Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1850-04-18
GREEN MOUNTAIN

llHp dulttOlltlco W ptOCtCu uSdllst
those who had seized this individual, no statute
against kidnapping could be found, and they
were indicted at common law; since that time,
a statute has been enacted. Now, suppose an
individual of that character is seized there--an
individual who has been born, nurtured, and
brought up there, owing allegiance and being
emit led to protection there. You come upon
him with an affidavit taken Il thousand miles off,
and you selze him. Where is that mans right !?
Where is the trial by jury? Where is the la-
beas corpus? Where is the protection which
the Constitution guarantees to the meanest cRl
zen living under the law? Why, sir, it is tram
pied in the dust by this bill he is carried before
II tribunal by one OF the oflicels Of the Govern
ment, without the right of 4 supervisory ex mi
nation Of Judge OF the United States Court
within the district; without any OF the prIvlleg'
es belonging to a freeman, he is seized ana nur
ried off and, although it may appear upon the
face of it "a mere primG fdcld examination, 1t Is
to all intents and purposes final and conclusive
| Judgment bee use the officer gives to the cla'.
ulant certificate, aud he hurrles HIM or AID
hen he gets to the great slave marriott Chrlsten
dom. the CITY of Washington, he may sell MN
ar send hun wherever he pleases. Now, am
free 10 saw. once for al much as love the I'm
ION. much as reverence its iIstltnllons fond as
are nv memories which cling around its early
histories, wonld sacrifice them all to-day be-
fore would consent that The citizens of my ma
tive state shonid at one blow be stripped of ev'
ery right that is dear to them, and tor which
their frthers bled and died.
Now. SIR, if that is to be the price of the
preservation Of the union, say, come disHnlon
and como to-day; :" if you can only purchase
pence with us by compelling us to surrender
everything which exals us above your slaves
let dlsunon come; think the people Of the
free states will be ready for it. am utterly as
tonsaed to h"ar proposition Of this sort made
in the American Senate. The bill proceeds en-
tireIy on the assumption that there are no rights
in the Constitution, except the rights oI slave
ry, and their is not single letter in the wholf
proposition have read, and have read it very
carefully, that is tcNnd to guard and protect with
any eff aieRt legislation the rights Of man or a
child thit may be wrongfuly selzad. Why moi
frame bill that secures the rights both OF the
Stakeholder and freeman? Who is there moi
some penalty imposed upon those persons who
upon some pretence or color of right, undertakes
unawIuly T. selze an inilvldual? Does no
the same obligation rest upon MS TO deliver up al
Are not the free states under every obligation
which an honest man would be under? Are
they not bound as honest men, to deliver W
that property:
Every citizen has a right to sue in the courts
0fhiS own state, for the recovery Of his property
aud the constitution Of the y nlted States pro
vidrS that HE citizens of each state shall be pn
titled to all the privileges and immun les of cit
| zens in the seve al state. There are courts ant
avs Of civilized society a law which compel
us to deliver up all the property of any ctizel
which may be found in our state. In New
Hampshire, YOU cannot come and take a hors
without trial by jury. nor any other property
amounting IN value to $l3 33, If any individual
contests it.
But yoH come and take not the horse, but tn
rder-uot the accident, but the man-"not tn
COW but the child. Then the safeguards who
the constitution throws around property are b
tar stronger than for the man--and there is n
help for hun. But let me not be misunderstood
nor let it ne sllG that was ready tn Gssolv
the Union. ! said no such thng-the lngenn
" Of no man Is competent to torture what | sa
INTO such meaning. Ieaid sooner than surre
der those rights for which the battles of Il
Revolution were fought, Weald let the Uni
20 for the Union was formed to secure y
GiessMi1,,GGS of p IRsea to secure The
slavery then. I say it slauld go down c.
not suppose that IL bull of thi. charactercan pc
siblv pass. unlrss it Is made effectuai 10 preVe
abuses OF THIS sort.
We u accused Of having OTHER purposes
this matter, and Intending to irritute, wound IA
lnsuIt the feelings of southern genNemen-bu
,sk you, if we have ever said anything on Il
subject that hegIns TO cone up to the decIaT
tons winch have been taught by the t0undt
IT the Republic IN the slave States. | will I
read them, but if | should be" so foolish as
write out this speech, may transcribe some
,hese declarations. made by the honorable w
liam Pminey, of Maryland, on thus subject 5
Verytling which the abOlitonists now say
tame, nslpid, and heartIess, compared with t
dannnciatlons made by him in the legislature
MARYLAND. in 1850
Extracts from speech Of I'm. Pnkney deliu
ed in The maryland Legislature, July 1889,
a bWjo' The retid Of oppressed slares.
{: "The generous mind thai has adequate idt
Of the inherent rights of mankind, and kno
C the value of them, mist feel its Indignation r
4 against the shameful traffic, thut introduces SIT
. er luto country which seems to have been {
l. signed BY Providence as an asylum tor tht
: whom the arm Of power has persecuted and I
as the nursery for wretches stripped of eve
privilege which heaven intended for its ratio
= creatures, and reduced to a level with-nay,
G come themseves-he mere goods dad chattelS
) their masters.
: Sir, by the eternal principles of natural j.
i tice no master in the State has right to h
t his slave in bondage a single hour but the |
ofthe land, which however oppressive and t
V JUST however unjust however inconsistent W
2 the great ground work of the late revolution a
t ou present frame OF government we cannot,
4 prudence or from regard to individual, rigl
abolish, has authorized slavery az base, or p
0 lhaps worse than the most absolute uncondtlt
i al servlude that ever England knew in the e
" ages of its empire, under the tyrannical pc
d cy of the Dares. the tendal tenures of the Sax
or the pure villalnage of the Norman.
e Sir, the natu
e character of Maryland is sufficiently suhied a
l. dishonored BY barely tolrrating slavery, but VIII
J. it is found that your laws give every possible
n cour1genlent to its continuance 10 tie lat
generations, and are ingenious 10 prevent ey
}, its slow and gradual decline, how is the evil
y the importation deepened? It may even
h'hGhl ttut bNl SfNllUhS SlluHHIC Itu
o ty did mol originate in principle, but took its r
c from popular caprice, the rage of faction, or
e intrmpeaDce Of party.
: Sir, let gentlemen put it to themselves, that,
So ter Providence has crowned our exertions ia
), cause OF general freedom with success, and
d us on to independence through myriad of d,
r gers, and in defiance of obstacles crowd
u thick upon each other, we should not so sc
y. forget the principles upon which we fed
II arms, and lose all sense OF that irterposition
Is heaven by which alone we could have been 8
: from the grasp of arbitrary powers. We n
talk of liberty in our public councils, and far
y that we fe, a reverence for her Dictates
y may declaim, with all the vehemence of amin
l. ed rhetoric. against oppression, and flatter O
u selves that we detest the ugly monster bnt
d long as we continue to cherish the poison,
q weed of partial slavery among us, the world v
10 doubt our sincerity.
v, N tho name of heavan with what faca =