New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-11-26
TO THE EDITOR Of THE TRIBUNE:

am q constant reader of your paper, although
not a convert to all your doctrines. Still, in the
main l believe you to be sound, and your paperin.
structive. Upon one leading subject of the day
l dissent from many opinions l see in your paper.
In reference to the Repeal Of the Fugitive Slave
Law | have not been able yet to know what you
are driving at whether to repeal all laws in refer
ence to recapturing Fugitive Slaves, or merely to
alter the law to give the Slaves jury trial.
To require the Slave or any one arrested under
that Law to be tried by Jury, it strikes me- would
operate very harshly particularly as fivesixths of
the arrests" take place in Slave States. In all
Slave States, it would be assumed that every~co-
lOred man arrested unless he had lncOntestlble
proofs of his freedom about him. was slave, and
as matter of course would be consigned to his
claimant, when, if he were sent back to the place
whence he came, or whence the requisition ema-
mated, and where every slave is known the party
arrested would have fair chance. We have no
right to assume that free colored men are not safe
from being sold as slaves in the South. Fifteen
per cent Of the colored population of Virginia are
free.
should like you to express your opinion whe
Their the owner of q slave should not have the
means extended to him Of recovering his property
that has escaped from his service if found III free
State? Again: are you In favor OF enforcing or
resisting Int fugitive SlaVc Law as IL HOW eAlSt5
This communication ls not from any Cotton IN
terest, but from party that employs more freemen
than any cotton.planter employs saves-one who
has a great veneration for the Union and one who
although it is painful to admit it, believes that
glorious Union has nearly lived out its time.
In my establishment more than sixty men take
your paper and, having frequent opportunities of
conversing on the politics of the day, do not know
one of these men most of them do not hesitate to
express their opinion freely but that is Of the OPT
mon that Slaves are recognized by the COnstitu
ton as property, and the owner of such property
should have no impeachment thrown in the way Of
his recovering it wherever he can find it.
| employ more than two hundred men, and they
will average three more depending upon them: of
the two hundred, one hundred and fifty voted for
Hunt for Governor, believing him to be sound on
the Abolition question: But Sir, if he is not the
same men-and | know them well-wi in the tu-
ture vote against him, or any one else who IS not
We ali voted for Hunt because, from some OF
your leading remarks, we did not suppose nm
tinctured with agitating the Negro question.
Not being in the habit of writing communica-
tons, my style will appear rambling but have
as warm supporter of the Wing party, and
great many men for whom have sincere attach
ment, who look up to me for advice--the right Il
think to ask proper explanation OF the questions
contained in this letter, Yours, &c
A WING MECHANIC
One ofmy oremen who has lived in the South informs
that Is daily occurrence 10 arrest negroes round Wall
denng about the country and ii this were, upon the claims
oresidents any else tried by Jury instead OF pc
ing the place of their residence doubt some free
men would be conycts under the law and sold as slaves
Remarks.
As everybody-but especially every
body hostile to agitation bent on
discussing this Fugitive Slave Law, we
have given our Wing Mechanic chance
to develop. his ideas. We now proceed to
90 over the ground laid out by him.
/. Our fathers made compact to re
store to Slavery fugitives therefrom there
fore, we feel constrained to abide by It's con-
ditions. We do not, therefore, oppose the
forcible return of proved fugitive from
Slavery though, if the question were now
originally presented-'Will you, in order
to bring the Slave States into Federal
Union with the Free, bind yourselves to
restore their Slaves who may escape into
the Free States !'-we should answer
:" No-decidedly not! We will not bind
ourselves to perpetuate acts of inhu-
manity and oppression, for all the adyant-
ages which the Union proffers US But
! the bargain was made by our fathers, and,