Burlington hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1845-185?, 1850-11-14

both reelected.
band of robbers attempted to rob the Bank at
Danvers, Mass, last week. One OF them,-the
brother. in.law Of the Cashier-was shot dead in
the act, by the Waterman Of the Bank. Page, the
robber, was q very incorporate man.
.... For the Burlington Hawk Rye.
Arolssy fer Oppesition 70 the Fugitive Slave Law.
seems strange that the system ofslavery sho'd
find any support in nation whose very existence
is based upon the declaration, "that all men are
created equal that tsey are endowed by their Gre
ator with certain unalsnabc rights; and that among
these ase life, liberty, and the pursuit Of happness
The people of Iowa in their constitution have fur
Their set forth among these rights-sshose ofenjoy.
ing and defending life and liberty, acquiring, pos
sessing and protecting property, and pursuing and
obtaining safety and happiness" Now, however
the government may have apostatized from these
principles is idle TO charge with disoyalty those
who adhere to them in all their legitimate conse-
quences and results. They are the snbstratum OF
constitution and laws, and to subvert or to repud-
ate them is to UNDERMINE the foundations OF our
whole political fabric. Errors about what is con-
stitutional and lawful are comparatively pardona-
BILE. They have of,en existed without material in
Jury to the state. The consttntionaity Of the en-
barge of 1907 of the U. 5. Bank ofthe Tariff, Of In
ternal improvements, of the annexation OF Texas,
&C., are still, some of them at least, controverted
questions. In their time they have made no little
agitation. But the ship OF state outrode the storm.
Far different however must be the result, when
s.the fountains ofthe great deep are broken up,''
and the foundations are destroyed. Liberty is the
- thn m
ton and laws their vitality, their efficiency and
their worth. When that expires, edivided,w fall"
The friends of liberty therefore would be false
to the republic, as well as to their own onvictions,
were they not opposed to the fugitive slave law in
its designed and actual operation. We say its de-
signed and actual operation-for the word s'saHe"
does not once occur in the law. False as the gov
eminent OF the U. States has been judged by many
to be the principles of the 4th of July 77s, 1t is
doubtful whether evidence OF such faseness is Civ
en- either in the constitution o: the laws. s.1he
Constitution, says master OF exposition, ''does
not require that .fugitve slaves shall be delivered
up. II requires that spersons bound to service in
one state, and escaping into another, shall be deiiv
cred up Mr. Madison opposed the Introduction OF
the term slave or slavery, into the constitution
Ly the constitution Of the United States Of imerica
that there could be property in man"-Mr Weoster's
speech on Mr. Gays resolutions, March Z, 1850, p
20. Here the friends Of freedom take their stand
! and with the conssauison ard it's authors, refuse
to recognize s.shat thsse ean5e property in mans
So far then Article ", Sections "a Of the con-
s,i,uton, and the law OF $780, and act to amend
and supplementary to IT, approved Sept. ~, 1850
are made to apply to fugitive siaves,we are opposed
| to the application. The word ssslave' does moi
| occur in them. The relation is not so much as re
cognized BY the republic. II is without the pale o
the constitution and laws.
| = 1t should also be mentioned that in some of the
slave states judicial decisions have been given tina
slaves are things, and not persons. Viewed in this
light, it is still more surprising that we should b,
expected to recognize the relation. The const,tu
ton and laws expressly speak Of sspersons."
II deserves to be motto ed that the recent act o
Congress received but few whie votes in its favo
from free states. On the engrossment OF the bill
in the Senate the vote stood-ayes 81, nays IL. o
the ayes, only three were from the free states, ant
we grievc to say that two of these were from Iowa
The bill passed the House by vote Of Ios to TO-
OF the ayes, only thee were from Northern wings
while % were from northern democrats. OF thes
, %, one was from the gentleman representing tn
second district in Iowa. Iowa is the only free state
all whose delegation voted for the bill. Whethe
their votes accorded with the principles that ar
established among us, those who will read the Bill
i, of Rights in our constitution may determine. Fifty
seven wings and eighteen democrats recorded thel
votes against this bill. The question was not
party one. But the friends Of freedom will notfa
to observe which party they have most to hop
from. It is fairly to be supposed that the Presi
dent signed this bill reluctantly. His anti-slaver
convictions are believed to be deep-rooted, Ion
cherished, and avowed. Only after obtaining tt
legal opinion of the Attorney General that the az
contains "nothing that suspends the writ OF haoe'
corpus,' did he sign II. II is believed that II WI
give him great pleasure to sign repeal OF the bill
an opportunity to do which it is hoped will be give
him next winter, when is also expected that Jul
tce in part will be done TO the free state Of low
II by the new member from the first district.
This bill is far more obnoxious in its provision
than that reported by thc Compromise committee
: Mr. Underwood Of Ey., in the Senate sought in val
TO modifyt. In many of the free states its design
cannot be executed without leading to civil war;
The command in this fifth section OF the bill
8 upon ssall good citizens to aid and assist in Il
Q prompt and efficient execution of this law''-h;
entered like iron into the hearts Of millions
c northern freemen. They feel insulted and outr
e ged in their most sacred convictions. In the la
suage of Mr. Webster On the same general sulje
. thirteen years ago "rhe subject has not only q
tracted attention question of politics, but 1t
a struck far deeper toned chord. 1t has arrest
3, the religious feeling OF the country; it has TAXI
@ strong hold on the consciences of men. He is
l., rash man, indeed, and very little conversant wi
e human nature, and especially has he very enron
Gus estimate of the people Of this countrywide su
IF poses that feeling Of this kind is to be tried wit
N or dcspised." It is not strange therefore that
ligious bodies are giving testimony against the re
"a toration Of fugitives from oppression. We new
" could see how a christian can recognize the rig
ID of property in man. The Saviour has taught h
'e disciples to regard the race as brotherhood.
% Paul sent Onesimus back to Philemon, s'not as
servdnt, but ADORE a servant, brother beloved"
re Moses commanded the Israelites-:sThou shalt n
deiicer unto his master the servant phich Is escdp
4. from his master unto thee: he shall dceH Nth IN
eren among you in that place wheh ne SHAH choose,
Of thy gates ,chere il hketh him best: thou sh
not oppress him."--Deut. %: lb-i6. Should
"a ministers Of religion, containing such precep
this, fail to speak out in opposition to law tn
;. directly contravenes it. they would deserve