New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-11-20
der of Mr.. CrAY's Speech We shall try to pub
lsh it entire in our Evening Edition.
The Presidents Letter 10 Robt. Collins on the
subject of Crafts, the Fugitive slave Case.
SIATE UtPAAThENIt
WASHINGTON, Saturday, Nov @


you that Your letter ofthe I'd INST addressed to hln
lncloslDg several slips from newspapers, III refer
ence to proceedings OF portion OF the community
OF Boston on the subj ct OF the Fugitive Slave Law,
was received by him yesterday and that he mas
given to the letter and its Enclosures careful peru
sal You state in substance, that you are owner Of
Crafts one OF the Fugitive Slaves Tor whom war
rants OF arrest issued in Boston and call the
Presidents attention to the inclosed slips, taken
mostly from Northern papers, by which ne VIII
perceive the manner in which your agents were
received and treated for merely asking that The
Slaves be returned according to the laws OF the
United States-that they have been arrested
under various warrants as kdnappers and on other
frivolous pretenses, and unreasonable ban de-
manded and that your friends have become
their sureties for more than 100000. ION also
say that many cases in which officers have not
performed their duty, will appear by the slips and
that warrants now lie dead III the Marshal oil,
fee You then speak OF the pernlclous effect OF
such proceedings, and OF their tendency 70 as
turb the harmony of the Union, and OF the great
importance of having the law faithfully executed,
and finally inquire whether it is not the intention OF
the Executive OF the United States to cause that
law to be faithfully and properly enforced 10 this
the President directs me to reply that you cannot
be more deeply impressed than he IS with the I'M
portance Of having every law faithfully executed.
every statute in this country passed in accordance
with the provisions of the Constitution, must be
presumed to embody the will OF a majority OF the
people Of the Union, and as such is entitled to the
respect and obedience OF every true American
citizen, and the Constitution which the President
has sworn to support, has made it his especial du-
ty to take care that the laws be faithfully execu.
ted He has no thought of shrinking from his
duty in this or in any other case but will to the
utmost Of his ability firmly and faithfully perform
it, but how is he to cause the laws to be exc.
cuted First, by appointing proper officers to I'LL
the various Offices and discharge their various
functions with diligence and fidelity And II
any shall be found incompetent or untalthtul,
by removing them, where he has power OF
removal, and appointing more competent and
faithful officers in their places and secondly, IN
extreme cases, whenever the laws OF the United
States shall be opposed, or the execution thereof
INSTRUCTED in any State by combinations too pow.
erful to be suppressed by the ordinary course OF
Judicial proceedings, or by powers vested in civil
officers with powers which the law authorizes and
requires them to call to their aid, it would be his
duty to call forth the Militia and use the Army
and Navy tor the purpose OF overcoming such
iorcible combinations against the laws. But III
either case prudence and justice require that there
should be more satisfactory evidence of official de-
hnquency or forcible resistance than mere rumor
or newspaper statements, and yet these all
which have been furnished in this case. II any
Marshal neglects to perform his duty the
law gives the right of action to the aggrieyed
party for the injury which he may sustain and if
upon him severe penalty. But ii he refuse or
wilfully neglect to perform it, when this shall be
satisfactorily made TO appear TO the President
then, in addition to his liability to the aggrieyed
party, it would doubtless be the duty OF the TX
ecutive to remove him from office and appoint
another in his place. But your letter contains no
proof of this kind, and therefore to require
no action 1t is equally clear that no case IS
presented justitying call upon the militia or
the use OF the Army to execute the laws, and
| the President has so much confidence in the pa
trictism and devotion to the laws which has al
ways characterized large majority of the people
of Boston, that he cannot for moment believe
| that it will ever be necessary to call in any extra
ordinary aid to execute the laws IN that city In
divlduals may become excited and may III the
heat of the moment offer resistance to the ia"s
but he has no doubt that in such an eyent-so
much to be regretted-the good sense OF the com
muny would soon rally to support the civil authorl-
ties and that those sustaining the law would trl-
umph But he directs me to assure you that Junior
tunately he should find himself mistaken in this and
the painful necessity should arise, he should per
form his duty by employing all the means which
| the Constitution and Congress have placed at his
| disposal to enforce the law. AS to the compliant
! that YOUR agents were unjusty prosecuted andheld
to bail in unreasonable amounts for pretended Oh
lenses the President directs me to say, that how
ever lie may regret any such injustice and nclylll-
tv he is not aware that he has power to remedy
the evil. II the complaints agalnstyou agents be
! unounded the defendants will doubtless be &C
Quilted and il malicious, they have their rene
dy in an action for a malicious prosecution. Bat
! all these are Judicial questions, over winch the
| Executive car exercise no control, and the evil
complained of results from the acknowledged
rights of every individual to prosecute any one
for an alleged otienSe or violation OF right. The
importance OF avoiding. as lar as practicable, all
causes of irritation between the North and the
| South, and especially on the exciting SUBJECT OF
| Slavery, were he permitted to advise, he would
suggestto all the importance OF permitting the laws
to take their usual course, and that every
| thing tending to intimidation, illegal or I'M
lust ANNOYANCE. should be scrupuousy avoided.
| Every effort should be made to cultivate irater-
nal feeling We should be people OF one inter
est and one sentiment knowing no local DIVISION
and tolerating no sectional injustice Our mon,
SO dear to the heart of every true American, can
only be preserved by a strict observance oil the
Constitution and impartial administration of the
laws | am, Sir respectfully. your OBJ t servt,
w. S DERRICK, Acting Secretary.
To ROBERT COLLINS, Esq Macoa Ga.
The Georgia Disunion papers denounce the
| Presidents letter as base attempt to interfere
in the election of Delegates to the Convention.
The Charleston Courier, and Mercury also both
denounce it in strong terms on the faith OF brlet
telegraphic dispatch describing its contents
The Maryland reform Convention.
ANNAPOLIS, Tuesday, Nov 10
The Maryland Reform Convention met again
! TODAY resolution offered IN favor OF
! electing Attorney Generals and Deputies by the
people 1t was referred to the Business Com
m ph 4 call for statistics Of the Lottery sys
tenn was adopted. The President vas requested
to open correspondence with the Secretary OF
the Interior to obtain an early copy of the Census
returns Of Maryland for the use OF the Convention.
From the Somth-Cholera at Annapolis.
BALTIMORE Tuesday, Nov 10
The Wings and Loco,Fo cos are getting up
great Union Festival at New Orleans, to welcome
Senator Foote on his way back to Washington.
The cholera has broken out at Annapolis,
and two members of the Reform Convention died.
/ q -,