Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1841-1853, 1850-10-31
The Fugitiye Slave Law.

The Fugitive Slave Law.
II we to Judge from the great excitement that
the AbotOnists and their allies of the north are now
creating, would be led suppose that the act of the
last session of Congress- had introduced new and un-
constitutional principle into our government for the ex-
elusive benefit Of the stakeholder; bat il we were to
judge from the of the southern press Congress has
been so FAR playing into the hands Of the sorhern Abo
htonsts justify even accession or disunon These
antagonist positions the alarming, from the
fact that neither Of them has the least shadow Of fouH.
daton upon from any of the last session of
Congress- and least Of ALL from the fugitive slave act,
proving incontestby that each faction merely
seeking pretexts for agitation, and that they willing
TO seize upon any and every of the government
the friends Of the Unon which they think he forced
into their service in the unhoy war which they are
wagng against the last and brightest hopes of reemen
throughout the world The conservative of the last
session, had supposed would have left ground Of
complaint to any reasonable man, who is willing to
stand by thecompromises and guarantees Of the Const
tuition, each and every complained Of, stands
firmly sustained by the great charter Of liberties.
The fugitive slave law said be exception this
position, and to give greater powers the slave
holder in securing his fugitive, runaway slave than
he had under the Constitution Let see how that is
We maintain that it only secures the of slaves
precisely what the Constitution has guaranteed him,
while throws arouud the free colorcd man protection
that given by the Of Congress of l793 and
the decision Of the Supreme Court of the United States
in the Of Prigg the Commonwealth of Penn. IL
wanna. The Constitution of the United States which
have supposed was obligatory the paramount law
of the land provides that no person held service
laho in lax
another, shall in consequence of any law or regulation
therein be discharged from such service or labor but
shall be delivered up claim OF the party whom such
service labor may be due" The decision of the Su
preme Court in the referred to above determined
this to be self acting provision authorizing the
Of slave who had escaped from one State to another
whether free State slave State pursue the slave
and take and carry him back the State from which he
had escaped and where he owed services without any
warrant, certificate, process whatever. The of
Congress Of 1893 affixed the penalty those who pre-
vented the free exercise Of this power with the purpose
of procuring the escape Of the slave Thus it is clear
that before the passage of the late Of Congress- the
rights OF the of the slave declared in the Con-
stituton defined and enforced quite strongly in
favor of the slave owner they by the additional
act of Of Congress passed the last session That
recognizes the rights under the Constitution OF the
Shareholder that previously in existence but in
stead of authorizing the master pursue and take his
slave and carry him out of Slate icithout process Of
any kind the law Of the land previously express
y requires the Of the slave carry him before le
gal tribunal make proothat such person arrested
slave other words service IN the State from
which he has escaped and then to obtain certificate of
the court officer before such fugitive be taken
OF the State. This act, then, is clearly protec
ton thrown around the free man. and imposes addition
al restraint upon the knapper those previously inn
posed. In word, only to the of the
slave his rights soemnly guaranteed by the Constitution,
while it efectually shields the free colored man. and
places barrier between the kidnapper and his victim
that he overleap leaving the State laws against
kidnapping in fall force and the habeas corpus unim
paired should there be of injustice attempted.
With all due Difference the opinion of Others
Us, that the should the appreciation of all
who are willing to stand by the guarantees and compro-
misses Of the federal Constitution, and who value, as
do, the prosperity of this glorious Union.