tory, peopled by not more than two millions and a half of
inhabitants, it was of very great consequence to encourage the
emigration of able, skilful, and industrious Europeans. The wise
conduct of William Penn, and the unexampled growth of
Pennsylvania, were cited. It was said, that the portals of the
only temple of true freedom now existing on earth should be
thrown open to all mankind; that all foreigners of industrious
habits should be welcome, and none more so than men of science,
and such as may bring to us arts we are unacquainted with, or the
means of perfecting those in which we are not yet sufficiently
skilled--capitalists whose wealth may add to our commerce or
domestic improvements; let the door be ever and most
affectionately open to illustrious exiles and sufferers in the
cause of liberty; in short, open it liberally to science, to
merit, and talents, wherever found, and receive and make them
your own. That the safest mode would be to pursue the course for
twenty years, and not, before that period, put it at all into the
power of Congress to shut it; that, by that time, the Union would
be so settled, and our population would be so much increased, we
could proceed on our own stock, without the farther accession of
foreigners; that as Congress were to be prohibited from stopping
the importation of slaves to settle the Southern States, as no
obstacles was to be thrown in the way of their increase and
settlement for that period, let it be so with the Northern and
Eastern, to which, particularly New York and Philadelphia it was
expected most of the emigrants would go from Europe: and it so
happened, for, previous to the year 1808, more than double as
many Europeans emigrated to these States, as of Africans were
imported into the Southern States.

* * * * *

Connecting the question of importing slaves with that of counting them
to determine the representation in the national legislature, the
framers engaged in a heated debate as to whether or not the Southern
States would always have a majority in that body by encouraging the
slave trade. Carolina and Georgia, however, stood firm for the right
to import slaves.

On July 23 General Pinckney reminded the Convention that if the
Committee should fail to insert some security to the South