clause should be rejected: and it was wrong to force any
thing down not absolutely necessary, and which any State
must disagree to.

"Mr. KING thought the subject should be considered in a
political light only. If two States will not agree to the
Constitution, as stated on one side, he could affirm with
equal belief, on the other, that great and equal opposition
would be experienced from the other States. He remarked on
the exemption of slaves from duty, whilst every other import
was subjected to it, as an inequality that could not fail to
strike the commercial sagacity of the Northern and Middle
States.

"Mr. LANGDON was strenuous for giving the power to the
General Government. He could not, with a good conscience,
leave it with the States, who could then go on with the
traffic, without being restrained by the opinions here
given, _that they will themselves cease to import slaves_.

"Gen. PINCKNEY thought himself bound to declare candidly,
that he did not think South Carolina would stop her
importations of slaves in any short time; but only stop them
occasionally, as she now does. He moved to commit the
clause, that slaves might be made liable to an equal tax
with other imports, which he thought right, and which would
remove one difficulty that had been started.

"Mr. RUTLEDGE. If the Convention thinks that North Carolina,
South Carolina, and Georgia will ever agree to the plan,
unless their right to import slaves be untouched, the
expectation is vain. The people of those States will never
be such fools as to give up so important an interest. He was
strenuous against striking out the section, and seconded the
motion of Gen. Pinckney for a commitment.

"Mr. GOUVERNEUR MORRIS wished the whole subject to be
committed, including the clauses relating to taxes on export
and to a navigation act. These things may form a bargain
among the Northern and Southern States.

"Mr. BUTLER declared, that he never would agree to the power
of taxing exports.

"Mr. SHERMAN said it was better to let the Southern States
import slaves than to part with them, if they made that a
_sine qua non_. He was opposed to a tax on slaves imported,
as making the matter worse, because it implied they were
_property_. He acknowledged, that