The Charlotte journal. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1835-1851, 1850-05-08

!, ifispufp1se IS TO ex:end hospitality to fucit, c
8 slaves. lie announces il 10 be immortality 10
!. surrender them; and be then comes here and
presents an amendment TO the bill for the do.
livery up Of fugitive slaves, winch, Of course,
must be intended TO carry out lhe views whicl
he has announced upon this subec'. Such a
5 position IS lndelensbe-it is immoral. Ia k
abou, morollI, Imnor FOR a man to hold a
slave Immoral for man 10 do " hat the as
socrates oi Ptul and james, and John did -
Immoral for a ma TO 60 What the wtsest and
. best men that ever lived upen earth have done
/, and not ~ moia TO open your arms, contrary
to the express s'ipulaon1 Of the constitution
) 10 the fugitive slaves of your neighbor, to re.
ceive ihen, protect the u, and throw arour
them such contrivances for making their es.
cape eifecual as no ingenuity shall be able TO
diseniansIe, and at the same time TO taunt
Tim with The declaration, "y ou are made your
own police officer y | have SAID, Mr.. Pfesi.
dent, II these are the sentiments and feel n.
Of the people O. the North, senefaly--lf the
senator from New York (Mr. Scward) knows
aud lseeiy expresses their option. and purpo
ses, II is lmpo-s ble harmony can be restored
lnd the Union preserved. For one, sir,
lhoush by no means extreme upon this sub.
Jacl-qui,e the contrary-l have no hesta.
tton IN declaring, il this is ths general sense
and beliet-It this 10 the code Of mofais-lf
this is the cling OF integrity which iihl
ences our no thern fellow .cltjzens, directly or
indirectly, TO set aside constitutional odliga.
ions, aid depfse Us of The property which
se hoJ-ls this is the purpose that we should
remain in the Union. For vha, does tha,
state Of things impy l. implies this: that
he States are associated together uuder
common constitution, binding them to dis.
charge towards each other CERTAIN duties ac
cotdlng TO the terms OF The coustltunon; and
yet say to US, We intend 10 discharge the
amount OF duty towards you that We please
tor we reserve 10 ourselves the light Of decl
ding when anything required Of US opposed
BY moral obligations, and having so decided,
10 refuse It's performance, While we hold you
10 the discharge Of every Obligation imposed
by the letter and spir, The constitution. -
How could our cOnneslon b. long mai aimed
under ibis state Of thiags, With no puLlc fGitb,
no sense OF private obligation, en- the enc
Size 20 induce. and no power en- the other to
compel, the performance Of constitutional du.
lies! We should be lefl il condition NOT
only disttac'lng, bu, dangerous to our present
rights shdst political immortality, bad flilh
would render our future Insecure, worthless.
Nothing, under sul ID circumstances, could
keep US together but deep sense of the grea
ter evils Of parting. We Should remain uni.
ted, II al al not from Bclinaiion or duty, bul
from stern necessiy-no from the hole OF
unf ri IN A,r b,,t IL Il f
the consequences Of separation. Bl', Mr..
President have not the smalies, idea in the
world that The Senator from New York NJ.
Seward) steaks the opinion Cf the Nor,helu
people generally. or the people Of any one
Safe IN the Uaion. believe they repudiate
his senimeats-,hey ho'd themselves moral. +
y and conse!entiousls bound by the stpua-
nons IN the constitution. beeve they wl
stand ready TO enforce any law Which Con.
gfess may pass upon this subject. do not
agree with some gentlemen here vho have
SAID, "Pass what law We vii, II wlli not b.
executed" have very different oPiuiun-
totally dfieteut opinion. This law moy
tdll oil execution IN some instances every law
does IN The execution OF this law, bias, pre-
JUDGE, force may perhaps occasionally pre-.
vent It's tlghtful results; but | believe that
such law pass by Congress will te tath
fully and generally executed 10 the New Eng.
land States as any law upon cur statute book.
| doubt not that men there will understand
that, though they may entertain an opinion
that law is wrong, yet as a cltizen, they
have 10 right, when called to enforce it, to
act upon il IN their individual judgment Of lis
merits just as ;hey would understand this;
that II one were under sentence of death,
their opinion that The law was barbarous and
the punishment greatly dlsproporliopate 10
the etieuce would moi Justify their inerter.
ence, forc.bly or by fraud to prevent the ex,
ecution OF the sen ence, the responsibility Of
enactlng the law not being upon them, but
upon those who made ii. | believe there are
many there-the great mass of the people,
alnos, the total population quite able and
willing to apply these obvious principles to
the particular subject under our considera.
tlon-the Iecapiufe Of fugitive slaves. Yes
sir, have the fullest confidence III he patli.
otlsm, the intelligence, the sense of Justice
and stern integrity OF the great mass of peo.
pie at the North. They viii see that wheth.
er we have slaves or not is no concern of
theirs; tina, if to have slaves be an offence,
it is no offence Of theirs that if slavery be an
evil, they do not endure it. And If il were
wrong in itself voluntarily to surrender fu.
gltlve slave who had escaped from his mas
ter, yet, as honest men aud good citizens
they will feel themselves bound 10 carry ia.
TO effect law passed in pursuance of the
Constitution Of their colntry-a a constitution
formed by common and mutual concession,
and declaring that such lugltlses shall be
surrendered.