Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1840-06-02

and understood, the confession VI
of the Legislature, correspondent % '"' -
Evening "'a'' WIZ .',5maDg, Fsb. i, isio
u voted u" "sr in The Assembly, Mr. John y k'ne len
nae no His resolutions cor ~ nmr mn, mo. in
n The shl Of petition aud the other in favor pi tstivns
pelons taeg "Ih quo" % i" md straightforward
n"i,,cinn Who frit the right Of et"' ana >. ,
mar ,;nh alone without mixing with any ther matter, anu
would have passed uaGnmonaty hu', IN an Ma H M,
~ - .n,,r,,I ttc 3joliyh III the same resolution hai
@ @ ,l right Of petition and then presented the d'r
eli Molairg and l,c few WI" sfa w Tif KIND Of aN
ton ana there be haenp shortly or other men "'S'''N'
| The lead" ,,prurp PROOF
| These proccedngs-the party introduction ana pas
sage of Mr. J. A. Kings resolution IN relation TO .,ie
| re;ection nf Mcssrs Manus and Dickinson resolu-
,;ors rocnr the question of abolitlonsm and an m
reference with the rights OF the South, upon us true
ard constitutional footing-were not deemed by me
| Fcdcralsts sufficient for their purposes-lheV mus
ro still farther, make assurance douoy sure. me
Sbo,;,;on votes and cooperation must be retained al
Accordingly, Mr. Taylor ofontario, prominent Fe,
dI loader reported bill, entitled Gan act to extend
the rrht of trial by injury to persons claimed as ugi-
lives from service labor. This bill, among other
provisions designed 10 embarrass or thwart the Sou'n
ern resident in the prosecution of his claim to ugi-
tiyes from service or labor, was section imposing
pcnav of $500, and Imprisonment IN ne State prison. or
len ycGrs upon any person who should remove or at,
t.mnt ia remove from this State an alleged ngitivc
IN accordance ,rh the provisions Of ne act 81 Congress
of 1893 In other words the bill was intended 10 pro-
v;da mode other than that provided by Congress tor
reclaiminga fugitive, and to prohht nny person fran"
octing under he latter pain OF fine and incarceration
in the State prison.
This bill was brought up for discussion in Commit
tee of the Whole the afternoon OF the I'd OF April
The Democratic members exposed the scope and de-
sim of the b-its party and sinister oblects-and re-
sisted the passage Of the obnoxious secton as IN fact
superseding and multiplying the act OF Congress, by
making it a felony to attempt TO proceed under II,
either with view 20 secure the fugitive, or 10 make
mn nm issue to test the consutonaty OF the Stale
law This ground was assumed and argued with great
force by Messrs. Roosevelt, Mann and A. g. Chahe!d
and other Democratic members; and MI koosevei
moved to strike out the section. But the Federal
leaders were calnorous for the passage of the BILL and
particularly for the State prison clause, as ITS very es
sence and without which it would be dead letter.
The sitting was extended into the nght-Ar Roose.
vcl,'s motion voted down By party dlvision-and
the bill, section and all, forced through the Commit
tee of the Whole by the full strength OF thc feuc
raj majority, and against the votes and voices OF
the Democratic members. Why the FcdcraliSs were
thus eager push through b at that sitting, with
features which they afterwards admitted 10 he aho.
mnabe, was sufficiently obvious, and was charged
upon them by the Democratic members III debate
n The .lJ0Ht0a .Nntioaai COnrrntioR raS then IN
session IN this cH Hhad not get dccd ap0n Inc queS-
tion Of distinct pocA organization ond ne homina
i;on of Presidential candidate. tr0S generality
thounht ,eouid 0roid boh. To coHtrib"te 10 such
result, md 10 SatEiy tie 7bo'd0nStS mat th'y 'r'Tr
sr them To the most ultra cItCnt, the fcGaiiStS rcrc
anxious 10 ofrr them Tic Gf0rdcd by tie pro-
riSions Of THIS Bit 0ad his Sccti0n. Such were the
sinister and unworthy considerations winch pressed
the bill through the committee AT that time On the
next morning, when the Convention was about to act
upon this question Of nomination, the Icdcrasis OF
the city were exceedingly industrious in their efforts
IL prevent t-caimng, II the question could be lett
open the entire Abolition vote for Harrison, under the
compacts of the previous elect"n ana the resolutions
and enactmcnts of the present session. Several of
them paid the initiation fee, and became members of
the Abolition society, for the purpose OF voting on this
question. And 1t not until the afternoon OF that
da s. after the Convention had nominated Blrney, that
the Republicans Of the House. with the votes of few
of the Federal members were enabled to obtain, on
the motion OF. Nj Roosevelt even partial moditca-
ton of the obnoxious section.
A month elapsed before the bill was brought up III
the Senate The immediate purpose o: is passage,
in hot haste, through the House. had gone BY. The
Abolition Convention had adjourned. The momcntarv
disapont me ut also asin from the nominal prcScnta-
| ton of ii distinct Abolition ticket had worn oil. And
the determination retain their Abolition associates, a,
whatever cost OF consistency, public justice, or even
the integrity ol the national law, was renewed In
the Senate, Mr. Sbley, leading Federal member,
conceivins that the bill did no; 70 far enough under
! the mod icaons which Mr.. Roosevelt and the Demo-
cratic members had eNtorled in the House, moved TO
strike out The llth and 18th sections, Gas amended on
Mr.. Rooscvcts notion, aud inser. the following
IT, No Judge officer Of this State shall issue
other for the rrnoNa from this state oi
any fugitive claimed fugitive from service or
of the provisions OF TINS act:
every jude. other officer who Shall grant or ssnc any
process except the prescribed III
and Shall h deemed guilty Of nisdcncano ana lin
Gls Evry person whs shall Authority law
chilly attempt I" remove from this state any in@'
from service ~ labor, ANY person who ! claimed rs Sne in2l.
Shall forfeit thu al NJ" hundred dollars 10 ne aty az
gicvcd, Hd Shall bc deemed "ully Of The crime Of kidnapping,
and upon Il" such offence shall he punished by INT
years
In vain ii was urged BY Messrs. Paige, Dickinson,
Edwards, and other Democratic senators, that the trial
by jury, 10 persons claimed fugItivcs, fully Sc
cured hv the existing s:atut"-that the amendment
threw the bill IN direct conflict with the law OF Congress
that what authorized required 10 DC done un-
der the act Of Congress, prohibited by the amend
mcnt and declared punishable with the scvcrest penal
inhictionshat If ths enactment was constitutional,
the law of Congress unconstitutional and as that
question was about before the senate for adu
dicaton, in It's judicial opacity, all legislation upon the
subject ought 10 avoided mcanwhe-,hcse consIdcra-
tions, however strongly presented were Of no avail
the bin advocated by Mcssrs Siblcy, Nerpanck,
Root and other Federal senatoswas urged through by
party votc-was promptly concurred IN by the iedc-
raj ma ority oflle liousrand is law of the State.
But much was deemed To be insufficient for
the political purposes Of the Federal alory Towards
the close of the session, Mr.. Birdscye, the "veteran
| Legislator from Onondaga, Federal leader, and 4
leading oicer Of The county Abolition society," reported
bill ...orc efrctuay TO prevent the free citizens OF
this State from being kidnapped and reduced to slave
nv, the provisions of which are sufficiently explained
in the brief discussion that was allowed when the bill
came up for a third reading:
sAlr Mann SAID that content with sending com
mssoners and engineers under the Governors appoint
mcnt, all the State, TO advance the interests OF the
present dynasty, it seemed cmssares were to be sent
into other States TO look up of individual wrong
or representative The knight of La Mancha-undcr
die ply Of the State and in the panopy of an ESecu-
;iv" commission.
"M: Roosevelt, reminded the House that this bill had
nrycr been acted on in committee OF the whole, nor
discussed, and that probably but for the company ii
was in, Md have passed unohservcd. He looked
upon it collateral branch Of that which had become
law containing She beautiful provision designed TO
prevent Southern brethren from taking their slave
property ont Of tins State. Here in fact was another
bill to send body Of crusaders into the Southern
States BRING back these slaves when carried away.
He suggested 10 the majority whether they ought not
| 81. al, 81