North Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1850-1852, 1850-11-13
MR. FiL1,NoRFHT OF

fn1itf FllatgNIOhE.A
The newspapers are retailing some very clever
IS anecdotes lin relation to the determination OF Pre-
sident Fillmore to enforce the Fugitive Slave Law.
They say he has declared that the law shall be exc
cuted, =" even at the risk Of blood w onderiui Is
it not his plain and sworn duty 10 DO this "nere-
FORE them these OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES N'-umea COM
plimentsl The President talks very well, IN private
but where are his aets2 &aaS As&@
Il We learn that he applied 10 oy the Marshal OF
Massachusetts to permit one oothe national vessels
in Boston harbor be used as prlson-shP for tu-
o;,;va slaves and for Revenue Cutter to convey the
slaves TO Balfimore and that ne refused the appca-
,;or On the ground that such course wou be. un-
necessary and extraordinary. By the law of Massa-
cbuse,ts heavy penalty is imposed upon her police
officers, if they assist in capturing fugitive, or if
they use the State prisons for the purpose of secur-
ing him after he is taken; and this being the case,
the Marshal will be compelled in case of an arrest
to hold to the slave in some building of his own,
or guard him in the streets! Who hope, under
these circumstances that single fugitive will bere
claimed in Boston2 Every thing is against the
Southern man claiming his slave in Massachusetts.
Public sentiment brands him as " save-hunter -
public opinion universally condemns the law-the
Courts, the lawyers the Marshal, the police officers
dreds of fugives in the State, and yet not one has
been taken. The Marshal. who is appointed by the
President and responsible to him for the discharge of
his duties, fails to act; and the President instead of
removing him and appointing who will,
talks in priuaie in favor of the law and says he IN
tends enforce it. The truth is. the Presidents feel
ings against the ia,O! That is the secret of all
this equivocation and delay. .#
We surprised that William A. Graham should
remain in the Cabinet under these circumstances.
His own State, which has honored him on many &C.
casions, acquiesces in the Adjustment measures,
though they all against her, except one; and that
is trampled under foot in the free States. while
the Administration of which he is member stands
by and talks of enforcing it! We think that these
matters have been considered and discussed long
enough. Let the laac be erecuted; and if Gov. Ora
ham is determined to continue his connection with
the President let it be known that he is of his
advisers and responsible also, in his sphere for the
execution of this law. "
The Petersburg Intelligencer, leading Wing pa
per, uses the following strong but just language in
relation to the President and his duty in the present
crisis: $3.50 1855.
1.-THE Fugitive Slave Law is there nullied all in
and purposes and We of the South can look to
but remedies for the insult and injury which
have been heaped upon MS. We must call upon the
President 10 exercise the pow er with which he is
clothed, and execute the law at all hazards. We
are of the opinion that the President is not Obliged
await official information from the Marshal that
he cannot execute tire law Ii is sufficient for the
President to know, no matter how he may acquire
the information, that the law Is resisted, and this
knowledge will justify him in using all the power
with which he is invested to execute the law OF the
land. The Marshal may himself be an Abolitionst,
and in nc hoarf rein fh2th &c
charge his duty, and may, therefore, never give OIL
cial information of the fact the President. The
President has it in his power, then, TO call out the
forces of the United States, and carry the law into
execution. He knolos, and every body knolUs, that
the law has been hulifeG in Boston-that two ciil-
of the South, who visited that city in quest of
their property, prevented from arrestng their
slave, and bringing him up for examination as to his
imprisoned under notorious false pre-
fences, and afterwards held to excessive bail, and IL
nay, in for their lives. had to leave the city
without their property These facts notorious TO
the country. The South, then, has right to look
to the President for the application of this remedy.
which alone can the Union-for as certain as
the Shines the South will, in the absence OF this
first and best remedy, resort to the second, and that
is secession from the Union 1t will not do to talk
of the South about the general prevalence OF
opinions and feeling at the North 1t
matters not to US the value of brass farthng wheh
er the law is nuifed by q multitude or by a squad
by million of men or by dozen. In the one case,
and in the other, the result is the same-we are
cheated out of propery-the Constitution is null
lifted, and the contract which bound US together,
having been violated by of parties to it has ceas
ed to be binding any.
But ifthere IS this general prevalence OF conser-
vative opinions and feelings at the North" why do
we not get the benefit of it! Why does it not make
itself known in substantial results 7 Why do the
multitudes of conservatives stand by with folded
arms and permit squads of abotonists 10 run rough
shod over the constitution and the laws! curse
on such conservatism as this, say we. We would
not give Sam Patch, dead alive, for millions of
such conservatives. Conservatives, indeed! They
are about as conservative man would be who, on
seeing an incendiary apply torch to his nelghbors
eXtingush the flames. -aa.a, aa