all the states. Even after the New England States had grown rich by
the selling of the negroes to the south, where the climate suited their
natures, they kept up the traffic in white slaves who, too poor to
pay their passage to the new land flowing with milk and honey, sold
themselves, hoping to buy back their freedom in the, perhaps near
future.

When the constitution of the United States was framed many
compromises were made. The framers had to select words with extreme
care lest some State might refuse to join the federation. A notable
compromise, and the very first quarrel, was the one just quoted in
reference to placing the limitation of the slave trade as far ahead as
1808. The next disagreement was about the war debt. This was called the
Assumption. The general government had contracted a debt of $54,000,000
and the States, about $25,000,000. This was in 1790. Alexander Hamilton
proposed that the government assume the whole debt. Hence the word
"assumption." The south argued that each state should pay its own debt.
That if the general government assumed the State debts it would be
taking away the sovereign rights that had been guaranteed them, viz:
the right to do as they pleased with what was their own, and that
national legislation had nothing to do with the question. About this
time they were looking about for a site upon which to build the national
capital. Sectional spirit ran high. New England declared that _her
states would secede_ if the South succeeded in defeating assumption
and in getting the capital, too. So a compromise was effected. The
Assumption bill passed, and the south got the capital, after the seat
of government was established at Philadelphia during ten years. In this
year, too, many petitions to abolish slavery were forced upon Congress.
After a heated debate the fiat went forth that Congress could not take
action till 1808.