RESOLUTIONS.                                     1843

either politically or morally, but must be attended with
consequences, which no human eye can foresee, find fatally
involving probably the lives and liberties of the good peo-
ple of these United States, and convulsing the very ele-
ments of our existing happy union.

Resolved, That the State of Maryland, having withia
her limits a large portion of the peculiar population, recog-
nized by said compact as under her exclusive control, has
upon the most elevated principles of enlightened humanity
endeavored, by her policy towards this class, so to regulate
it as to ameliorate its condition, and make it subservient to
the most practicable well being of the entire community,
and under which that class may enjoy as much comfort as
ordinarily falls to the lot of mortals, and also by her system
of colonization, to afford to such as choose to avail them-
selves of her liberality, an opportunity to be settled in a
country congenial to their existence as a free and indepen-
dent people. That whilst the State is not convinced that
this class is not now in that state of inevitable vassalage,
providentially ordained for their own, as well as for the
happiness of others, yet in a spirit of just deference to the
conscientious views of some of her people, although her
financial exigences are urgent, she has imposed and does
now impose upon her citizens a considerable tax, to aid in
transporting to Africa, such as may be willing to make the
experiment of self government, that acting upon benevolent
principles, towards this class of people, Maryland cannot
but be mortified to find some of her sister States, arrogat-
ing to themselves supremacy of morals and more enligh-
tened policy, without deference to the different views of
others, and adopting a course of conduct, which cannot but
be productive of the most lamantable consequences.

Resolved, That Congress has no power under the Con-
stitution to interfere with or control the domestic institutions
of the several States; and that such States are the sole and
proper judges of every thing appertaining to their own
affairs, not prohibited by the Constitution. That all efforts
of the abolitionists or others made to induce Congress to
interfere with subjects of slavery or to take incipient steps
in relation thereto, are calculated to lead to the most alarm-
ing and dangerous consequences, and that all such efforts
have an inevitable tendency to diminish the happiness of
the people and endanger the stability and permanency of
the union and ought not to be countenanced by any friend of
our political institutions.

Resolved, That the legislature of Massachusetts by the
recent actions adopted upon this subject, has in an organised
form placed herself in the opinion of this General Assem-
bly, in an attitude well calculated to disturb the compro-