Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1850-11-22
pIcTN0ND ENQUIRER.
wv -S~-~O~o>~o~o~o~2- on
Ss.ScS.SSSsntY MORNING, EcTEMbEf @o'
rpE ELECTIVE SLAVE LAW.

ITEnVEspAY MORNING, sc' A'D..
TIE FUGITIVE SLAVE Law.
;,,tcrs of dcep interest fhc present moment We
,wo ;,,,or,n, documents which reached us oy INC
o ,,;, from, the South viz the statement OIL
in BOSTON by Mr. knight, Of tic agents ioF 'e .'p
,,~e &c ,c fupi,iye slave Crafts, and letter from
l;,,o,o ,brouoh the acting Secretary OF STATE 10 ~
Inns Tho owner of said fugitive slave we are Tree 10 say ~
the President, lays down very sound doctfihewho" u.s.
:. I'm , an, hereafter as Inc pledges himself we are
mr. from hing satisfied with the excuse he makes of NO.
h,vin. official information Of the transactions a' po'o'
pe ,pns have been aware Of the excitement, growing ou VI
This cuse which filled The newspapers, ana coh'u'seu w
confcderocy in every direction he must nave hho"n ''a
for some cause the law had been nuhneo-anu "'' us
49,, 90 ano,irc into the facts and if the officers were IN
u, - o,ce them by more faithful and efficient men o.
il tho e,ecution of the laws obstruced by "co"0i'
n o powerful to be suppressed by the ordinary course
Of judicial proceedings by the powers vested IN 'e e'
g.. ,;,h the posse which the law authorizes anu re-
ou;,e them 10 call TO their ad to take proper measures y
rho Of his official power TO see that the laws were
| ron,, e,ecpted We still think that a case was ihiiy
mode ont which called for the inierposon oil the
,iye-,nd the least he could do was to follow IN c
stems of George Washington, and issue warning toe'
nation 10 the law-beakers The fanatics are now hio'a
of hs nurposc which, if he fully carry out, in letter ana
en;,;, II will 10 some extent redeem the aXy which mas
h,br,o uufouna cy marked the OF the Executive
The reader will be interested in the process reroa or STATE
ment Of Knight If he is strictly accurate IN ms exposition
of the facts we agree with the Savannah hepunlclh
u1h Marshal of Massachusetts, and the Commissioners
or ,b, STATE who were applied to- have acted in bad iah
They refused TO do their duty promptly. ue'nStu M
issn,o Of the warrant until the object oil Messrs ue
and niohi was made known 10 the a5olonsts ahd Ivy
NEGROES Of Boston The Marshal refused 10 execute .e
warrant when pu! his hands, unless furnished WI" e
evidence that Craft actually in CamhTcee SIRE lit
refused Ia lake the OF knight 10 !it eheei
,'rhe officers therefore, did fail to do their duty uniol
unatey Dr. Collins when he wrote 10 the President, was
not possession of the proofs OF these iac's ana
nish them These will doubt be forwarded 10 Masnin
ton as soon rs Mr.. Hughes returns In that event. s-
dent Fillmore stands pledged remove the ahes ana per-
jured officers, and supply their places win hohes' M
with men who will do their duty If such men canno. OF
found in Massachusetts, the President has u power 10 SEM
them there from other States - .,, -,
"essrs Collins and Taylor have legal recourse pon up
on the officers in question: and the Vigilance Committee IN
Boston, and understand they intend 10 prosecute the par
ties the Of the law Fortunately these ca
ses will come up before the United States Courts where the
higher law doctrine will prevail and where justice wiz
be executed. The penalty for obsrctng the law siUuI
for each individual Ii the proper effort Is made the inter
meddlers in Boston, yet be made to pay dearly LOT hc
| folly in rays than one"
Per Contra the last Boston Post says that "Thns far tn
marshal has acted in this according 10 The instructions
of the agent of the gunner, orhiS counsel" II adds:
at having been reported yesterday morning that Crafts
returned TO Boston in steamer Admiral Tuesday evening
the L. S. marshal at once instituted inquiry and aacer
tanned that colorcd person passenger in the
Hughes the agent arrived here from New York yesterday
morning. and returned again in the afternoon, en- route 10
| Macon, Ga"
Now here is direct conflict Of statements, and fog sui
hangs over the real condition of the Boston slave case
seems the has been awkwady managed
and yet hope the issue fairly presented and proper
ly tried The South will not be content until this law,
part of the Constitution ITSELF shall be fully indicated, anc
her clear rights in this respect practically enforced
We are glad see that Mr.. Benjamin r. Curtis an emf
lawyer of Boston, being called by the United State
Marshal at Boston for his legal opinion the consu
tcnaliy of the Fugitive slave law, has delivered eabor
ate able and conclusive opinion in which he utterly efuc
The five following objections the law, which he considers
Let. That it is cX-post-acto law.
ID. That II Is not in accordance with the It'll article OF tn
amendments of the Constitution.
3d. That il Is in conflict with the 7h article OF the amend
ments of the Constitution.
Ain That it the LIST section of the Sd artcl
| Of the Constitution.
5h That suspends the writ of habcas corpus CONTRARY
the I'd paragraph Of the 9th section of the lat uricc
We do know under what "higcr law "the u. S. Mar
shall doubted the consttGonaiy Of the law, and soush
legal advice TO his douhs-but trust, with III
Republic that the powerful conclusions Of eminent uris
Mr. Curtis which have been evoked by The call will pre-
vail and silence those of the convocaons OF eect
sasics and abolonsts who have undertaken to enghe
the world with their opinions the constauivnaiy Of til
! Fugitive Slave Lawn