Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1837-07-31

t'ci o7t9VW iol thelr slaVo-holdlng brethren at
the South, to quench their sympathy for thS
slave; SO that instead Of donouncing the avs
tom Of slavery, az sinful iu the oztrene in ev-
cry possible iorm, and under oil Circumstances
TO BIZ repcnied Of and forsaken immediatelv
they advocate d iar-of emancipation. and
thus virtually Justify its present. lis inleG1Ys
confluence which Is all lhat savc-holders
want. The Churches OF the North have. I'm.
deed, become deeply involved in the guilt Of
supporting this niguitous system. They have
virtually given IL their sanctiOn--.not merely
by the conduct Of their ministers in relation TO
the sublrci, bot by retaining ln religious fol-
loWsmp the aovo-holdIug ChG4chos of tho
Soulh-hy admitting Southern preachers 10
lheir rSmmunion tables und their pulpits--
Thus docs he religious influence of the North
go 10 the support of slavery
Bot there Is yet another way ia which wa
coarihue TO iis support and 90 very orpat
degree. Indeed, ! apprehcnd There are t.w
who must rot plead guilty. IL IS by u,ine the
products Of the labor Of slaves. Now iMs is
certainly an act which we might omit dong
as It % oscher nm individual affair no, be
ing SUBJ CT 10 legislative control.
upon This subject purpose To trent n little
moro largely than have upon either Of the
preceding which relate 10 our support of tho
slaye-holding system forasmuch us dccmn
oi greater importance. II presents jo our con-
aidrra'ion, Two distinct pr0posilions--th sup
port which tho practice gives 10 The system of
slavery, and the crimo and guilt attached 10 H.
Bat we will inveri The order Of the PROPOSE.
uons and proceed to examine the iniqnily of
the practice.
BY keeping open market for the produce
oil the slavc'5 uurcguIied toll, ;hc people tho
North have, | apprcheud, involved themselves
much more deeply 10 crime and guilt than ma
ny arc aware. For the practice being "moral-
y wrong, cannot be rchgiously right - ard
hence II IS sin. But some may be ready to
query why is 1t wrong2 This | viii endcay-
or briefly 10 show. Flrstly--lhc sayc-hoiders
have no just demands on their slaves If hnv
have paid money for them, they have not paid
20 10 the righitil owners and consequently
they nave not obtained right lilc that which
they hare obtained, Is not theirs according %
the laws of justice, however it may be accord
ing 10 laws made By misguided men. Bot
! some may argue, that the slayc-hol.er having
! PAD large sum for his slave, has Just right
10 hold him such, Tint he is in fact lis pro-
| perry. The argument is, however without
| foundation. We all know that every species
Of property belongs TO the person who holds
| tile, which may be traced by regular chain
| la the orlinal proprietor. For instance, If
! man steal my horse, aud sell bun, and The
| horse be sold twenty or thirty times.-whch is
the loga owner Of the horse, the bnver, or my
self Every man Of common sense will say
| that the horse IS mine and that have a rieht
| 20 him, wherever can find him. Out" says
one, "the man who now possesses him, paid
| great price for him, and must be fcmunera-
| ted" Then, | say, lrt him look to the man
that he bought him Of But my opponent can.
not be serious in his objection. Would he bn
! willing 10 have u law passed which should
make stolen property belong. in point Of law,
| to The man who may have bought il OF the tbirI
! or rohher} presume moi. This principle,
| adopted aud carried out, in relation TO any ore
species OF property, would at once cndauger
| all the rest. The same principle which oud
| apply 10 one, would apply with equal proprely
to any other If, therefore, this principle Of e-
| elsioiion might be applied to personal proper
~, 1t might also be extended 10 real estate
! One night then execute and sign a deed Of my
iund--sell It. and take the pay; and Of course,
| The buyer, though there was no chain of lite
f'om me, YET because he had paid the other
man Tor II, and received from him n well form
ed deed, might hold il. But, happily, no such
| law exists. In case Of land titles we all know
that the purchaser, il he is prudent, firstly ex.
amincs the chain OF liic, in oder TO ascertain
whether he can trace il Ia the origin al charter;
and It, on examination, be finds that 4 link is
anywhere wanting, he understands that tho. IT,
TIC is not good. Now let us apply the same
mode OF examination 10 the shareholders tile
Of his slave.
We wall suppose that he purchased him and
obiained u well execui ed article or bill Of sale
and that in tracing back the chain Of tile,
we find it good I'LL we come 10 the man who
first sold him We then call for the original
ohurer. But none can be produced lie took
bun By force, and delivered him up to the buy
er, and received the money At which he was yal-
ued; Just AS The robber might take my horse
from me by force. and sell him to anothrr--or
as a man might hrns, me ont of my house
lake possession OF IT, and dispose &c IL by sale.
This mode Of examining the slavc-hnl9cr's IT,
Tie 10 his slave was once actually pructjsed 10
q court ni iaw at Mddcbury, in a case tried
be fore Judge harrington. The case was that
or runaway slave. The claimant produced
what he cunsldcfcd sufficient evidence la esiah-
lIsh his claim. But still the Judge dcmurrcd.
AZ length, the claimant with considerable cru
pha-i- demanded -tDhnt more he rUantcd To
wiich h" repli,d-".9 bill Of sale from lie ~
mig1tg" Such n title, 1 conuede, would DO
enlirely sufficient to establish the shareholders
/ claim to the slave; but nothing short OF il can
possibly confer on any person the night to hold
properly IN man. But, says one, while full
" endorse the principle upon which Judge
Harrington based his decision, cannot ossen.
10 IL gcTera adoption in the decision Of oul
courts Tor II would be violation of our Fed
eral Constitution" Let us then examine that
clause Of the Constitution which reat s 10 this
subject, and see whether the obstruction il ia
supposed 10 throw in he way is real, or imag-
mary. The third clause in the second section
of article 4h reads thus No person htA 10
service or labor in one State, under the law,
Thereof, escaping into another, shall, in con- e.
quence OF any law or regulation therein, he
discharged from such servi ,e or labor, but shall
be delivered up on claim of the party to whom
such servlce or labor may he DUE The exam
inatinn of fhia nlnnsn ~ ir ariLnn, invnlrca