Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1846-11-20
WHOLE NO. SO.

"N'o NdS d law pdSsCu ny lne new 1 0rk
Legislature, in 1917, that in case a person e.
scaped from service or labor due in another
State, and secreted himself on board a vessel,
the Mayor of a city might give the captain a
certilicate, authorizing him to convey him
back whence he came. Mr.. Blunt, counsel
for the captain, contended that this law was
a police regulation, similar TO those applied TO
'paupers and criminals; and therefore the boy
was propt rly under the jurisdiction of the
Mayor, not oflhe Circuit Court.
The counsel for the fugitive denied this
construction. He said the law OF 1917 was
manifestIy intended expressly for slaves alb
scondlng from their masters. That if the
law was constitutional, it was repealed by a
subsequent law passed in 1910, which ex-
pressly took such cases out of the hands of
the Mayor, and every other officer, until the
proof had been settled by trial before a Jury.
And in case the law of 1877 should not be
admitted to be repealed by subsequent lepis-
lative action on the subject, they fell back on
the unconstitutionality of both laws, because
they both intCrfered with the supreme law of
Congress, passed in 1893, which is unneces-
sary 10 quote here, so often have til changes
been rung upon it in Boston, during the last
twelve years.
The counsel for the captain readily admit
ted the paramount authority of the law of
'93, and Judge Story's celebrated decision
was as usual mournfully conspicuous on the
side adverse to human freedom. But his
chief reliance seemed to be on the arrumen
that the law of 1917 was a police regulation,
and as such did moi interfere with the superb
or law of Congress. Therefore the Mavor
had a right to authorize the captain to carry
the lad back, as he would a pauper. lie
said he would not be sending him back to
sharery ; it would merely set him on the
wharves of Savannah, whence he came,
and the lad could then go where he pleased.
l looked a. him closely, to see il he blushed
while he was making this sophislical hair
splitting; hut he did not. Lawyers have
great power Of couItenance.
Mr.. McKeon, who, | am happy to say is
a Democrat, performed his official duty we'll
and ably, In behalf of the ''fugitive from in
justice"
Mr.. White put his arguments 18th remark
able force, clearness and eloquence. John
Jay, grandson of old john Jay, threw him
self into the cause with all his heart and soul.
The noble, the beautiful Young man |
have long observed his manly and upright
course with love and honor and from the
depths of my heart do l thank him for his ex,
ertions in this case. Most young men dwin
die when standing in the halo of llIustriou.
progenitors; but John Jay stands in tn,
blaze OF their reputation, noble in his owl
right, by underwriting integrity, and a hear
| always true to human freedom.
Amid the manifestation of much misdirec
) ted feeling, it was pleasant to observe that a
f large proportion of the public gave thei
t sympathies to the fugitive. When the coun.
sci for the captain evinced legal aculeness in
his argument, there were no signs of appro-
baton from the audience; but when the op.
poslte counsel made a clever hit at the spa
trlarchal SYSTEM" the general satisfaction
was expressed by smiles, and suppressed
murmurs, like a tree stirred by the Winds
Gut OF doors the general inquiry was, "WiI
the poor fellow get off?' Even some oftlt
police, asked, in a tone of veXation, sWhN
the deuce didn't his friends take care and
hide him, when they once had him 2" Tam.
many Hall vociferations fall into many hon.
est, simple souls, who cannot be made to un.
derstand that freedom is good for one man,
and not good for another. The popular
heart beats truly and kindly, where popular
understanding fairly comprehends on which
side the right is. More and more this comes
to be understood and felt, even amid all the
distractions it must necessarily meet in a
great emporium of trade. Such trials as
these, perhaps, do more than any other sin
gle influence to %enlighIen the eyes, and right
ly guide the sympathies Of the public.
n few years ago., an athletic lTishman,
standing by his coal cart, heard in our streets
the cry of "Stop thief!' and saw a black
man running. At one bound, he caught the
fugitive. The pursuer came up and thank
ed him, saying, ''The rascal is my slave"
"Slave ~ exclaimed the astonished Irish
man and slipping behind the master, he ad-
| rnItlu oancnH his foot 30 ,l,1- r.
him, while he called out to the negro, s'Run,
man, un!' While he assisted The master
not to rise, he said, 'By st. Patrick, if YOU
had only called out Stop sIape!' | should
have known in the beginning whose heels 10
trip up"
1t is to be presumed that he was a newly
arrived euiigrant, and had not the fiery spark
OF Irish freedom naturalized out of him, in
the process OF making him ''a true blue De-
mocrat, dyed in the WOOL" In Boston, the
public have learned pretty thoroughly whose
heels TO trip up, in similar cases and unless
l mistake the free character of tie State of
New York, they are fast learning it here al
so.
| have written more sarcastically than usu-
al, but il is the voice of honest Indignation,
not of ill-will oward any living creature
The freedom which is so necessary to my
own existence, | would guard as the sacred
right of every human being, without refer
ence TO their nation, creed, or color. | am
charged with the electricity of freedom, and
whoever touches me with word or deed of
despotism, must expect to see the sparks fly.
My severe illusions to Democracy do not
arise from the slightest degree of party-feel-
ing. But because | do truly and cordially
sympaihize with the broadcast theories of hui
man brotherhood, therefore am | the more
panied and disguised by the absurd and ug-
ly lncongruiiy between pro-slavery practice,
and clamorous professions of free principles.
One late specimen Of this kind excited my
indignation 10 an unusual degree. BY the
old constitution OF this state, no colored man
was allowed TO vote unless he possessed a