outh
would not submit to a general emancipation without "civil war." The
commitment would "blow the trumpet of sedition in the Southern States,"
echoed his colleague, Burke. The Pennsylvania men spoke just as boldly.
Scott declared the petition constitutional, and was sorry that the
Constitution did not interdict this "most abominable" traffic. "Perhaps,
in our Legislative capacity," he said, "we can go no further than to
impose a duty of ten dollars, but I do not know how far I might go if I
was one of the Judges of the United States, and those people were to
come before me and claim their emancipation; but I am sure I would go as
far as I could." Jackson of Georgia rejoined in true Southern spirit,
boldly defending slavery in the light of religion and history, and
asking if it was "good policy to bring forward a business at this moment
likely to light up the flame of civil discord; for the people of the
Southern States will resist one tyranny as soon as another. The other
parts of the Continent may bear them down by force of arms, but they
will never suffer themselves to be divested of their property without a
struggle. The gentleman says, if he was a Federal Judge, he does not
know to what length he would go in emancipating these people; but I
believe his judgment would be of short duration in Georgia, perhaps even
the existence of such a Judge might be in danger." Baldwin, his
New-England-born colleague, urged moderation by reciting the difficulty
with which the constitutional compromise was reached, and declaring,
"the moment we go to jostle on that ground, I fear we shall feel it
tremble under our feet." Lawrence of New York wanted to commit the
memorials, in order to see how far Congress might constitutionally
interfere. Smith of South Carolina, in a long speech, said that his
constituents entered the Union "from political, not from moral motives,"
and that "we look upon this measure as an attack upon the palladium of
the property of our country." Page of Virginia, although a slave owner,
urged commitment, and Madison again maintained the appropriateness of
the request, and suggested that "regulations might be made in relation
to the introduction of them [i.e., slaves] into the new States to be
formed out of the Western Territory." Even conservative Gerry of
Massachusetts declared, with regard to the whole trade, that the fact
that "we have a right to regulate this business, is as clear as that we
have any rights