”-—a [perpetual source o t' weakness in oar system. In the first Congress tiiat assembled after the adoption of the Federal Constitution (1789,-) Mr Parker, a representative from Virginia, moved to amend the tarifF\bill by ! inserting a cflttuse imposing a duty of ten i dollars n cv. rv slave imported. In a speech made by Air. Madison,'in sup- . port ol Parker's motion, lie said: -■Tim eo.nfonruling men with merchandize : might be ea-eiy avoided by altering the title jof t!;y bill; it was, in fact, the very object of i the ''motion. to prevent men, so far as the power of (’engross t xtended, from being confoanfled w ith merchandize. The clause in j the Constitution allowing a tax to- be Imposed, tfiough the traffic could not be prohibited for twenty years, .was inserted, he ! believed.yh;- the very purpose of enabling'Congress to give some testimony of the sense of America with respect to the African trade. By expressing a National disapprobation of [ that trade, it is hoped, we may destroy it, aCu [ so save ourselves from reproaches, and our poster i/y from the imbeciPly ever attendant on, <i j country filled with slaves. 'This wasas much [ the interest of South Carolina and of Georj gia as of any State. Every addition they rel ceived to their number of slaves tended lo l weakness, and rendered them less capable of self's dtfensc. lii case of hostilities with- foreign [ Nations, their slave population would be a--1 means, not of impelling invasion, but of in- ; viting attack. “It was the duty of the general gaverh- [ ment to protect every part of the Union,Sand a proper subject for the consideration, ■f li: charged with the general adminis- ; trillion -of .the government.” . Parker, who- made the motion, and who, w c : v • already said, was a representative j from X irginia, among'other tilings, said: ‘■•■The gentleman from Connecticut had ! said that human beings ought not to b.enumi bered with goods, wares and merchandize, j Yet he believed that they were looked upon iby A'rican traders, in that light. He I honed Congress would do all in their pow|er to restore to human nature its inherI cut pricing •••>•; 'to wipe off, if possible, the j stigma under w hich America labored*; to d.> ] atv ay the inconsistency in' our principles ; justly charged upon us; and to show .by four actions, the pure beneficence of the doctrine* ; held < ::t to the worl 1 in our Declaration, of 1 n tie tree;” Pag-, another representative from Virgin--1 i i, in the course of a discussion on the subject of'-siavery, said -‘Ac lived in a Slate which had th misfortune to - have in iier bosom a ; great number of slaves,” and that “he held ; uk.nv himself.” j May we not appeal to the Union and American's Candor and magnanimity to conj fess its error, and to admit that Mr. Bell uttered hut a supple historical truth when he said that “liberal and enlightened statesmen in every part of the world have regarded” the existence of slavery among us us a defect or j 'blemish” in Cur system of government.