Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1844-01-02


. made the remark and he certainly did not inten
any thing personal in his rema ~.
Q The SPEAK Err then announced TIE orders I'll III
day
|, Mr. SAUNDERS said shat The laws upon tins SUP
ec, amfl. IN every respect. An ne ma" 20 u
was to bring the sniect before the ludc'al Tribunals
this District, uader wfi, oil dG6'"S corpus, "hic
would upon invest gauon OF Tue iac's, iiD.fhle vi
individual If il should appear that he was entitled 10 hi
, freedom lie would inioim the gentleman iron ONO
> NJ. Gidd;nes) iha' Oh cefain occasion Il hesi"
whom he knew to be free, bu' who had been imprisoned
was advert sd + b. II for his Jii lees Tor haV'"e
come into the strict IN violation OF the 'aa; PAD tn
fine amounting twa or three doilafs, ana Ut
immediately asrtI-G ana restored 20 ms 'leeu'h
aud h. calied upon tin se"i inon fon O'" !" c"h''
forward and give { Ia" world pTacuca ilinstIau'
his beu,vale1ce b. lca@imL his example 1t h'n
% and ray the ua, and hs @ord for y, 'h's "1ro ca"
81 -en oula bc nued.. j. liberated, ii there s"onid ~
near no cv Gence In the J3tcihry Ia! ne was save
The burden Of proof however, falls upon he negro
md mo, uoon the pos cu,0n, winch 10 Ia day IS !Hc
law of The land Let the subject 90 before Judge
; Cranch whom he believed to he humane Judge, On
wri, of habtaS corPnS, and Jnsic woua u uoe %
him-ths was al h. asked
Mr. GlDDiNGS SAID lie did no, care to what com
mittee the subject referred it was aet'd upon
immedat .y and this unfortunate individual hosra''o
He referred 10 the which Congress had hereto
fore pursued SUBJECT smiiatj the one unosf con-
sideraton and hoped this would receive the same
attention II maiteed very lit,ls 10 hl, whether It
was referred toa Select COMMITTEE or the Commttee
on the Jude ary in whose Judgment and berahty ne
had the most unh,unded confidence: bu; he preferred
a Select Committee from various considerations the
first was he did wish t. burden the judiciary Com
mi,ee or any Sanding Committee, VITA this SUBJECT,
because they lready had much before them as tney
could we'll ue through with. III was var from MS d's-
position 10 cscuss exciting question, hut IL YVES
with him OF principle, IN which was involved the
liberty OF an "A merican CT Z-na native al FiFgina-
and he fl m:elf bound, Representative OF the
free psoe of Ohlo do ali III hs power to secure IL
berty to this unfortunate individual, whose only crime
Il was {, have dark complexion Ills ol'cl :" as not
discuss, but 10 act upon question OF SUCH magni'
tude and i,nporancc-in which was involved liberty
the bel walk OF the American Constitution
He sad the gentleman from North Carolina (Nir.
Saundrrs) lad referred t:Ie Law Of 19~, winch ac-
codng lis provisions, a1wed [ne to be paid in TO-
bacco Does that gentleman wish the people at The
District a Columbia 10 be governed ana controlled by
This law nj this en g.iteneG day Does he want them
bound down by laws passed ;J'y:hrc years ago vi
does he wish 10 laws passed hnred years ago
whch would bring this nation back u colonial vassal-
! lage, enforced?
He believed the people of the District, il they were
consulted would be IN favor Of repeating this obnox
ious and a5omnabe law, which had been brought be-
fore this House previously, and examined by slave
holders, who in favor of lis repeal Is 1t right or
just, because free citizen has the misfortune to have
dark complexion, that he should be sold as Stare, 10
pay Jail fees, He did not believe the gentleman from
if he confined in jailfor himself he knew that he
could not prove that lie was born free.
Mr. SAUNDERS explained. lie said the negro was
TO he sold siare but Tor his pa tceS. 1t thy
were paid and the evidence should prove that lie was
not a Stare, ne would be discharged. The State Of
Ohio, he believed, had law upon her statute book
which prohibited free negroes from residing within her
Jurisdiction, whch he called the attention Of The
gentleman from Ono who affects so much sympathy
for this class Of persons.
MIR GIDDIEGS connurd: He said the gentleman
from North Carolina evadcd his question: and he would
inform him that there no law III Ohio which con-
fined freemen ,rhde Wack, and sold them slareS
for Jail fees To this obnoxious and unjust law he did
ner sre WITH aud his feeble Efforts should be exerted
Ia have It amended repealed. Bus 10 the laws oil
North South Cacline he would not Interfere with
Het-fe had no r-ht II Gtarisreand G. forbid that
hs shuull. We Abcl.tiun,s;s do net wish 10 infringe
upon the constitutional rights -; the slave States but
as Representative o; lrce;aen, he would oppose ell
snch laws, bearing upon their iuce moral nrpnde be-
ing enforced in the District of Columbia This law was
Stigma upon the country.
He did not care TO what committee this subject was
referred; all he wanted was that it should be referred,
and report made upon the facts of the case and the
abomnahe and contemplate Law repealed. The gen.
tletnan from North Carolina had called upon him TO
follow his example, and GO TO the marshal and pay this
fine which would secure The release oil TINS unof uIatp
individual; but he would inform Inn that the Loae and
muscles OF the freemen Of Ohio who oled hard TO all
they got, not II be expended IN lat fees 10 nc
| C0mpiIsh
| MIR. CAMPBELL, of South Carolina, said he agreed
with the gentleman from Alabama, (sir. Dillettl tina
this was judicial question, with which thus House
had nothing 10 do IL this individual be carried he
fore Judge Ctanch, 90 writ OF h0teaS corPns, wht
was known To hc humane Judge ard would cea
fairly BIZ him. although the face o. "ncgro, by the
laws OF the District, was prlma Jaete That he was
slave, aod the protanGi-ihe burden oil proof
rested upon him 10 regain MS liberty, Which could d
easily done, il he was actually free, stated IN The
/ H. ,ltol lN
lawyer of the District, who informed him that cases
THIS kind he'd been carried beyond the mere ac
verrs,ng il tho individual was actually free ht
did wish this subject referred 10 the Committee or
the District &C Columbia, bat II The Committee on ti'
Judcla-v ho could report upon the law and The facts
Mr. DAVIS OF New lo:t sald, he had bat n iew
words % say on ,hiS subject hu; lie sa"ud vote II
favor Of Selec! Committee, striking out calling 10
persons and papers THIS Congress, he was proud Il
say, had paid attention 10 this SUBJECT than an,
other, and he glad 10 il, n n Northern man
because he believed !. would aliay this exciting sub
jeci, and forever put /, Of rest, He conhden
there more Abcltioniss OF the South than ct thu
! North.
Mr. SAUNDERS. 1t is not so-it is not SO. Tn
gentleman himself is an abolit'onis.
MIR ID. continued He said il was impossible 70
the North to be in favor Of Abolition because if tn
negroes were liberated they would the fire.
States which would prove the greatest calamity tha
could be.a them. II the slave States were to abol
sh slavery he would be in favor of an Immediate dis
solution OF the Union, rather tHln encounter suca
curse Of being overrun with negroes. Yes, mmedi
ale abolition wou!d he signal for final dissolution
on tn. part o. the Northern States; if 1t should eve
take place, il must be gradual, or that population
would fall upon them, aud Their Poorhouses would b
filed with this class Of PEOPLE Az much rs he price
lhe Union, he dd not hesitate to declare, that h wou
rather dissolved than to encounter the effects o
immediate abolition OF slavery. He no abolition
.t and he wanted Southern gentlemen to dvest them
selves OF all apprehension upon this subject, becans
he assured them that it 10 the interest o: tn
North 10 have tbs population let loose upon them :
True, he id regret That slavery had been abolish
ed IN the STATE of New fork, but he would regret I
see slavery abolished IN tn South, which would prove
u burden and tax + them.
I'll, Ao-th DO mol wish 10 interfere with lie righ.
Of the :: uiera States, bui leave this subject cntr
10 those 10 whom i, OF firh: belongs, tat they may
exercise their vii! and pleasure IN The premises
He wanted this law, by which freeman is inprison
ed rercaed because the North would stand up agains
&c Unconstitutional The District al Columbia wa
common ground and ne believed il was constitutions
to abolish slvery within 1t, and he, for one, would e1
ercisa that power f necessary. This was merely In
H.