Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1850-05-23

regulate the action of Congress in forming
territorial governments for each newly ac-
quired domain is to refrain from all legisla-
ton on the subject in the territory acquired.
SO long as it retains the territorial form of
communicating it to the people of
such Territory, when they have attained to
condition which entities them to adnis-
sion as Il State, 10 decide for themselves
the question of the allowance or prohibition
of domestic slavery The committee be-
lieve that they express the anxious desire
of an immense majority of the people of the
United States, when they declare that it Is
high time that good feelings, harmony, aud
traternal sentiments should be again revived.
aud that the Government should be able
once more to proceed in its great operations
to promote the happiness and prosperity of
the country undi>turbed by tins dls,racting
cause
FUGITIVE SLAVES
The committee Will not proceed to the
consideration of, and to report upon the
subject Of persons owing service or labor IN
one State escaping into another. The text
of the constitution Is quite clear =" No
person held to labor or service in one State
nndr tie ia'cS Mereot, escaping into another
shall IN consequence of any law or regula-
ton therein be discharged from such service
or labor, but shall be dcLcrcd up on the
clam Of the party 10 whom such service or
labor may be due" Nothing can be more
explicit Khan this anguage-noimhg more
manifest than the right to demand aud the
obligation To- deliver up TO the claimant, any
such fugitive And the Constitution adj
dresses itself alike to the States composing
the mon and to the General Government.
II, indeed there were any difference IN the
duty 10 enforce this portion of the Constl-
tuition between the States and the Federal
Government, ii Is more clear that it Is that
Of the latter Bat : the duiy OF both. 1t
IS now wei known aud lncoutestable that
citizens IL >IayeAoidng States encounter the
greatest difficulty III obtaining the benefit
Of tbs provision of the Constitution. The
attempt to recap,ure a fugitive is almost al
ways 4 subject OF great irritation and excite
ment, and often leads to most unpleasant if
not pcrllo,.> collisions. An owner of
slave, It Is quite notorious cannot pursue
his property, FIR the purpose Of lis recos-
erv, III some OF the States, without Imminent
personal hazud This Is deplorable state
ofihln-s, v lich ought to be remedied. The
laws OF 1913 has been found wholly ineiieci-
ual, aud requires q o stringent eaactment>
There Is especially, deficiency III the num-
Der of public iuuctonlrles authorized To
afford and IA the seizure and arrest Of tusl-
uyes. Various States have declined to al
ford aid and Cooperation IN the surrender
of iugttes from labor, as the committee
aehcyc from a msconceplion OF their duty
arI,inr under the Constitution of the Uni
ted States. Il Is true that decision of the
Supreme Court of the United States has
gwen couEteuauce to them IN Withholding
tneir assistance. Bat the COMMITTEE can
not bat Believe that the intention of the Su-
prcme Conf has been misunderstood. Trey
cannot bat think that the court merely
me4ut that laws of the several States which
created Obstacles IN the way of the reco.-
cry ol fu-iuves were uot authorized by the
constitution, and not thai; State laws afford
M facilities IN the recovery OF iugIiue>
we're forbidden BY that instrument.
The noil--lneholdng States, whatever
sympathies any OF their cItzeus may feel
for persons Who escape from other States,
Cannot discharge themselves from an obi
gali N to enforce the Constitution OF the
United States. \ parts of the instrument
being dependent upon, and connected with,
each other, ought 10 be fairy aud lustly ell
forced Ii some States NAV seek 10 cxhun-
crate themselves from one portion of The
Constitution, Other States may endeav1r 10
eyade the performance of other portions of
it; aud thus the instrument, IN some O! its
most important provisions, might become
imperative and invalid.
But, whatever may be the conduct of in
dlvldual States, the duty of the General
Government is perfectly clear. That duty
i, to amend the existing law, and provide
an ctlecrual remedy for the recovery of tu-
gitlyes from service or labor Tn dcvlsng
such remedy, Congress ought, whilst on
one hand securing to the owner the fair
restoration OF his property, efectually TO
guard, on the other. against any abuses in
the application of that remedy.
In all cases of the arrest, within State,
of persons charged with offences; in all
cases 81 the pursuit oil lu5lt1Nes from JUS
Justice from one State to another State; IN
all cases of eXtradition provided for by trea-
ties by treaties between foreign powers-the
proceeding uniformly is summary 1t has
never been thought necessary to apply, in
cases of that kind, the forms and ceremo-
MES of Il final trial. And when that trial
does take place, it is in the State or coun-
try from winch the party has fled, and not
in that IN which he has found refuge. BY
the express language of the Constitution,
whether the fugitive Is held to service or
labor or not, IS TO be determined by the laws
of the State from which he fled, and, con-
sequenuy, it IS most proper that the trIbu-
mails of that State should expound and adj
minister its own laws If there have been
any instances of abuse in the erroneous ar
rest Of fugl!lvcs from service or labor, the
committee hive not Obtained knowledge Of
them. They believe that none such have
occurred, and that such are not likely to &C
cur
Bat, in order to guard against the posi-
blllty of their occurrence, the committee
have prepared, and herewith report, marked
b, y section, to be offered to the fugitive