The Rutland herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1850-1852, 1850-12-19
{ he hut!anA airraIA

k>nAl NioR NiN5. III. 81. so.
Th~ rassas. # law. ~ llic last Icrts-
,stBre 81 Ncsu,ani, ,asa,,av The l-nchis
& ha'~n' refpu, "a ANY Asel! 70 te ST
rcs.s,l ia tho State upirf tire recent fn- /.
gii,ro rls,e law II Congruss---is made ,ht |
.ulJ- Il s,ne c1tnsi3cTabl. coniro, cry
sni & cuurfe deal &C ,raddic From
c'ety quarter tho dcnun,,ation anil sbu,,
4 ,snr Vermont a. made the burden q
the .ong e 'he pr slavery papers. led a
ty the HysN,c. ,ho soifeons'itu,ed
,hoagh ~, rc,ogniroi organ Of the adj
min s,raiirn. a. ,hief t.toriscr This OF.
gan. us, O.! tune. ~, satisfied with Is d
buse t.; the state, il. legislature and Ex-
. rcu,iNe, ptcsumcs - utter the orin-
ions e on, d"icgatiou IN Congress ca the
'uljcc' Of iii, law. iIy lie passage the
State has manifested a rebcllious aud rev.
dictionary spirit, iis legislature through
| ignorance has passed an unconstitutional
law AMI absolutely committed an &c; Of
qualification, while the Governor ha. stood
by watching is proceedings and finally
| endorsing ihls hcnous action. IN allusion
20 these most serious charges the Rcpub-
!ir sals:
" bat makes this mos cnent of Vermont
mex lresslbly o:fausivc. Is the fac, there
Is not the most remote probability tina,
/ the law Will ever hc acted upon. We
| presume that there are no fugitive slave,
~ Vermont. She has manifested IT,
hclllous and revolutionary spirit mercy
for the sake If manifcsting it. The law
seems 10 have been passed solely for pur-
poses Of mischief 10 the md Of doing
something that might furnish Just cause Of
offence, without the chance uf answering
any useful object.
We do not know that the Legislature
Of Vermont were aware that they were
engaged in an attempt at notification
! 1t Is charitable to suppose tina, they
were merely ignorant Of their rights and
dnttes. But the Governor who signed
the bill, bad no such excuse. Governor
WILLIAMS has lccn Chief Justice Of the
supreme Court Of the State 1t is to he
presumed that h. has some acquaintance
with the Constitution Of the Uni,edStatcs
and he has degraded himself and his po.
sitlon y asserting TO the passage Of II law
which he knows to be in direct violation
Of that sacred instrument.
II is fortunate for the legislature tina,
it had adjourned before receiving this no.
ticc Of their ignorance. as such hit from
such n source would doubtless have en-
barrasscd all further legislation
1t is true that our excellent Governor
=, has for nearly twenty years presided AS
Chief Justice of Vermont, and it is to bc
supposed that he has at some time in the
course Of his life, read the Constitution Of
the United States, and it is presumed
knows something Of it. 1t is moreover
to he supposed that, having been reared
among our own hills, and being naturally
warmly attached to the institutions of his
native State To has also some knowl.
edge Of the Constitution Of Termont,
under which she was admitted to the I'm
ion, and knows somewhat Of the rights
and duties of her people under it; and
il the editor of the Republic would de-
vote few moments Of his precious time
to ,he pcrusal Of this latter paper he
might perhaps come to the conclusion that
Gov. Williams knows quite as much of
tho whole matter as he does himself.