New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1843-02-16


are subjected to great vexa,ion and delay IN aaol-
ton to the expense, by virtue OF It's provisions
ultimate effect of this law is of course to grye great
ADVANTAGES river New-York to other States and
c;,;e. :, ,,osecutipg trade with Virginia
encb are the essential facts submitted to Nj.
] 1o,ss and his Committee. Now let these points
be considered:
! LIST. Virginia has sustained no injury 'chdfec'
| err from New. York. Her slave was sent back the
! moment he touched our soil; and as to our own
three citizens who were claimed by her as fagl-
,ives from Justice she has made out no case against
| them even under her onn view of the crime Of
aiding slave to conceal himself on board vessel
and so escape from bondage. She has given no
| proof that these men committed that crime, and
so our Governor has had no chance to surrender
them, if disposed. Recorder Morris decided
| promptly that the Virginia demanders had made
out no case srhich entitled them TO 60 up to the
| Governor at ALL And as to the jury Law, there
is no complaint that any Virginian has been pre-
vented by it from reclining his fugitive slave.
Now we it does not require half the Judicial
acumen and attainment, of Jones to determine
that Virginia has no business with the laws and
Executive proceedings of New-York until they
| shauhaoe drought some injustice to her or her
! citizens.
Cd. Nenc York HAS sustained and is sustain.
ing gross detriment and mischief from the oper-
alton of the Virginia Inspection Law, and OF that
damage her aggrieved citizens have complained to
their Government, asking for relief and redress
Our Commerce is daily suffering from it.
Such is the state of facts presented. Now let us
see how our Pewter Mug Scion elucdates the
matter.
or the twcnty-four pages to which his Report Is
diluted, eighteen are taken mp with review OF
the conduct of Gov. Seward in the premises, tour
of them being made up of extracts from Speech
on the subject. with which ne enlightened the mnds
of the last Legislature, its drift being to show that
a slave may be stolen-a point which is made out
! to the entire satisfaction of the Jurist Now we
should suppose that man of common sense could
have settled this poin, with half the pains here de.
voted to it, by stating the plain proposition that
ana thing which has value may be stolen, and that
any man whu takes without leave the property of
another, intending to appropriate IL to has osn
use. is of course thief. The essence of theft is
tslonious intent to obtain and enjoy what be-
longs of right to another Suppose A. B. finds
snare set by C. D. in which rare bird has been
caught, and he stealthily takes out the bird and
has it cooked for his dinner. This is the act of
! thief-it is thcft-there can be no doubt OF it
But suppose, moved to compassion by the beauty
and urdeserved suflerings of the bird, he open the
trap and lets it go free. Now who does not see
and feel that this act is not thief, 1t is trespass
"a violation of the rights of G. D. for which he
is clearly entitled to damages-butit is not felony
The eviz intent is wanting. Just so in the case OF
slave. If the three NEWCOMERS had conspred
to lure or carry off slave from Virginia. with in
tent to sell or otherwise appropriate him to their
| own use or profit, they would have been guilty OF
felony, and the right to demand them apparsnt.-
But, having been guilty of nothing mere than con-
versng with brother of the servile race, IN retcr-
ence to the comparative advantages OF Slavery and
Freedom, and afordng him a shelter when ne lied
on board their vessel they had not offended against
the great principles of universal morality, and SO
subjected themselves to pursuit and reclamation
cuar institutions of the South, and SO no
more liable TO reclamation than If their offence had
been disturbing church or selling lottery tickets
This broad distinction, however, is too PaPable
for so subtle logcian so profound Jurist as the
Honorable David R. Floyd Jones, who can see no
distinction between kidnapping slave and aiding
his Escape to Freedom, and argues the question &C.
cordngly
So much FOR the staple Of his argument to prove
Virginia all right and New York all wrong in the
controversy. Now let US look at some of the mi
nor beauties OF style and argument. In reference
TO Gov Stewards refusal he says:
.The Committee perfectly willing TO accord to His
Exctliency strict legality Of action IF NOT honesty M
enton refusing surrender up the three eyed usl
lives proof so insufficient"
Is not this unusually rich The Committee are
certain Gov. Seward acted just right-thnt he
could not have acted otherwise in the premises
but as to his :. honesty Of intention" they in a
profound fog, from which all the legal lore and as
tu,encss of ther Chairman is insufficient TO deliver
| them
Let US copy one more paragraph, almost at
dom, from this eifalscnt State paper being speci
men of the intensely sarcastic skifuy blended with
the dignity of Legislative deliberation. The Re-
port sums up its censures on Gov Seward by ma
sstqrially pronouncing that
Dangerous, deusive, radical runous error, has cks
racerzed from the commencement TO the end OF this con.
roversy the ard positions OF late Executive.
dis consolation having brought iOcaculable injury upon
rights of southern brethren and forced The pillars
this strong coRirderacy TO ,oer their base must be
found alone, where hope he may be able find them,
In the pleasing convection OF having discharged the high
perngs of ambition tie !osc ard selfish Suggestions Of