Indiana—Suspension of the Anti-slavery Clause of the Ordinance of 1787.
Mr. Parke, from the committee to whom was referred the letter of William Henry Harrison, Governor of the Indiana Territory, enclosing certain resolutions of the Legislative Council and House of Representatives of the said Territory, made the following report:
That the resolutions of the Legislative Council and House of Representatives of the Indiana Territory relate to a suspension, for the term of ten years, of the sixth article of compact between the United States and the Territories Northwest of the river Ohio, passed the 13th July, 1787. That article declares “there shall be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude in the said territory.”
The suspension of the said article would operate an immediate and essential benefit to the Territory, as emigration to it will be inconsiderable for many years, except from those States where slavery is tolerated; and although it is not considered expedient to force the population of the Territory, yet it is desirable to connect its scattered settlements, and, in regard to political rights, to place it on an equal footing with the different States. From the interior situation of the Territory, it is not believed that slaves would ever become so numerous as to endanger the internal peace or future prosperity of the country. The current of emigration flowing to the Western country, the Territories ought all to be opened to their introduction. The abstract question of liberty and slavery is not involved in the proposed measure, as slavery now exists to a considerable extent in different parts of the Union; it would not augment the number of slaves, but merely authorize the removal to Indiana of such as are held in bondage in the United States. If slavery is an evil, means ought to be devised to render it least dangerous to the community, and by which the hopeless situation of the slaves would be most ameliorated; and to accomplish these objects, no measure would be so effectual as the one proposed. The committee, therefore, respectfully submit to the House the following resolution:
Resolved, That it is expedient to suspend, from and after the 1st day of January, 1808, the sixth article of compact between the United States and the Territories and States Northwest of the river Ohio, passed the 13th day of July, 1787, for the term of ten years.
Referred to the consideration of the Committee of the Whole on Monday next.
Friday, February 13.
Importation of Slaves.
The bill, sent from the Senate, entitled “An act to prohibit the importation of slaves into any port or place within the jurisdiction of the United States, from and after the first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and eight,” together with the amendments agreed to yesterday, were read the third time; and, on the question that the same do pass, it was resolved in the affirmative—yeas 113, nays 5, as follows:
Yeas.—Evan Alexander, Isaac Anderson, John Archer, David Bard, Joseph Barker, Burwell Bassett, George M. Bedinger, William W. Bibb, Barnabas Bidwell, Phanuel Bishop, John Blake, jr., Thomas Blount, James M. Broom, Robert Brown, John Boyle, William A. Burwell, George W. Campbell, John Chandler, John Claiborne, Joseph Clay, Matt. Clay, George Clinton, jr., Frederick Conrad, Orchard Cook, Leonard Covington, Richard Cutts, Samuel W. Dana, Ezra Darby, John Davenport, jr., Elias Earle, Peter Early, James Elliot, Caleb Ellis, Ebenezer Elmer, Wm. Ely, John W. Eppes, William Findlay, James Fisk, Charles Goldsborough, Peterson Goodwyn, Andrew Gregg, Isaiah L. Green, Silas Halsey, John Hamilton, Seth Hastings, William Helms, David Holmes, John G. Jackson, Walter Jones, James Kelly, Thomas Kenan, Nehemiah Knight, John Lambert, Joseph Lewis, jr., Henry W. Livingston, Edward Lloyd, Matthew Lyon, Duncan MacFarland, Patrick Magruder, Robert Marion, Josiah Masters, William McCreery, David Meriwether, Nicholas R. Moore, Thomas Moore, Jeremiah Morrow, John Morrow, Jonathan O. Mosely, Gurdon S. Mumford, Jeremiah Nelson, Thomas Newton, jr., Gideon Olin, Timothy Pitkin, jr., John Porter, John Pugh, Josiah Quincy, John Rea of Pennsylvania, John Rhea of Tennessee, Jacob Richards, John Russell, Peter Sailly, Thomas Sammons, Thomas Sanford, Martin G. Schuneman, Ebenezer Seaver, James Sloan, Dennis Smelt, John Smilie, John Smith, Samuel Smith, Richard Stanford, Joseph Stanton, William Stedman, Samuel Taggart, Benjamin Tallmadge, Sam’l Tenney, David Thomas, Thomas W. Thompson, Uri Tracy, Philip Van Cortlandt, Killian K. Van Rensselaer, Joseph B. Varnum, Daniel C. Verplanck, Peleg Wadsworth, Matthew Walton, John Whitehill, Robert Whitehill, Eliphalet Wickes, Nathan Williams, Alex’r Wilson, Joseph Winston, Richard Wynn, and Thomas Wynns.