On the 1st of January, 1808, an act of congress, previously passed, went into effect, imposing heavy penalties upon persons engaged in the slave trade. In 1820 by an act of congress the slave trade was declared to be "piracy," to be punished with death. From that time. the slave trade, that is, the importation of slaves from foreign countries, has diminished, and the public sentiment of the country and of the world has set more and more strongly against the barbarous system of human slavery. Happily our nation is now freed from this It should be observed that when this constitution was formed, no one of the nations of the world had abolished the slave trade. Yet at that time ten of the thirteen states had prohibited the importation of slaves. The three states which still clung to this custom were North and South Carolina, and Georgia. In the federal convention these states insisted upon a provision being inserted in the constitution for the admission of slaves, at least for a limited period.

curse.

Dr. Andrews, in his "Manual of the Constitution," gives the following summary of the action taken by our national government from time to time upon slavery: "In 1787 the continental congress passed an 'Ordinance for the government of the territory of the United States northwest of the Ohio,' which provided that in that territory there should be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, otherwise than in punishment of

crimes.'

"The slave trade to foreign countries was prohibited in 1794.

"The importation of slaves was prohibited in 1807, the law to take effect Jan. 1, 1808.

"In 1820 the slave trade was declared to be a piracy, to be punished with death.

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Slavery was abolished in the District of Columbia, by an act of congress, in 1862, and in the territories the

same year.

"The president's first proclamation as to emancipation of slaves in the rebel states, was issued Sept. 22, 1862. The second proclamation emancipating them, is dated Jan. 1, 1863. The coastwise slave trade was forever prohibited by an act of July 2, 1864.

"The thirteenth amendment to the constitution abolishing slavery throughout the United States, and all places subject to their jurisdiction, was proposed to the legislatures of the states by congress, Feb. 1, 1865, and was ratified Dec. 18, 1865."

The next clause (clause 2) provides that "The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in cases of rebellion or invasion public safety may require it," in which case it is suspended by congress or by the president, who must have been previously authorized by act of congress to suspend it.

CLAUSE 3. "No bill of attainder, or ex post facto law shall be passed."

The bill of attainder is an old English custom, by which a person could be punished by death, or otherwise, by a legislative act without a judicial trial.

An ex post facto law is one which makes an act criminal, which was not criminal when committed. In other words, it is a law passed subsequent to the commission of an act, applying a penalty to the act previously committed. So, also, the law that provides for a greater

punishment than was imposed when the crime was committed, would be an ex post facto law. An ex post facto law applies only to crimes, and not to civil proceedings, which affect private pecuniary matters only. The latter would be a "law impairing the obligation of contracts."

The next clause provides that direct taxes, levied by the national government, shall be in proportion to the population.

CLAUSE 5. "No tax or duty shall be laid on articles exported from any state. No preferance shall be given by any regulation of commerce or revenue to the ports of one state over those of another; nor shall vessels bound to or from one state be obliged to enter, clear, or pay duties in another."

The result of this clause has been the prohibition of duties on exports from any part of our country, and this clause is a restriction upon the several states, as well as upon the national government.

CLAUSE 6. "No money shall be drawn from the treasury, but in consequence of appropriations made by law; and a regular statement and account of the receipts and expenditures of all public money shall be published from time to time."

Congress votes an appropriation bill annually, and the fiscal year begins on the first day of July. These appropriations are made with great care and with much detail. The appropriation acts sometimes fill one hundred pages of the United States statutes.

By this clause the officers of the United States treasury are prohibited from paying out any money, except in accordance with acts of congress providing for the same.

CLAUSE 7. "No title of nobility shall be granted by the United States; and no person holding any office of profit or trust under them, shall, without the consent of the congress, accept of any present, emolument, office, or title, of any kind whatever, from any king, prince, or foreign state."

It would seem to be the fundamental principle of a republican government, that there should be no titles of nobility. The people must be considered equal before the law. The second part of this clause is designed to prevent any foreign influence being exercised to bribe in any way an officer of our nation.

CHAPTER VIII.

RESTRICTIONS UPON THE STATES.

SECTION IO. "No state shall enter into any treaty, alliance, or confederation; grant letters of marque and reprisal; coin money; emit bills of credit; make anything but gold and silver coin a tender in payment of debts; pass any bill of attainder, ex post facto law, or law impairing the obligation of contracts; or grant any title of nobility.

The framers of the constitution intended to make a national government with sovereign powers, leaving to the states the control of such matters of local or sectional government as would best be left in their hands. It is clear from this section and others, that the framers of the constitution proposed to retain all needful and sovereign powers in the hands of the nation, and to restrict to subordinate limits the power of the state as such. There is no element of sovereignty in the states. They were British colonies until July 4, 1776. Through representative power delegated by the several colonies to the members of the continental congress, that congress threw off allegiance to the mother country, and the united colonies became a nation, and at the same time the several colonies became states.

From that day onward no state has exercised sovereign powers, except in the attempted acts of secession. These were settled by the arbitrament of war.

The