Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1850-11-26

INTO hottils PARTIES
tho Representatives. OF great and united people assembled
in the land Washington, Jeltcison and Jackson To
su unt act together brethren in promoting the common
I .ood 0. the whole Republic
ose nat The MON not then in serious danger Had
e Wlmot PloSiso become law or had slavery been aoo
.jcd in tile District OF Columbia. nothing short of sDeca
erpos.lion a. Divine Pavdence could have prevented The
secession most if no, all Of tho s!iveioldng States
II was from Ibis great aui glorious old Commonwealth
ri.hriy denonI.a,c, the keystone o the Arch that TIL
h ray j! enanaicd ~ oisp. the gloom She Is no
conscious o. power. She stunts the taisnar
between North and the South and can Lev her hand or
,hr party and say thus shalt thou -, and farther
mo wisdom indignation and rmness Of her people cacu
late her crnenty 70 act is the Just ana equacc unps oe
tween thc extremes
II WIS the vote in our State House of Representatives
refusing consider the insructins resolutions in favor
tho Wnlot Psuvso, which first cheered the hearts OF every
patriot in the land. This speedily followed NJ vote
hr House OF Representatives AT Washington milling The
Wno Provso itself The table. And here oue; IL
forget the great meeting held in Philadelphia On Inc birth
day OF tho father OF his country in favor of the Union
which gave happy and irresistible impulse 10 public opin
jon Throughout the State. and may aid throughout The
Union.
Tie honor Of the South las been saved by the Compro
mise The Wimot Proviso Is forever dead and slavery will
never be abolished in District Of Columbia whilst il
rues 10 exist in Maryland The receding storm In the
south still connls dash with violence butt will gradu
ally subsde should agitation cease IN The North All ina!
is necessary for 10 dn Is TO execute Inc ugPe save
Law and let the Southern people a!ons suffering them Ia
manage their own doneac concerns IN their own way
Virginia farmer asked il there wea two neehbors
living together. what would think il one of them shoald
be rnay interfering In hc domestic concerns Of lis other
Coaii they possibly i've together in peace
Without tho harmony aud safety of the non
what ha-ng would this policy Of no-in,erstnco he, no;
only the slaves and the tree negroes bn even 10 The cause
! uf constitutional emancipation Itself.
Since the agitation commenced the slave hss bsen aepri
we'd VI many privileges which LID formerly enjoyed because
OF he ,ecesy thus Imposed upon the master ~ pro-
yit" fo7 ks personal safety and that Of his family
The free negro FOR the overriding reason Is threat
encd with expulsion ifom the !ca ci hi. nativity IL The
,-I .hnrs.
,ornern States ;at they viii reuse 10 a1.d hin an aiy-
! .iE..
The cause OF emancipation itself has greatly suffered by
tic agitation. Ii LIFT liz constitutional and n ra cnu:se
law ere this would probably have existed tor
dual abolition Of slavery in the Sta!cs OF Mayland Viz
g!nia Kentucky ard Missouri The current oi public OPT
MON was running strongly in that direction before tie atol
zion excitement commenced especially in Virginia There
measure having directly IL vic" he or:t4. sh5.!on o!
slavery offered ~ The srandao u Thomas Jefferson
cane wihn ono ,s;e my mcnory serves me- OF passing
House Of Delegates. Throughout Virginia. az sell a3
IN the other three Salca which have mentioned there
then powerful, influential and growing party IN favor Of
gradual emancipation cheered on 10 exeon by The bright
ee hopes Of success What has become Of this party!
Ii gone Il is numbered with the things that have been
The interference OF Northern fanatics with the 2eiuion OF
slavery in thu South has 20 ryce FAD eaaserted Tic pea
pie That her3 is man N that reg!on now bold enough 10
forts abuonss have long, very long postponed The
y Of emancipation in these States. Throughout! ie iTaE
growing slave States, powerful canae4 TeI1 10 operation,
which mus; hi,.o many yoaro have produced gradual
einpancpaGr These haze been couneracted BY the vo
le,lcc loy Of The uboioniss. They have done nh-
nc mischief They have only brought tho Union into
imminent peril h, thev have ,accd ,ic evils both
tho saTa aL TIE free negro the a'owed objects Of
their rega!'.
Let me- then Gull upon your powerful and influential meet
ing they value Tie union Of these 5aiee hs great
political blessing ever conferred ri ooGntifu Pro'i
dence Upon man. hey value the well being OF The slave
and free negro they value tho OF regular and
constitutional emancipation exert ali then energies 10 put
Gowa The ongraunuet agitation in the North against sa.
very in Inc SCUM. Is unreasonable that The South should
make this demand The agitation has reached such height
that The Southern people feel their personal security 10 be in
VOWED 1t has filled the minds Of slaves with vague notions
Of emancnaiun and in The language OF Gen. Jackson threat
" stimulate lhcm u lnsurfecton ibid produce all the
horrors oi a serylr war" Although any such attempt on
their par; would he easily and scedi" suppressed yet what
horrors might not In thr meantime BE- penetrated Many
mother etifcs night under the dreadful nppre
tensions If what may bele h"gec md !ay Before The
morning preservation IL the tst instinct OF nauf'
.rd therefore any STATE Of society in which the sword OF
Danucs il all the ine suspended over the heads oil the peo
peoplt, must, al last, become intoerabe.
IL jud!e correctly =. rel!.!:e duties togardg the
people ol South ought Plce oarse'scS IN their
nosoa and do unto them as We .v0ri ,hey should do
under sn;ar circumstances. This In TIE golden ruc-
|. utcr brngu Influence lha, eur Constitution OF
compromise ana concession vas ifanled a!i by tho
ap.t alone can il be maintained! Do TIE people ."
Norm in this Christian spirit, Wills. sy'n,iizlng
their brethren Of the South with the nrshes eithe's and
apaiiag 20 them h!.h degree o moral gG:i. brcau.e
slavery la. been eniacG upon them BY he!r ioeinters
and this, too with knowledge thai tho consequences OF
hees assg!s MT. l.. 10 place peril hrr sra0.a. sy
und ;5it Vi al t.ey Eoil den. oa.i repent thai
asaion mus. De arrested ~ inc firm deter
mination and resoute action Of the vast innloY oil mo
neos the North Tha arr known - c31pprJve IT, or The
sacrifice G: glorious Unicn may ana probably will be a'
las. tho consequence,
2 siali ov proceed present you views upon
the subject much nlsrcpresented fugitive slave law
II is evident from all the signs Of the tiee that this 10
destined 10 become the principal subject OF agitation Al the
next session Of Congress and take place of the viii
Pr9yiso. It's total repeal its material modification
will oncclorward be the battle cry Of the agi'aors o the
North.
,hici, II IN,
carry to execution p!a Gear ard mandatory provision
OF the Constitution, requiring that fugitive slaves who fly
from service IN one State to cnohc snail nc delivered up 20
their masters This provision Is 60 explicit that he who
may read No commentary cen present il In stronger
light than plain words Of Tho Constitution II Is Well
known historical fact that without this provision the CON
sulIon ITSELF could have existed How could this
otherwise Is possible fr moment TO believe
that The slave Snes would have nrmed union with the
free States II under IT, their slaves by simply es'aping
The boundary which separates them would acquire AL
rights Of treenen This would have been 10 picr an IT.
c,!ise temptation all The SLAVE Of The so4h 10 pec
plate themselves upon The North. The federal constitution
therefore, recognizes the cearcst and most emphatic terms
property in slaves and protects this property By prohibit
ing State which slave might escape from di,chorg
ing him from slavery and By requiring that he shall De dslv
cred up 10 his master.
but The asa!ors The fugitive slave aS, framed for
the purpose Of carrying into elect express provision o
the Constitution, is itself unconstitutional shall! not stop
argue such point length, deening this 10 DC wholly
unnecessary Ihe law in every one o! lis essential provl-
sung is li,r very law which passed in February,
1885, b. Congress-, many Of whose members had come
fresh fr the convention which Trimmed the federal cons
,Ion and approved br the Father OF his Country.
this DO So inlY asked whence tho necessity Of nasiue
the peseE, law Why rest upon the AT OF 1893 Thi.
question is eas answered The Act of 1893 had sntrnsro
is execution only TO the Judges of tie Circuit
and District Courts OF the United States, but 10 al Stat.
magistrates any county, CITY, or town cor,orats
The decision o the Supreme Court of the United States
in The case of Pgg The Commonwealth of Pennsvva
nn deprived Stue magistrates n" the roT3r OF ac'ne
under Inc law What the consequence IT,. us take
The State Of Pennsylvania for example. There were but
three individuals left in tie whole Safe who coGd Judic
ally execute the provisions OF tho Act o: 1893 the Circuit
Ju:ge and the two district Judges. Two OF 'hes.
Judges reside in Philadelphia. md one Of them n
Pi,tsbil.g, distance Of Than three hundred
miles arar il Is manifest ihc.afcra, that The law
in MANY n5d In cases could not have been executed
Dr wan. vi officers hand il thus became absolutely
necessary Congress provide United States officers To
take the place Of the State magistrates who had been super
sedsd Without this constitutional! right could have exs
ted with adequate of enforcing H. The iuei'ivc
s,ye b rassed chiefly remedy this detect md 10
substitute such officers instead Of the State magistrates whose
powers had nullai undcr thu decision Of Supreme
Court.
II is worthy Of remark that acyera of our Northern "gs
ntus ava:;n, ihemselves OF the decision Of the Supcinn
Court nj rntc the deep excitement b. the ogita;ion o The
Nnoi Provi-a pissed laws imposing obstacles 10 the exc
cron Of provisions Of Constitution for the resora
..a.al hA