The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1850-12-26
Pennsylvania Fugitive Slave law.

a proposition will come before the next
Legislature to repeal tho Pennsylvania law of
'lsi7 relating 10 Fugitive slaves and the
subject merits thoughtful attention, for there
is a respectable variance of opinions upon
the merits of the law. We desire its repeal
at the earliest moment, and feel certain that
had this aud similar laws not been passed
by the Nonhern states, the country would
never have been convulsed by the uniortu.
nate agitation upon the subject of fugitive
slaves.
BY the act of 1893, Congress provided a
means to carry out the provision of the na-
tional constitution for the recovery of fugi.
!. tives from labor That act contemplated the
concurrent assistance and cooperation of
state officers in enforcing it, and hence
made nc provision for the appointment Of
national officers. But in the case of Prgg
u.s. the Commonwealth, the Supreme Court
decided that state officers were not com.
PEELED TO aid in enforcing the law of Con-
gress, and that the state had authority to
restrain its officers in giving such aid. That
authority the state of Pennsylvania exer
cised in is47. There were then no officers
10 carry out the law of Congress, and the
national act of 1850 was passed to supply
this deiect So stands the case.
And now W ny should not each state oil
the Union lend its aid TO the nationa law
Is there no fraternal feeling in Pennsylvania
toward The sister states OF the Unona We
lend our county jails and county officers TO
apprehend the Southern fugitives from JUS
tice, and why not TO hold the fugitive from
labore The recovery Of both is provided
for in the same article of our national consti-
tu,ioa; sEd while we regard one clause, is
! it in the true spirit of American brotherhood
TO war with the other We have no squea'
nish delicscy to loan our machinery of re-.
publican COVE. ..nment for apprehending the
Sggitives from the des,ootism and tyranny oi
the old world. Eve,,v new treaty OF these
times contains provision feat we shall act
as thief catcher ir general .'or some crowned
robber of Europe. II fanh, ,Steo suoJeet OIL
Queen Victoria steal ten pence n 9uy d crust
of bread, and in his rags aud mise..y comes
TO republican America, VIC have gwen our
national bond to hunt over thirty stat,'s 10
find him, and then to ohold him in close us
-iody TO await Her Majesty's pleasure for hi.'
sore offeEce against seI 'peace aud digni-
~"
And have Pennsylvanians less fraternal
feeling toward the laws Of their brethren OF
the same national confederacy, than Ameri-
cans have toward the laws of the English
crown. An ancient morast reproves the
man who is honest only as far as he must
.be SO and obeys the law only so far as il
scompels him to; and is not our vinuous
state, in its slubbornncss, much SUBJECT to
the same febukes
Nay, instead of being driven to carry out
me dundamenlal law of the Union, Pennsyl.
yania should rather have manifested the
true spirit Of American brotherhood, and
-hasal lad The march 70 enforce the constitu-
ton. But Il is not even nowtoo late TO re-
trieve her good character for patriotism and
devotion TO the Union. Let her blot from
the siatue-book the edict in which she ar
rays her officers against the law OF the ma
tion. and her star viii shine bright again IN
the American firmament.