le cultivation marks
the prosperity and happiness of the people, with the misery and poverty
which overspread the barren wastes of Virginia, Maryland, and the other
States having slaves. Travel through the whole continent, and you behold
the prospect continually varying with the appearance and disappearance
of slavery. The admission of slaves into the representation, when fairly
explained, comes to this, that the inhabitant of Georgia and South
Carolina, who goes to the coast of Africa in defiance of the most sacred
laws of humanity, tears away his fellow-creatures from their dearest
connections, and damns them to the most cruel bondage, shall have more
votes in a government instituted for the protection of the rights of
mankind, than the citizen of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, who views with
a laudable horror so nefarious a practice.

"And what is the proposed compensation to the Northern States for a
sacrifice of every principle of right, every impulse of humanity? They
are to bind themselves to march their militia for the defence of the
Southern States, against those very slaves of whom they complain. The
Legislature will have indefinite power to tax them by excises and duties
on imports, both of which will fall heavier on them than on the Southern
inhabitants; for the Bohea tea used by a Northern freeman will pay more
tax than the whole consumption of the miserable slave, which consists of
nothing more than his physical subsistence and the rag which covers his
nakedness. On the other side, the Southern States are not to be
restrained from importing fresh supplies of wretched Africans, at once
to increase the danger of attack and the difficulty of defence; nay,
they are to be encouraged to it by an assurance of having their votes in
the National Government increased in proportion, and, at the same time,
are to have their slaves and their exports exempt from all contributions
to the public service." Gouverneur Morris moved to make the free
population alone the basis of representation.

Roger Sherman, who had on other occasions manifested a disposition to
compromise, again favored the Southern side. He "did not regard the
admission of the negroes as liable to such insuperable objections. It
was the freemen of the Southern States who were to be represented
according to the taxes paid by them, and the negroes are only included
in the estimate of the taxes."

After some further discussion the question was taken upon Mor