Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1850-12-19

Ashamed for having erred on the side Of ,;ber,v
II her law shall e sustained. or lead To mose
just and benetics nj action on the p.r, IF C.n.
Rress. tho 'eg' stature os Vermont fsr ,a.s year
1850 "aA be entitled TO the honor Il being the
pioneer m great and good work.
t'ne h0eeas corpus 10 constitutional right
guaranteed tn every man, and would be obl,pa-
tory uPen all judges and courts, even if there
were no ststuie. Vermont has not undertaken
to give new force or effect to this right. A new
emergency has srisen-her people are liable to
DC made slaves wrongfolly, under color Of aud
oy abuse Of the fugitive slave law Of Congress:
sermont has therefore directed her officers 10
give every man seized under that act the benefit
simply OF the relief provided by the Consiiiusiom
II that be notification, then the notification is
uue TO The Consolidation, not 10 the statute. What
more? Vermont has direcied the details and man.
"tr Of proceeding BY habeas corpus ia HER OWN
couars. Who has better riyat to direct her
Courts? Has not Vermont complete and per-
feet right TO do il Were Vermont to UNDER
take to direct the modo Of proceeding in federal
courts, there might be ground for charging her
with interference or collision with the federal gov
eminent. She has done no such thing. There
is no nulli6c.tion, no collision OF powers, in the
laws in question: that we are able to perceive.
Will there be, in the practice Of the courts under
the laws: Nobody has right to Infer this--
The fair presumption IS lat the courts, both
state and federal, will faithfully do their duty
that the iows will be fairly and honestly enforced
The law of Vermont provides nothing more than
this. Ii will be time TO complain when il is
found that the courts abuse the power vested in
them. We certainly do not expect them to COM
nit or PERM, any abuse OF their powers in the
case at all.
A single remark more is required. II is said
that there are no fugitive slaves in Vermont, and
hence that the act of tie legislature was desgn-
ed solely to infame the South. That charge, If
we are not mistaken, cones from The Republic
"a paper that will perhaps be represented as the
organ Of the administration, by its enemies
This is untrue; the administration and the Re-
lpablic concur in denying this. Ii the admins
traton rerc, in any sense, responsible for the ed
ito:ials Of The Republic, surely it would exclude
such gross and ungentlemanly attacks upon the
chief Magistrates and Legislatures of the states.
The imputaion upon Vermont, and upon Gov.
Williams, is utterly groundless. Possibly there
Is not a fugitive slave in Vermont at this mo
ment-the tendency of tn. fugitive slave act
certainly has been to drive them farther North,
into Canada; but if no slaves, there are col
ored free men In Vermont who arc liable 10
be made slaves, through the defects of the fugi-
tive slave law. These men the state ot Yer
mont is bound to protect by all the means with
in its power This state has attempted to pro
tect them by the law in question. Our iegsla-
ture deemed that law useful for this righteous
purpose: and we hesitate not TO say, that the
purpose Of exciting the already highly excited
people of the South by this act, was never for an
instant entertained by single member of any
department of the government Ifw may Judge
the temper of the members Of the Legislature
BY that of the people, we say, they deeply re-
GREETED that there was any occasion for action
upon the subject at all. Indeed, we have posi-
tive evidence, in The message of Gnvernn- Wi
liams, and in the temper OF the resolutions on
the subject Of slavery. that NO such unworthy
spirit, as that charged BY The Republic, was in
dulged un the occasion. The impulation is to-
tally inexcusable, and from that quarter, espe
cially unpalatabe.
We had hastily written thus much, on return
ing TO our post after weeks absence-a week
OF especial excite nent through the country on
account OF our own State-when friend hand
> ed us the annexed article on the law. It SUI
persedes the necessity of any further comments
from US.