The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1844-12-23
FOR COSGitESS,
George B. Chandler.


\,
Trouble seems to be brewing between these two
States 1t has its origin in the fact that South Carolina
has State law which provides for the apprehension
s. detention Of free coIoed men without free papers
found in the limits of the State. Such men are i'm
prisoncd and If the expenses OF their imprisonment
not paid, they sod into slavery The conse.
quences are free ceored men from the free States if
found there, Detained by the operations of this
law. And coored men employed on board of
vessels sailing from the free States to S. Carolina it
has been grievance, especially TO the commercial
men Of Massachusetts. In order to prevent further
operations oflhis law upon cilzcns of Massachusetts
going business TO ). Carolina, the Legislature of
that State, yoar ago, passed resolutions requiring
the Governor to appoint nm agent to reside there;
cordingly Gov. Briggs appointed the Hon. Samuel
IIoar,a distinguished legal gentleman to this office
lie took up his residence month since in Charles
ton and notified the Governor Of S. Carolina Of the
fact, aud the object OF his mission The Governor
Immediately sent Message to the Legislature inform
ing that body OF the presence and business of Mr.
IIoar. The Legislature thereupon passed violent
and iusoent resolutions taniamoun in their mport to
u warning to Mr. lioar TO leave The State In the
mean time Mr. II. was warned out of his boarding
house in Charleston by the furious demands Of mob,
and he Immediately fed the State. Mr. iloar among
other things wished to bring the question, whether S.
Carolina could detain, mprison. and sell, under
State lava free coored citizen of Massachusetts, be-
fore the Supreme Court the U. States. s. Caro-.
lima denies the right Of Massachusetts to do this and
with impotence that would be surprising if it had
from any Stale besides S. Carolina, refuses TO
entertain the subject of Mr H.'s negotiations in any
H.. ,l,,o, I, l,.
matter South Carolina may boast, may put her
feathers and plume her chivalry for war, and claim
tho right to lord it freemen as she does, but
when she comes in contact with the old Bay State
she will find in her firm and unHinching customer
With breath of her sovereignty she could blow
the Wanting Palmetto State into thousand rrag-
ments.
Mr. lIoar has reached Washington, Since writing
the above the following, from the Washington Cor
respondent of the U. $. Gazette has come 10 hand
| lhad the pleasure of seeing and conversing with
tho Hon MIR Hoar, Of Massa chusetts. This gentle
man, you are aware, lately by that State to
Charleston, South Caroina for the purpose of acting
as the agent of that State in protecting the rights Of
her coored citizens who should go to South Carolina
! and with the view Of testing, by appeal to the
Federal Court, the constituonaty of the law of tho
latter State under which she sezes and mprisons ey
cry coored seaman that is brought within her limits
until the vessel in which he cane is ready to depart
charging the captain thereof with the penses of such
seizure and imprisonment. As Massachusetts was
unable to get lawyer in South Carolina to sue out
writ Of habeas corpus for any aeanen thus seized and
imprisoned and try the constituonaity of the State
law authorizing this, she MIR lIoar to Charleston
merely to bring suit TO bring up the question before
the Supreme Court Of the United States Was there
anything wrong in this? But it seems that the sove-
reign people of that State had notion that the valid
ny OF their laws should be tested The Legislature
ms you may have SEEM pass I'd resolutions requiring
the governor to expel Mr. lioar from the State and
that was insulting to the State question the con-
stltuonnlity of one Of her laws I! !! What mighty
big man Tom Thumb is F.! Well the Governor sent
his messenger TO order Mr. Hoar ont of the States but
before he arrived, hlesseurs, the mob had given
similar orders, with significant hints that if not obey