The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1851-01-18


We have been favored with copy Of the following
interesting letter from Mr. HARMS member Of the House
Of Representatives from lnos reply to application
10 him to present pettioa for the immediate and
conditional repeal Of the late fugitive slave law" The
reasons be assigns for declining this commission
forth with great force and ability in the following letter
Letter Of the Hon Thoaas L. Harris, Of Illinois. upon
hs repeal Of The Fagit'pe- aaee La,o. 10 Mr. M ~
Miles.
HOUSE a. REPRESENTATIVES,,
Washington, January 10. 1851
S,K: On reaching this city few days since, after a
short absence, found awaiting me letter from you &C
oompsnied by petition for the repeal Of the fugitive
slave law. The petition reads thus
The undersigned cxens OF Illinois, most earnestly petit
ZION tho honorable representatives IN Congress assembled
the Immediate and unconditional repoa Of the late
hxinsesavs law because, in oar IudY nen,. is most
county and State ana Of eternal principles OF right
aud da'F sna thus yop psone as w syss Others
| Your letter reads as follows:
sMgrAmoaA, December H. 1880.
petitionnol 1.-THE Of mat ght cosd afforded
the tim. Five sxtls OF all of This region will
this petition, including every good and bones and re-
Ilvous man ia ecomlnunity An religions feel il
be an nwatansbv interference win HE rights OF
science and rha, by ooeynV this law we snl mus, violate
which d,oases that person shall be de-
we'd OF his liberty except by due process OF law which Is
efsciuay prevented by the provisions OF the ae law
old alien and sedton laws OF The elder Adams, has
kened such deep a1horence IN the minds otsood
ing citizens Yours truly. .
Hon T. L. HARRIs."
As an addcndum, you say
"The NAL names you will lind with Mr. Shields
sou,e ID them write myself AT tLeir request"
Such is the letter, and such the petition They are
the first OF the sort which have received hope they
will be the last. What you expect desire 10 do with
these things know not. You make no request, nor in
innate any purpose in sending them to me- 1t is not
original petition but copy OF one which ! have not
amendments will answer purpose There must be
immediate and unconditional repeal Of the entire
law to relieve you OF your deep sbhorre"es" and permit
your conscience" to be disenthraed Now,
sir It 10 easy to see what manner OF man you are II
your design. in sending me these precious papers
NV op.non that the law referred to law necessary
to enforce one OF the guarantees Of the constitution OF
the United States. am opposed to its repeal, because
its repeal would be unjust; and in the present state OF
public feeling at the South, il would be followed by civil
.iscord in its most disastrous form. have, therefore,
some conscience in the matter, well yourself
Under all the circumstances, therefore, and have
opportunity to present II on the floor OF the House. and
express my opinions in regard 10 il, return you the
scrap OF paper which you have written both petition
and letter. TO use for any purpose that to you may seem
| good II hereafter you have any communication of
that sort 10 make to Congress- you would do well to select
some other agent.
might stop here, but the tone OF your letter and the
character OF the petition lead remark further.
few years ago our coLntIy undsturbed by any
cItemen upon the subject OF slavery The same causes
which had extinguished it at the North operating
TO produce like result IN several Of the northern slave
States. In Delaware. Maryland and Virginia, there
in the len years preceding 1910, decrease OF more
than $4,000 slaves Indications were manifest that the
philanthropy and sound policy OF the age. combined with
natural causes IN the absence OF all legislation, would
gradually. but with certainty, work the extinction OF
slavery. Political aboltonism began lis career and
these indications have been constantly growing less
The slaves have been IN consequence more closely re-
stricted, and more harshIy dealt with and |
eighteen years ago The efforts OF the abolonsts have
thus far been curse to the negro and curse 10 the
country They have retarded the day of emancipation
they have divided the country into sections, and pro-
duced alienation OF feeling between the North and
South, the thojght of which gives pain 10 every
hearted man 10 the nation In consequence Of the
very little prospect OF the area Of very being dimn
lshed soon to any extent unless by such course as
madmen only would pursue Il any considerable manu-.
upon condition Of their removal TO Africa But will you
give dollar for that purpose You can show any
boy WILL IN ow anu out Of Sos
pocket venture that not dime could be squeezed
on, , Of you for any such purpose ;,
has reached s present influence by fraud-by corrup-
uon-by coalitions for place and power BY who
no more Tor negro slave than for hppopoamus And
these base combinations still kept up, and SO they
will be, among men who lack sense and honesty Po-
hcal abolitionlsm began more than twenty years ago
had the unquestoned ability to keep itself beneath
caught at it; not because they cared s about negroes
or slaves, but because they judged il contained ele-
ment winch they could AGltAtc and promote thef own
elevation. They from corrup, motives, joined the cry
Of sbollhonsm, and without these never would have
reached the dignity OF Merism, the mania for
multicaulis. or the Rochester knockings.
Native Amerlcansm was cousin sermxne TO aboli-
t'onism but so happened that in those regions where
humbuxs do most honrlsh a large foreign population
was found and this population had votes this oshoot OF
the humbug family found Improbable. and was
abandoned Had this foreign population been settled IN
the southern Staes that their votes could not directly
reach the axaiors Of that question who figured con-
spcuousy few years ago. the native American church
burners would have been to-day more powerful than
time all hollow II carried State OF the Union in the
presidential contest oil 1882 while no abolition candidate
for that ONCE, Martin Van Buren,, with all bis
craft cunning, and corruption able to do as much
But not disposed TO underrate the power OF the abo
ltonss. They have put the Union in peril, not by the
iorce OF their Arguments but by base affiliations with po
lcal hacks and demagogues. hope the danger is past
believe change has been going on in the public
mind al the North--a change thai win crush those
peace and happiness Of the country What is this
changer Every knows that in is4s the Cas- demo-
Gratis Of the North the only opponents there OF the
Wilmot Proviso. Every wing speech argument
m favor Of prohibiting slavery the Territories by posi-
live law, and the people urged to vote Tor Gen lay
or holder oil three hundred negro slaves because
was declared he would not veto the Proviso. IL was
on this ground that Mr. Webster, after declaring his
Mansfield speech that the nomination OF General Taylor
for the presidency a nomination that not M 10
hsos been mode" Still advocated his election He said that
The Buffalo platform was good one. with the exception
Of lew rotten planks. In his Abingdon speech he de-
clafed that tho wings "were Just M good ant-slayery
men and free soil the barnburners." And he
claimed II particularly credabe 70 the wing party