Wednesday, January 22.
Importation of Slaves.
The House again went into a Committee of the Whole on Mr. Sloan’s resolution for imposing a tax of ten dollars upon every slave imported into the United States.
Mr. Dawson.—Every gentleman who has spoken on this unfinished business has expressed his regret at its introduction—none feel it more than I do; of the sincerity of which declaration I mean to give a proof by the motion which I shall make to you.
If this regret was felt at the introduction, it must be increased by the course which the argument has taken, and by the warmth which has attended it. At a time like this, when depredations are committed on our commerce, coasts, and harbors; when our property is plundered, our citizens and our country maltreated and insulted, it would seem to me to be more wise and more patriotic to cherish a spirit of accommodation, and to unite all our efforts and wisdom in adopting those measures best calculated to meet this state of things, to support our just claims, to vindicate our violated rights; and not to introduce subjects which will inevitably create division, which will excite one section of the continent, one portion of our fellow-citizens, against another, thereby disturbing that harmony and union of councils so necessary for the good of the whole.
Mr. J. C. Smith supported the resolution, and vindicated the State he represented from any imputation from not having a similar feature in her constitution to that of the constitution of Georgia. He observed that the constitution of Connecticut, having had its origin about two hundred years ago, had not foreseen the present state of things; but he begged permission to say, that Connecticut had never received into her bosom any of the species of property alluded to.
Some recriminations ensued between several members, on the participation of the traders of some of the New England States in carrying on the slave trade.
When the question being put, the resolution was agreed to—yeas 79.
The committee having risen, and the House being resumed, took the report of the committee into consideration.
Mr. Clark, having made a few remarks against agreeing to the resolution, asked for the taking of the yeas and nays.
The main question was then taken by yeas and nays on agreeing to the resolution—yeas 90, nays 25, as follows:
Yeas.—Isaac Anderson, John Archer, David Bard, Burwell Basset, Silas Betton, Barnabas Bidwell, Thomas Blount, James M. Broom, Robert Brown, John Boyle, John Chandler, Martin Chittenden, John Claiborne, George Clinton, jun., John Clopton, Frederick Conrad, Orchard Cook, Leonard Covington, Richard Cutts, Samuel W. Dana, Ezra Darby, John Davenport, jun., William Dickson, Caleb Ellis, Ebenezer Elmer, William Eli, William Findlay, Jas. Fisk, John Fowler, Charles Goldsborough, Edwin Gray, Andrew Gregg, Silas Halsey, John Hamilton, Seth Hastings, William Helms, David Holmes, David Hough, John G. Jackson, Walter Jones, James Kelley, Thomas Kenan, Nehemiah Knight, John Lambert, Michael Leib, Joseph Lewis, jun., Henry W. Livingston, Matthew Lyon, Nicholas R. Moore, Jeremiah Morrow, Jonathan O. Mosely, Jeremiah Nelson, Roger Nelson, Thomas Newton, jun., Gideon Olin, Timothy Pitkin, jun., John Pugh, Josiah Quincy, John Rea of Pennsylvania, John Russell, Peter Sailly, Thomas Sammons, Ebenezer Seaver, James Sloan, John Smilie, John Cotton Smith, John Smith, Samuel Smith, Henry Southard, Richard Stanford, Joseph Stanton, William Stedman, Lewis B. Sturges, Benjamin Tallmadge, Samuel Tenney, Philip R. Thompson, Uri Tracy, Abram Trigg, Philip Van Cortlandt, Joseph B. Varnum, Daniel C. Verplanck, Peleg Wadsworth, Matthew Walton, John Whitehill, Robert Whitehill, Eliphalet Wickes, Marmaduke Williams, Nathan Williams, Alexander Wilson, and Joseph Winston.
Nays.—Willis Alston, jun., George M. Bedinger, William Butler, John Campbell, Levi Casey, Christopher Clark, Jacob Crowninshield, John Dawson, Elias Earle, Peter Early, James Elliot, James M. Garnett, Robert Marion, Josiah Masters, William McCreery, David Meriwether, Thomas Moore, Thomas M. Randolph, John Rhea of Tennessee, Thomas Sanford, O’Brien Smith, Thomas Spalding, Thomas W. Thompson, David R. Williams, and Thomas Wynns.
Ordered, That a bill, or bills, be brought in pursuant to the said resolution; and that Mr. Sloan, Mr. Fisk, and Mr. Dana, do prepare and bring in the same.