Weekly national intelligencer., 1850-11-09
COMMUNICATIONS.
THE FUGITIVE SLAVE LAW.
A Defence of the Act Of September 10 iooo'
kno,on as the Fugitive SIdce Lar.

Z IL sa. n
M To THE Hon. DANIEL WEBSTER.
r &c ,,,h; danger the country has always looked
10 the Defender Of the Constitution for counsel and encourage
man, Hovever much men may have differed with you in
general pocs and whatever ssperes partisan strife may
have excited against you few, whose appreciation is worthy
Of regard have been bold enough unjust enough ques
on the integrity or patriotism Of your public conduct The
satisfaction with which your opinions questions Of
sutionsl difficulty have always been received has given
them power and influence which the opinions Of public
men have seldom commanded. Hence that al-Per-
vading anxiety know what you thought of the present
disconents and the remedy you had to suggest.
Fanatics and agators the North well they may, hold
Won mainly responsible for the enactment of fugve slave
law for was your celebrated speech in the Seuate OF the
7h Of March, which prepared the Of success for those
measures Of compromise Of which it one, which have
since crowned with adees glory the legislation Of the Thirty
first Congress- That speech delivered period when all
gloomy and desparng, and public conndence snskel
in the stability Of the Unon Infused spirit o. nope ana
reliance upon the future, aroused dropping energies ana
every where carried conviction TO degree na' ne anse
effort Of no other man. perhaps could have accomplished
Under its cheering auspices the country breathed ee ana
the popular pulse beat with healthier tnroo was .ne
effort Of q statesman, who, discarding me Claims o.
section stood firm faithful and sereiant upon the broad
platform Of the Constitution. If it aenaed the ahec ions
Of some and revived the anmosty Of Others, graPPled
your true friends closely to you. and won others wno
INC C1rCumBtA0Ce6
seadfast and constant It is strong enough to Withstand
any assault and he who amid storm OF obloquy and re-
proach rarely encountered the battle Of life, lacked not
the courage his revers with the proud defiance that
he should "rREAD STEP BACKWARDS, viii never need
supporters or defenders
For your support Of the compromise measures, incumg
fugitive law, you have been recently denounced by
public meeting in New Jersey "mean servie sycopnan
and disgrace the nations capital !" while at another
meeting at Syracuse in which the mayor Of the city, bis
lasting scre presided il has been suthortatlvey settled
that you longer be called the Defender OF the Consu
ton except be in These denunclahons wnicn
only reflect disgrace their authors as well intimate
connexon with the legislation of which it was part have
induced me to dedicate you Defence of the Law, which
is equally reved with yourae especially as your name VIII
probably give currency and circulation which news
paper communications whatever their subJec do not od
nariy receive. claim particular merit for on the
Of ability fater myself that it is worthy Of
your distinguished consideration. But IT the facts have
collected shall have the effect in degree to remove hose
unfounded preudces which have unhappy seized the pub
lie mind, shall incline the doubtful and rebelous TO
proper appreciation Of constitutional Obligations shall be
amply satisfied certainly desire other reward Of my
humble services in the cause Of Truth and Justice
The Security which the Constitution guaranteed
to the South.
Under the Confederation there provision for the
reclamation Of fugitive slaves The want Of such provision
was grievous Inconvenience to the savehoding States
In many Of the States denied any aid whatever
in retaining them and indeed sometimes openly re-
sisted Such the condition Of things when the Conven
ton assembled which framed the Constitution. And hence
the adoption Of that clause which declares that No person
held service labor in State under the laws thereof
escaping into another SHALL in consequence of any law
regulation therein, be discharged from such service labor
but SHALL BE DELlv the claim of the party
whom such service labor may be due This provision
was inserted in the Constitution therefore, for the benefit
the slavehodng States their citizens the right
to rsake their slaves any Of the States Of the Union into
which they might escape from servude. Security of the
property slaves made the recognition Of this right nds
pensabe and there be doubt that if it had not been
conceded and protected far the Constitution could
afford protection the slaveholdng States would not have
become parties to the Union. The guaranty of this right
and title of ownership in slaves upon which the
of their domestic institutions depended which thereby
secured the slayeholdng States, well stated by Mr.
MADsoS and others in the several Conventions called to
consider the Constitution Speaking in defence Of this pro-
vision in the Virgins Convention, in reply to Mr.. GEoRGE
MASON who declared that there clause in the Con-
situtoa to slave property" Mr.. MAD1sos said
This clause EXPRESSLY enable o,cners of saves
to reclaim them. This Is better security than any that
tnow erss No power is given to the General Govern
men to inepose with respect to property held by the
Slater "-Eliots Debates, VOL 2, P. 1856.
Governor RAsDoIrH held the same language He said;
sWere it right to mention what passed in Conventions
might tell you that the Southern Sates-euen South Caro-
ana heTSecO'SdeFeG sntS properly SecuTc0 Oy Hseoe
aoors believe, whatever may think here. that there
was not member Of the Virginia delegation who had the
smallest suspicion the abolition Of slavery vol Q
p. 437.
In the Convention Of North Carolina Mr. REDELL spoke
follows a
SIN some Of the Northern States they have emancpaed
all their slaves If any Of slaves go there and remain
there certain time, they ouM by the present a,o be en-
titled to their freedom, that their masters could not get
them again. This would be extremely preudica to the
inhabitants Of the Southern States and to preuent this
clause Is nseted in the Consution. Though the word
sGue is not mentioned, this is the meaning Of it. The
Northern deegato owing TO their particular scruples on
the subject of slavery, did choose the word sape to bo
mentioned. Ibid, vol. 8, p. l67.
And in the debate in the Legislature of South Carolina
when the Constitution was assailed the ground
in the Conventions of Virginia and North Carolina,
CHARLEs CoTEswoRTH PIxcKHEr made this
We haze obtained said hey right to recouer our szapes
in uhatepr part Of america they may take refuge ,chic
isa right had not before 10 short considering all the
circumstances have made the best for the security
of this species Of property 10 power to make
We would have made them better If could but on the
whole do not think them bad Ibid, vol. g. p. 357.
1t these strong given the people of the
South that their existing institutions secure and
that the Northern States had agreed recognise and protect
them, which reconced them the Constitution and secured
its ratification That the Northern States took the view
Of the subject and that they entirely wiling and not
persons assert reluctantly driven afford ample re-
dress Of the grievance which the savehodg States had
suffered in this particular, is equally clear In their Stae
conventions we nowhere fndcertain not IN the debates
schich preceded its the conventions of Massa
chusetts, Connectc, Neio York; and Pennsyivaniatha
any serious opposition raised against this clause of the
Constitution There was no oucy at that day against the