The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-10-10
F,om the Boston Daily Adurtise.
A citation on the Fugitive Slave Law,


1t appear to be the purpose of the Free soil par
ty-now that the question of the extension of slave
ny is settled, and barriers are established against
its further extension in the territories belonging to
the Union-to keep up excitement on the sub
ject of the fugitive slave act of the last session.
This ia adopted the method of warfare to be
ried against the section of the Constitution
which requires the extradion of slaves who escape
from their masters and take refuge in other States
To give effect this agitation, their study is to
produce prejudice against those who refuse to re-
pudate this clause Of the Constitution, by calling
them ''pro- slavery men," To justify this appea
ton, they studiously insinuate that men who have
the honesty TO stand by the Constitution it ia,
and who are prepared TO obey all its acquisitions,
favorable to slavery, and would even be instru-
mental in introducing it here, if they were not de-
TERED by legal prohibition, and by the power of
public sentiment, from doing so. Mr.. Mann, for
example, in his celebrated letter to his constituents
asks these questions:
"Abolish the moral and religious convicfon of our
peopie-et slavery appear TO be, in their sight, not
only lawful and credtablc, but desirable, az a
badge of aristocratic distinction. and political
social, moral, and religious blessing -tchat obSa
Gle toouid preuenf these eight thousand persons the
free black population Of Massachusetts, from being
turned into siares any day, by The easy cheap, and
short hand kidnapping of legislative aet?''
a
existed against holding slaves, tood not many Of
those respectable and opulent gentlemen, who signed
the letter of thanks 10 Mr.. Webster, and hundre
of others indeed, instead Of applying to intelligence
offices, visiting emigrant ships for domestics,
call them, go at 10 The auction room, and
bun a tromdn, with little hesitancy
conjunction they send to Brighton for
bceves, go to Tattersalps for horsc?"
According to this, it is, in the opinion of Mr..
Mann, only because the laws of our State, and the
moral and religious sentiment of the community,
stand in the way Of il, that the men who concur
with Mr. Webster in his views Of our constitutional
obligations to the South are not themselves slave
holders. Men Of influence among US, according
to Mr.. Mann-men who might on any day obtain
the passage of legislative actthc respectable and
opulcnt gentlemen who signed the letter TO Mr..
Webster, and hundreds Of others would buy
man or woman with as little hcsitancy as they now
buy beeves at Brighton. This seems to be an ex-
PLANTATION of what is meant by the Abolitonists in
applying the term "pro-slavery men" to those who
do not belong to the anti-slavery or Frce-soil
parties.
IL is difficult TO reason with those who cannot con-
ccive Of any other than dishonest motive for adj
vocating an Observance Of acknowledged pro-
vision Of the Constitution, and who can perceive
between wanton disregard of the
Constitution TO suit their own convenience, and
violent dcnunciation Of breach of other provisions
of the same Constitution by others. II is now be-
coming question Of vital interest to the people of
the Union whether certain unpopular provision
of the Constitution is to be complied with by the
non slavehoding States or not.
The clause above referred to which provides that
persons held TO service under tho laws Of one State
escaping into another, +" shall be delivered up on
claim of the party to whom such service or labor
may be due, is part of the Constitution Of the
United States, which every legislator and magis-
trate Of this Commonwealth has sworn to support,
and Il cannot be erased, repealed, or lawfully re-
sisted. For more than forty years there was ample
legal provision for carrying this obligation Of the
Constitution into effect in the free Saes and there
was little or no complaint Of it's non observance
But the Legislature of Massachusetts, as we'll as
those of several other States, have recently made
the provision nugatory, by passing laws to prohibit
officers appointed by State authority from execu
ting the law of Congress; and the question has
presented itself in shape which cannot be parted
or evaded whether the non .slaveholding States in
tend 10 obey that requistion Of the Constitution
not
For ourselves. as citizens Of Massachusetts,, and
placed i'm a 81 tuation in which we are bound TO ex
press an opinion on the subject, We have no hcsita
ton in declaring that hold to the entire Consti
tuition tho United States; and we entertain also
the opinion that ine.tenths Of the people Of the
Commonw ealth arc mistaken in the same determi-
nation. II is only because there are people 20
blinded by their zeal that they not aware of the
extent oftheir own declarations and Of tho effect of
their acts, that they have in some instances become
enlisted in a against the Constitution. In this
state Of feeling they join in an organized opposition
to public men, for no other reason than that they