Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1818-02-05

not vote for this bill in its present shape.
He objected TO that provision, which makes
II penal in state officer TO refuse his as
slstance, in executing the act. This iea-
ture, if retained, would prevent his voting
for the bill. as It's penalties would require
the state officers either to resign, or per-
form an act which might be repugnant 10
their feelings, and render their official sta
tons frequently disagreeable. Further
more, he did not believe Congress had
the right 10 compel the state officers to
perform this duty-they could only au-
hori<e it; and, as he believed the bill
might be made effectual without this OBJ
Jectionable provision, he hoped it would
be recOmmitted, and receive the necessa-
ry modification. In reference to re-
mark OF his colleague, (Mr. Masom)h he had
no doubt that Justice would be admins
tered under this act by the tribunals of
Massachusetts, if the duty were devolved
on them, as impartially as in any other
part Of the Union, Notwithstanding the
preJudices they felt on the subject: yet
he did not doubt that exact justice would
also be rendered by the tribunals of the
south, where prejudices were felt of an
opposite character.
Mr.. Williams, of Connecticut, was call
eel UP by the remark of Mr.. Storrs, and
admitted that, if he could not and had not
banished all his local prejudices, he ought
TO have done so. MIR. w. then entered at
large, into All examination of the bill, in
TO his reasons for opposing it, unless it
was altered III some of its features, and
10 shew that in its present shape it was
calculated to excite angry feelings and
rouse strong prejudices i'll these parts of
the country where slavery was not tolc-
rated. This effect would be productivity
that provision under which free man of
color might be unjustly seized and drag
ged to Il remote part of the country, and
his liberty endangered, if not destroyed.
In attempting, properly, he admitted, to
secure the right of property to one class
OF citizens, 1t was unjust that the rights
OF another class should be put in ieopar-
dy, when, too, as he commended, the dam
ger might be avoided, in one case, with
out impairing the benefit in the other
Although he wished not to interfere be-
tween slave and his master, vet lie ar
gued that the right ought to be tried in
The state In which the fugitive should be
arrested; and compared the case to that
OF runaway apprentice, who could not
be seized and carried away by Tho ex-
parte testimony of the person claiming
him, &c.
hS iuSotiOu Oli passage OI tDe Dill
was then taken, and decided in the affirm
alive, as follows:
fEAS-Messrs. A bbott, Anderson Ken Aus.
tin, Baldwin, Bassett Bayly, Bellinger, Bloom
field, Bryan, Burwell, Campbell, Cobb, Col
st9n, Cook, Crawford, Desha, Drake, Earle,
Edwards, Erwin, s. c: Floyd. Forney, Forsyth,
Garnett. Hall. Del. Hall, N. c. HasbroIck,
Herbert, Herkimer, Hogg, Holmes, Mass.
Hubbard, Johnson, Va. johnson, Ken Lewis,
Little, Lowndes, M'Laue. NJ Coy, Marehand,
Mari, Mason, Mass. Mercer, Middleton.
Moore, Mumford, II. Nelson, Nesbitt. New
Newton, Ogden, Owen, Palmer, Patterson
Peter, Pindall, Peasants, Poindexter Quarles.
Reed, Rhea, Ringgold, Robertson, Ken. Ro-
bertson, Lou. Ruggles, Sampson, Settle Slo-
cumb, 5. Smith, Ball. Smith, j. S. Smith,
speed, Spencer, Stewart, y. G.. StorrS, Stro.
ther, Stuart, Tompkins, Trimble, Tucker, s.
Z. Tyler, Walker, n. &. Williams, n. G. viii
SON, Mass.-S1.
NAYS-Messrs. Adams, Allen, Mass. Allen.
VT Anderson, Penn. Ball, Barber, Ohio, Ba,e,
man, Beecher, Bennett, Boden, Boss, Ciagett.
Comstock, Crafts, Culbreth, Cusliman, Folgsr
Fuller, Gage, Hale, Hendricks, Herrick, Hies.
ter, Hitchcock, HOpkinson, Hunter, Hunting
don, Ingham, Irving, n. Y. Kinsey, Kirkland
Lawyer, Livermore, w. Maclay, w. F. Maclay.
Merrill, Morton, Murray, Ogle, Orr, Parrott,
Pawling, Pitkin, Rice, Rick, Richards, Savage,
Scudder,. Sergeant, Seybert, Shaw. Sher-
wood, Silsbee. Spangler, Stroug, Tallmadge,
Tarr, Taylor, Terry, Townsend, Upham, Wal
lace, Wendo.er, Whiteside, Whitman, Will
iiams, Con. Williams, n. Y. Wilkin, Wilson,
Peu.-69.
So the bill was passed, and sent TO the
Senate for concurrence and
The House adjourned to Monday.