University of Virginia Library

FRIDAY MARCH 28.

The Come. last mentd., reported that two blacks be rated as one
freeman.

Mr. Wolcott was for rating them as 4 to 3.

Mr. Carrol as 4 to 1.

Mr. Williamson sd he was principled agst slavery; & that he
thought slaves an incumbrance to Society instead of increasing
its ability to pay taxes.

Mr. Higginson as 4 to 3.

Mr. Rutledge sd, for the sake of the object he wd agree to rate
Slaves as 2 to 1, but he sincerely thought 3 to 1 would be a juster
proportion.

Mr. Holten as 4 to 3.

Mr. Osgood sd he cd. not go beyond 4 to 3.

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On a question for rating them as 3 to 2 the votes were N. H.,
ay. Mas., no. R. I., divd. Cont, ay. N. J., ay. Pa., ay. Delr., ay.
Maryd, no. Virga., no. N. C., no. S. C., no.

The Paragraph was then postponed by general consent, some
wishing for further time to deliberate on it; but it appearing to
be the general opinion that no compromise wd be agreed to.

After some further discussions on the report in which the necessity
of some simple & practicable rule of apportionment came
fully into view, Mr. Madison said that in order to give a proof of
the sincerity of his professions of liberality, he wd propose that
Slaves should be rated as 5 to 3. Mr. Rutledge 2ded. the motion.
Mr. Wilson sd he would sacrifice his opinion on this compromise.

Mr. Lee was agst changing the rule, but gave it as his opinion
that 2 slaves were not equal to 1 freeman.

On the question for 5 to 3 it passed in the affirmative N. H.
ay. Mass. divd. R. I., no. Cont. no. N. J. ay. Pa., ay Maryd, ay Va.,
ay N. C. ay. S. C. ay.

A motion was then made by Mr. Bland, 2ded. by Mr. Lee to
strike out the clause so amended and on the question "shall it
stand" it passed in the negative; N. H. ay. Mas: no. R. I. no.
Conn. no. N. J., ay. Pa., ay. Del. no. Mar. ay. Virga, ay. N. C., ay.
S. C., no; so the clause was struck out.

The arguments used by those who were for rating slaves high
were, that the expence of feeding & clothing them was as far
below that incident to freemen as their industry & ingenuity
were below those of freemen; and that the warm climate within
wch. the States having slaves lay, compared wth. the rigorous climate
& inferior fertility of the others, ought to have great weight
in the case & that the exports of the former States were greater
than of the latter. On the other side it was said that Slaves were
not put to labor as young as the children of laboring families—
that, having no interest in their labor, they did as little as possible,
& omitted every exertion of thought requisite to facilitate &
expedite it; that if the exports of the States having slaves exceeded
those of the others, their imports were in proportion,
slaves being employed wholly in agriculture, not in manufactures;
& that in fact the balance of trade formerly was much more agst
the S°. States than the others.

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On the main question see Journals.[83]