The northern star and freemen's advocate., 1842-03-10
SOUTHERN CONSISTENCY.


orally known to the greater portion of the north
ern community-and in presenting them, with an
humble appeal to their kind feelings as Christians
and as Independent freemen, ask, if such acts
should be tolerated with silent submission by our
legislative ASSEM- bles. By the south our govern
ment is called upon to make the &C Creole y ma
tional claim, and Mr.. Webster, from motives ca
silly understood, stands forth as the champion of
the demand upon England. The colored man
who is robbed of his liberty, and by the laws of
the south, is made ssgoods and chattel,' in the
north has had granted him an equitable trial by
jury. This law is now denounced as unconstitu-
tional by the federal court of this sessien-while
in the south, when vessel enters its ports, if ma
vigated by colored freeman of the other states,
as cook, steward or seaman, he is taken from the
vessel lodged in prison and there detained till the
vessel again leaves the port. In Alabama the last
Legislatures grants the power to the Mayor of Mo-
bile to arrest all colored persons found on the
wharves of Mobile or in the bay. Vessels gene
rally load in this bay 25 miles from the city, ow-
ing to the said laws, which prevent their nearer
approach. @
Thus the state of Alabama authorizes the forci-
bly, sezing of all coored people from their vessels
and placing them in jail with common felons, there
equally disgracefully to remain until the vessels
are loaded and ready to depart, If by stress Of
weather, or any other accidental cause, the vessel
is driven from her anchorage and lost or this free
colored person is shipwrecked on this coast while
on voyage to the south, he is also cast into pri-
son, and as in other cases is liable, after certain
detentions, to be sold to pay jail fees, and his
price of sale is the gain of the state.
Thus free class of men, many of whom have,
not unlikaIU fouuht tho hottlaS of thoir co,nfrv
and braved the dangers of the sea on board our
national ships with credit to themselves, are,
while aiding the commercial interests of their
country, to be. treated as slaves. Will the north
take no steps to correct this evil so oppressive
and SO injurious to commerce, and so insulting to
the free institutions of the north Will the
Christian north, whose soil presents the magnif-
cent spectacle, scarcely ever lost sight of-of
temples dedicated to God and humanity, permit
such acts to remain in force? In kneeling at the
atais of religion, will no appeal made.for the fate
of the oppressed, because he differs in skin from
his white fellow man II times of drought, pes
thence and famine, from the pulpit is heard the
prayer of the pastor, petitoning the mercy of God.
And does not slavery, which in all civilized Europe
is denounced as inhuman, deserve commseration?
Will the great north tolerate the injustice of the
south Forbid it honor-forbid it Justice. Read
the following late legislative act of Maryland, land
will it not create feelings Of indignation in every
honest, benevolent bosom
"LAws AGAINST CoLoRED PEoPLE.-A bill
has passed the house of delegates of the Mary
land legislature, which provides that any free ne
gro or mulatto, who shall come into the state af
ter the passage of the act, may be arrestedby any
person, andl shall be adjudged to be his slave
And any free negro, who shall leave the state and
return to it, shall be liable to the same penalty
unless, in both cases, they travelling as ser
wants of white person The fact that they are
in the.state, to be- prima facia evidenc that they
have come into it contrary to law. The rest of
the bill, which contains thirty6ve sections, is in
the4 same liberal spirit Every delegate from
Baltimore voted against it, 1t passed, however,