the same, and no other members than those as shall be elected within the same limits, in the manner required by the Columbian constitution, the Columbian constitution to the contrary notwithstanding, and which members so elected, shall at the extra expense of their respective states and territories, assemble as usual on the business of their respective slaves, but at no other times than such as will not interfere with the regular annual meetings, requiring their attention in the ordinary business of state, according to the Columbian constitution. And it shall be the duty of the Columbian Congress, always to prohibit the importation of any more African or negro slaves into Columbia. Nor shall any law be enacted in any section of Columbia, tending in the least to encourage the increase of African or negro slavery, beyond those now in force. Nor shall any law or regulations in force in any state or territory of Columbia, which favors the manumission of African negro slaves, be repealed but for the substitution of another or others still more favorable to their freedom. Nor shall it hereafter ever be lawful for any person or persons of any new erected town or territory, wherein now are no African or negro slaves, north and west of a certain line, which the Columbian Congress shall prescribe, to buy, sell or there hold them in servitude, nor shall any person or persons enforce, send or let go upon the public, to the detriment or expense of Columbia, or abuse to him, her or them, any invalid African negro or negroes, whom he she or they had held in servitude under a certain penalty or other means, which the Columbian Congress shall prescribe sufficient to suppress the evil. SECTION 6. The Columbian Congress for the sake of free order in general law, as fast as equity and experienee and the Columbian constitution requires, shall abridge the English code, revise and in plain and comprehensive terms, make few and general the Columbian laws. Allowing no ancient law or custom, however long or extensively practiced, by a reference thereto, to counteract or mislead the Columbian councils. SECTION 7. A sum not exceeding two millions of dollars of Columbian currency, shall by the Columbian Congress, be appropriated and paid over as by them directed to all such editors, printers and others, such sums as they shall equitably and severally deserve, for their assiduous and lawful exertions, and proper expenditures as may be necessarily required, for explaining, promulgating and supporting for deliberation and practice, in North America the Columbian. constitution. SECTION 8. Columbia being engaged in war for completing her independence, from the oppression of commercial Britain, the adopting of the Columbian constitution in the mean time, for the security of her just rights, shall be no impediment or bar to the ways and means for its energetic prosecution, but according to the provisions of the constituted authorities of the United States, for the progress and establishment of Columbia's entire independence as a free nation, the Columbian constitution shall establish and firmly maintain the credit of the United States, as of the Columbian union. The Columbian Congress therefore for that purpose shall provide for the actual and punctual payment of any sum of treasury notes, required to be issued by the United States and the Columbian Congress, and without diminishing their value in good current money of Columbia, out of any Columbian reve: nue arising from the taxable division, as fast as the same and other surplus revenue shall be received into the Columbian treasury, after defraying the other necessary expences of state, as may be required according to the Columbian constitution, and the said Columbian Congress shall make all the necessary appropriations for their redemption, and cause the same to be paid, and the said treasury notes redeemed at the full face of their several amounts. (14). (14) Supposing for the support of the present war against Great Britain, the Congress of the United ARTICLE XV. The Columbian union for the support of the last republic of the world, having been compelled unavoidably to draw her sword in defence of her just and dear liberties, against one of the most powerful invading foes the world ever knew, whose local advantages over the common world, in the course of human events, have brought forth an age which has concentrated on a small island, beyond the vortex of political man, the States shall be compelled for the salvation of our country, to issue of treasury notes, even ten thousand million of dollars, were we to be drove to that extremity, and these notes be so well executed as to answer for temporary currency, and be of the various amounts as follows, viz. $1, $2, $3, $5, $10, $20, $30, $50, $100, $200, $300, $500 and 1000 dollars each; and these made a lawful tender in the payment of debts, and redeemed without depreciation as provided by the Columbian constitution, and for whatever amount there shall be issued, over and above (say two hundred millions of dollars) or what may be required for necessary currency, Congress receive them in at the lowest rate of interest as will induce them (the largest bills first) to be returned to government, and in exchange to become a funded debt with interest annually against the nation; the principal of which to be paid thereafter, according to the Columbian constitution. But it is observed that treasury notes are good for nothing, and who observes it but aristocratic speculators, who indeed make them good for nothing by dividing the common people to overthrow their government from the farmer, that rich individuals credit and incorporated companies vaults of specie, may get fifty per cent interest for their deceiving shin plasters, who at the establishment of their banks or issue of their bills by the acts of our legislatures, were never obliged eventually to redeem but one third of their paper; hence a depreciation of sixty-six per cent, besides such individuals put their property out of their hands, and companies withdraw their specie from their vaults or stop payment, and be most dangerous of all oppressors, with sole dominion over all the ocean by the only navy of the world, solely at the power and controul of an hereditary and inaccessible parliament of unrestrained human will, to the exclusion of an innocent world. Therefore, during the present holy war, and all other wars in which Columbia shall ever be engaged against Great Britain, or any of her allies or dependencies, while the British people shall be subject to come bankrupts as did Dexter and Morris; then where are your shin plasters? besides which, counterfeits are easier detected when there is but one kind of bills issued, than when an endless variety of signatures appear in market; it is all a sham, and nothing but a speculation by the foes of freedom, who clamour out of market (for the substitution of their own) the national bills of their common country, wherein the poor as well as the rich, have their equal privileges in the currency of those valuable rights; it is directly to the contrary, for the bills circulated on the creait of banks or partial credulity, form the only deception as to currency and liberty, while on the other hand, there is not the least insecurity in the treasury notes of our common country, wherein all unite in their security and government, aud the support of which is the only criterion by which to know that we support our liberty against the rich speculators, opposite to the equal advantages of the poor, in their country's common currency, proving that whoever bawls against national currency, are enemies to national liberty, determined to oppress the poor; whereas was all these aristocratical usurpers of currency, cnd oppressors of the people, to carry on their newspaper clamour on the other potitical leg, nothing would then be good like the furmer's currency, and is it not in these days proved by experience, that notwithstanding speculators have declared they will not pay specie as they have promised to their country they would, who now hold their broken promises for the specie they are robbed of, and their bills stili circulate, because with them circulates renewed deceptive and still broken promises of the ser the oppression and unjust dominion of their powerful nobility and hereditary crown, so repugnant to God and the rights of his dear people, it shall be lawful for Congress or the Columbian Congress, specially to authorize the president or general president and mediators of Columbia, from time to time to publicly and specially stipulate to the world by proclamation, under the hand of the president or the general president, in the name of God and the world, and to grant and confirm to any commander or commanders of troops or marines any proper bounties and immunities, with ample protections thereof, and not exceeding one hundred acres of land to each private, in exchauge for the peaceable surrendery of their arms and munitions of war, and themselves to peaceably become as good citizens, good officers and soldiers of Columbia, of all such officers and soldiers as had been or shall be authorized or directed by the British parliament, or by pent, which supports the circulating promises of their own robbing banks of usurpation, specie or no specie in their vaults, yet excellent credit, no failure, (like the Berkshire and the Rhode-Island banks) no depreciation while no cash can be got for them, yet all are good genuine bills, what else than promises on the credulity of the people supports the least existing value in a single incorporated partial bank bill, that now floats among us in delusion, then where else is all paper intrinsic value, than in an incorporated great na ́tional bank of all the people, together in support of their uniform and undiminishing value, in which case why hord up specie to lie idle in vaults, whèn right paper is better without that vast expense, of as great cost to Columbia as all the specie thus horded up shall cost to obtain it? this vlters the case, but it was alivays the lawyer's bull that has been goring the farmer's ox ; supposing all the inimical merchants and aristocratic newspapers of the United States, shall favor the notional currency of their own country's liberty, then nothing would be like national currency, and will not the poor man enjoy his equal rights in the current privileges of his country. |