The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-02-28

to abolish slavery in the District is fully conce.
ded, yet he calls on Congress not to do, what
many of its members and vast mutitudes Of their
constituents believe IL their moral duty TO do. In
| this proposal eau find no other compromise but
| that of conscience.
6. The next proposal is to prohibit the impor-
tation Of slaves into the District for sale In other
words, the inhabitants are to have monopoly OF
the trade in human beings These good people
are not to be deprived of the privilege Of import
ing as many slaves as they may want for their
own use, nor of selling husbands and wives and
children, TO be transported TO the extremities OF
the Union but foreign traders shall no longer be
permitted to glut the Washington market with
their wares. The moment the resolution passes,
human chattels will rise in value in the capital OF
our republic ! object not to the abolition Of the
| trade since il wiz remove one Of the many abom-
nations with which slavery has disgrsced the
seat of our National Government but | deny that
the proposition involves the slightest concession
on the part of the Shareholders. Says Mr.. Clay
himself "almost every slaveholding State in the
Union has exercised its power to prohibit the in
PRODUCTION of slaves as merchandise The power
is exercised or not. according to convenience, and
as it is thought most profitable to breed or TO i'm
\ pert slaves.
| SEVENTH RESOLUTIONS.
T. We now come to grand specific for giving
ease to Northern consciences, for allaying alirr-
taton, and for restoring general healthful ac-
ton throughout the present morbid system Of the
Confederacy ] will give the recipe in full {:
Resolved, that more tfec,ual p'ocision ought to
be made by law for the restitution and delivery
of persons bound to service or labor in any State
who may escape into any other State or Territory
Of this Union" That may not be accused Of in
justice to Mr. Clay in my subsequent remarks |
will quote from his speech on this point al do
not say, sir that pirate individual is obliged to
make the tour of his whole State, in order to as
sst the owner Of slave to recover his property
but do say, if he is present when the owner of
slave is about to assert his rights and regain pos
session of his property, that he and ecsTy pres
en, whether officer or agent of the State Govern
ment, or private individual, is bound 10 assist in
the execution of the laws of their country {"
will 20 with the farthest Senator from the South
in this body 10 make penal la#s 30 impose the
heoueSt sanctions upon the recovery Of fugitive
slaves, aid the restoration of them to their own
ersn
Such is the panacea, and such is the manner in
which our medical adviser proposes to administer
it, He must not be surprised, should some diff
Guilty be experienced in compelling the patient to
swallow the draught
| Mr. Clay has long been favorer Of those field
sports in which the prey is MAN, and he has the
merit 1t is believed, of being the first to conceive
| the grand idea of securing a national intercom-
munity in these sports by means Of international
treaties. So early as the 10th June, 1896 as
Secretary of State, he proposed TO the British
| Government to throw the Cansdas open for this
sport, and in return, to British sportsmen should
be accorded the privilege Of hunting West India
negroes, throughout the whole extent of the
| Amar;ca, RanphIic Rut Tohn Rull rpiect cd tho
rendered reciprocity, and churlishly replied "The
law of Parliament gave freedom to every slave
who effected his landing on British ground"
| About the same time We requested from Mex
| leo the boon Of hunting negroes over her wide
area. The desired favor was denied but we have
since forcibly added almost half her territory to
our own hunting grounds or all the game laws
in existence, that of 1893, which regulates the
chase of negroes Is the most horrible; yet MIR
Clay is dissatisfied with it, and calls upon Con-
4 gress TO make it s'more effectualo and of course
more horrible Should Virginian come to New
York In search of his horse, and 6ad him In the
possession of another, who claims him as his prop
erty, how il he to recover the animal? Only by
process of law and that process requires that a
Jury Of twelve impartial men, drawn by lot, shall
pass upon the connic'ipg claims Neither party
has any choice in selecting the jury, nor Car
either establish his claim by his own evidence
But if the Virginian is hunting MAN. and see'
one that will serve his purpose, and who will
fetch thousand dollars in the Southern market
but who claims to belong to himself, how is he Il
secure him. Why he may catch his MAN as well
as he can, and without warrant may carry hin
before any justice Of the peace whom for sufficient
reasons he may think proper to select, and swear
that the MAN he has caught is his, and the justice
may surrender the MAN to perpetual bondage
degradation, and misery. Various officers besides
justices are authorized to act, so that the Virgin
ian has a wide choice. Surely this is hunting
made easy by law, but it is not found so easy In
practice. Latterly, various States have prohibit
ed their omn officers from assisting in the chase OF
human beings, and citizens rarely lend any M
paif assistance. Hence new gamelaw is deemed
needfu and MIR Clay, as we have seen, is pledged
to 20 with 'the farthest Southern SENATOR the
most devoted lover of the sport, to make it effec-
tual The Judiciary Committee havs accordingly
| reported bill now before the Senate. II agree
said Mr. Mason, one of the farthest Southern
Senator's in his speech on this bill (2Sth JAM ~
agree that the Federal Government has no po1rer
10 impose duties Of any kind upon The officers Of STATE
| Governments as sueho Of course, the obligation
imposed by the law Of 1893, upon justices Of the
peace and other State officers, to catch slaves are
void, and our Northern Legislatures, tits admitted
| have right to prohibit them from participating In
necessary to select other than State officers to adju.
dictate upon questions Of higher import than any,
with the single exception Of life and death, that
ever exercise the talents learning virtue and in.
| dependence, of the most august tribunals Of any
civilized country. And who are the grave and
reverend judges appointed by this bill to sit In
judgment on the liberty or bondage Of nativeborn
Americana Among these judges are TWENTY
| THOUSAND posTnAsrrRsl Each one of these new
| 81. -. Ivo.
or child black or white, to be q vendbe chattel
and this Judgment is to be founded on any proof
that may be satisfactory to said postmaster in the
words of the bill, "either by oral testimony or
affidavit nor is the testimony, either oral or by
affidavit Of the int crested claimant excluded and
from this judgment there is no appeal! Slavery
is no longer confined TO one color. The Southern
papers abound with advertisements offering re-
wards for fugitive slaves, containing the caution,
that the fogitive will probably attempt to pass
for a mhhe person.
A few years since Maryland stakeholder
caught in Philadelphia white girl, MARY Gill
more) whom he claimed as his SLAVE The case
was brought before a Pennsylvania judge, and oc-
cupied two days. and it was proved by most album
dant overwhelming evidence, that the alleged
slave was the orphan daughter Of POOR IRISH Pa
RENTS. The mother had died In the Philadelphia
hospital, and the daughter had never been In
Maryland By pending amendment to this bill,
every man and woman who, prompted by the no.
Hest impulses Of our nature, shall harbor or
conceal the prey from the hunter IL to be visited
with fine and imprisonment. A few days after
MIR. Clay introduced his resolutions Bruen K
Hin, slave tradArs in Alexandria, wrote letter,
since published4h the newspapers, stating for the
information of free MOTHER In New York, who
wished TO redeem her DAUGHTER from bondage,
that they cannot afford TO sell " the girl Emily