New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-11-22

no man questions. The President ncminates and
Congress confirms Such IL the provision OF tac
Constitution But whence Congress derives Tue
authority to lmpart TO the Judges thus aPPoHlteu
the power 70 create other Judges, under the tue
of Commissioners which other Judges or Commls-
sioners by their decision may deprive their victim
of the benefit OF the Habeas Corpus
NAV be wrong in all this; lay no claim to
infalbility, and all can say is that whenever
shall be satisfied OF my error, l shall be most nap
Ply to correct it.
You viii pardon me for having thought proper
to say thus much upon subject to which the
question in your letter obviously relates Ny at
tention snail now be directed to the letter ltseI
You arc perfectly right in believing that for
the last thirty years | have been engaged as
Counsel III almost every import ant case OF alleged
Fugitives from Justice brought before our Judges
and Courts in Philadelphia, and always on the
part Of the Fugitive" And l hope 1t will not be
immodest for me to add, that my services have not
been confined to this State; that they have rather
been the services OF man to his fellow men,
e lawyer to his client, and that have never upon
any occasion, here or elsewhere, ortrom any body
received, one farthing compensation Tor my hum
Bile efforts on behalf OF human liberty, and IN ylndl-
cation of human rights. Ny only inducement was
sense Of conscientious duty, and, ask no other
earthly reward, as | have elsewhere Intlmated,
than this simple inscription on my humble tomb,
Here lies the friend OF the tnendless
Although, my dear Sir, cannot say OF Y0a, as
YOU have said of me, that you have been engaged
in behalf OF alleged fugtives ! will at least do
YOU the Justice to say thought may be considered
but n negative compliment that have never
during that period OF time, in q single instance,
known you to have been enlisted or engaged
against them.
You ask me fifI remember any instance in
which coored man has been delivered to his
claimant and in which | have reason to believe
he had been adjudged to be a slave, contrary to
the truth Of the CASE" | answer you very frank
" and freely, That acuer hare. Thanks to the
humane interference of that Society which was
established under the auspices OF Benjamin rank
n and aided by the zeal and talent OF such men
as William Lewis, William Rawle Jared lnger-
soil, John Sergeant and others and with thanks
also to those upright impartial, and independent
Judges, by whom the rights of the parties were
finally determined. | wish ! could stop here
but hare known hundreds, who have been lille
gey and unjustly claimed and | think you Will
agree with me, that it requires little casuistry TO
determine that such claims such traffic, cannot
be justified or excused merely because IN their
result they proved unsuccessful. In addition TO
this have known attempts, OF the most shame
full character to impose upon the alleged fugitive.
in every variety OF ways that cup!dlty could su5'
gest or cruelty adopt,
Can you then, wonder my dear Sir, that with
a mind imbued by such facts, the friends OF the
oppressed should look with great caution, great
jealousy, if you please, upon almost every claim
that may be preferred against these unhappy be
ings There is no disposition, Or at all events, no
effort, to defeat the legitimate claimant IN his de-
mand All that is required is that he shall show
bis title-show it satisfactorilyto the Court and
there is an end oft But when he selects doubt
full agents, or exhibits doubtful title or fails in
proof Of identity, or purchases the slave " run
ming from any one who will sell him, certainly
the Constitution never designed that such claims
! should succeed, And such has been the general
character OF the claims that have been defeated
To conclude: In all that has thus been said,
would not be understood to cast aspersion or re-
| proach upon the South generally. 1t would be
unkind and unjust to do so. 1t is not to impugn
or mpeach the Slave States, to say, that bad men
may have attempted to turn the law against fugi-
tives to their own vile purposes. There are
wicked men to be found everywhere, and while
we remember that five righteous persons would
| have saved Sodom it would scarcely be consistent
whole communities and States merely because
they may have occasionally employed unfit agents
or exhibited unfavorube samples
There is more high minded, hospitable or
chivalric portion OF the United States than the
South; but with all those virtues which we &C
cord to them, they should not be unmindlul that
there are other men who have rights beside them
selves, and that their own interests and priyi-
leges are best preserved by proper observance
and respect of those of others, and, above ALL by
due regard for the stability and integrity OF that
Union which, as they were among the first to es-
tablish, they at least should be among the last to
assail. Very respectfully and truly yours,
DAVID PAUL BROWN.