The Charlotte journal. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1835-1851, 1850-12-11

u had been to emancipaie slaves living a
home amongst themselves, il would have pre-
seaied a very different question, and il 10 oe
i,eved that II never would have passed.
Sill, under all their excitement, they uevel
proPosed to emanoipaie the slave without
paying his master an equivalent. Public
/ op,ni"n IN the mother country has done much
Ia produce the present slate Of Thu % 10 thi.
country; but we must do them juslica-ih
neser encouraged The fugi'ives to run away
nor proposed any system by which the ma O.
ter should be deprived Of his rights wihou,
Jus, satisfaction.
! The present fugitive bill should be honest.
ly carried out by the Judicial authority Of the
country, and that authority should be enfor.
ced by public opinion. This is the issue. -
u we do no, coocede this ground fully and
cheeriuily, we violate the original federal
compact, aud give the South just righ, to
complain II our conduct.
The w,lful harbot'ns Of a fugitive slave is
sgiave ohence IN morals as we'll as Law and
ih"s~ who commit this ,ffrnce can rxcul pate
themselves upon no other ground than the
recognition Of a higher authority than the
constitution and laws Of the Union, the bene.
fits OF which they are continually enjoying,
and ~hich ln all other matters they seek for
their own protection. freely admit tina, a.
mons the few aboliiionisis in our commun,.
~ are To be found the mos, exemplary men
IN private life; but their purity Of character
IS Of no value when it jeopards all lha, il.
dear TO US.
In our own State legislation We are mot
without iaul,. The sci pissed by the legis.
Iaure Of Penns, lvania the Sd Of March, l..
si7. contains many features, in my opinion,
odlous and unconstitutional, and i, ought 10,
aud have no doubt will, be repealed at the
mex session of The legislature.
The passage OF that act has been auribu.
ted 10 the decision in Pnegs csse, (l6 Pc.
ters, $780, but they have no connex exicn.--
The decision i" Pdgg's case was made in
lS42. The court ~ that case declared the
act Of Penns, lvania OF the 25,h March, 1896
TO be unconstitutional "A decision which has
never been doubted; but tho Court explicitly
says: Estate magistrates may, il they
choose, exercise that authority, (ihe deliver.
ing Of fugitive slaves.) unless prohibited by
Sthte ieEisia't1n.
There 10 no doub, but that heretofore The
act Of Congress passed the l2;h Of February.
1893, was viewed by man, IN the free States
with Jealousy and dislike and many rules
Of construction and practice have been adopt.
ed which were calculated rather TO defeat
than carry cut the law. A determination
has been made between fugti,es from justice
a uI I.l.. sha. a.
totally unauihorized. This el il ought to be-
iemedied; aud the came salu,ary rules To
maintain the public security in detainiog u
fugitive charged with n criminal offence
should be exteuded 10 the other class Of lus
lives. The mnster who CLAIMS bis slave Is
entitled TO the same privileges that the Uui
ted States or the Commonwealth possess in
public prosecutions, or that private suitor
is entiled TO in enforcing q civil right.
Ii will he perceived by all who hear me,
that on The suhec, Of fugitive slaves think
the slavehold,ag States have a right to com.
plain, and am anxious TO do them ample JUS
lice. The North is bound 10 deliver up the
last fugitive slave within its limits by The
same ties Of hocor and good faith tina, the U.
OF the public debt.
Many well disposed persons in the Nor,h
suppose that The lugi ise.slsve law will be
bused. There is no ground f,r this fear.-
kidnapping 10 in the North too offensive ts
be allowed. Public sympathy will err on
the side Of the fugitive. not against him bu'
kidnapping is as odious in the Sou'h as it i,
IN The North aud those who imagine that in
/ the South free black man can with impu.
nifty be se,zcd and kept as slave know no
thing of The state of public feeling and opin
ION in the saveholding States. Asy law
may be condemned, if the argument be basee
upon its abuse. | am authorized TO say by
nv freed David Paul Blown, E,q., that, du
ring a most extensive practice OF more thar
thirty years in protecting fugitive slaves, hs
has never known m instance OF black oil
coored man being delivered up contrary I,
the truth Of the CASE
srhe following correspondence shows the au
thority for this statement:
PHIl,pELrrnA. Nov 9, 1850.
Dear Sir: During tho last thirty years. believe
you have been engaged a. counsel in almost ever
important case Of q fugitive slave brought befor
our judges and courts in Philadelphis, aud alsay
on the part Of the fug tive
ri Be pleased TO inform me whether you remembc
any csss whore a colored man has been del vercd t
his claimant, and in which you had reason TO be
lieve he had bren sdudesd TO be slave contrary l.
the truth OF the case.
! make. with great pleasure, this draft upon you
known ftankness, because | know it will be mos
cheerfully accepted.
l remain, dear, sir, your friend.
/ JOSIAH RANDALL
DAVID P, BRowN, Esq.
PnrLApE2nnk Nov. ~. 1850
Dear Sir: You are per light in believin
that :" for the las, thirty ysSf Vavs been S"gage
psd g,iyes from service brough, before our judge
aud courts Of Philadelphia, and always on the pal
of tho fugitive" Although, my dear SIR came
sax Of You, a. uom have said Of me, that You hay