New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-10-18


paid $500 in ca.h-and he utterly refused
to authorize his recapture. saying, III ne
prefers Freedom to Slavery, | cannot blame
him-I have the same choice" Now II the
better class of shareholders, including MIR.
Clay himself, thus shrink from any personal
concern in the slave-catching business,
what must be the repugnance to 1t of those
who regard all mankind as of right free and
equal before the law, and esteem Slavery
essentially fragrant wrong to Man and
daring defiance of God And if Northern
Freemen cannot sincerely pray for the re.
capture of fugitive slaves, how can they be
expected to take part in it
Here is 4 source of vital error on the
part of Mr.. Clay. He talks Of treason
and law" being on the side of acquiescence
in this enactment, but does not consider
that Justice, Religion, Humanity, are all
against it, He talks of the evident ten
dency to acquiescence on the part OF the
People, but does not consider that practi-
cal exhibition of the working of this law rare
" fails to revive. and sometimes even to ag-
gravate, the smoudering repugnance which
had been fancied extinct. To be heartily
acquiesced in at the North, the Fugitive
Slave Law must cease to engross public
attention but this is an eminently practical
measure, and every new slave-hunt revives
all its notoriety and Herewith all its odl-
business And thus perfect, enduring ac-
quiescence in the provisions of this mea-
sure is not to be expected.
Let us try once more to make the truth
plain by comparison
Suppose the Southern States were formed
into separate Confederacy, with Cen
trail Government Treaties, Alliances, &c.
Among their treaties is one with the Grand
Turk and his dependencies, for the mutual
restoration of Fugitive Slaves. But in pro-
cess of time, the Southern Republic out
grows and abolishes Slavery, while the
Treaty of Extraditien still remains in force,
and some thousands of white Christian
slaves. the property of as many Turks,
have severaNy and unobservedly made their
way to and found refuge in the cottOn-grOw-
ing Republic, where most of them have
married, engaged in different callings, and
have relatives on every side and children
growing up around them. All at once 1t is
announced that a new or supplementary
Treaty has been framed between the two
Powers, whereby the most stringent pessl-
Bile construction has been put on the condi-
tons of the old one; and every citizen
constrained to lend his personal aid, if re-
CURED, to the work of recapturing tugitlves
and hereupOn a general slave-hunt were
commenced throughout the South, directed
against those who have fathers, brothers,
wives. children as aforesaid among the in
disputably free-how would it be possible
to repress agitation and discomfort in that
quarter How should this be reasonably
expected9 Must not each new hunt inevi-
tably give new impetus to the excite
ment? And if the new state of things
should lead to a new definition of Treason,
and the denunciatlon of Its penalties against
all who should resist the capture and carry
ing off into bondage of their neighbOrs and
relatives-would not the increase and diffu-
sion of discomfort and agitation be inevita-
bic We insist that sensible and practical
men like Mr. Clay shall discuss this matter
nationally, and not like monks of the elev-
enth century.
The Fugitive Slave Law is not the
Constitution, by considerable, though the
admirers of the former are continually con-
founding the two 1t is an act drafted by
bitter enemy of Mr.. Clay and of the
Compromise, which We did what little we
could toward bringing about with regard TO
the Boundary and Slavery questions which
were convulsing and threatening to break
up the Union some TIVE years ago. These
Territorial questions absolutely demand
ed settlement--they could not be post
poned without imminent peril of civil war.
But there was no such peril with regard to
Slave Reclamation, and no pressing need of
action on the subject. The Shareholders had
the Constitution, the stringent act of 1893,
the Federal Marshals and Courts already
committed to their aid in catching their fugi-
tive property, and with all this ought to have
been content They had not petitioned
Congress for further legislation-no neces-
slty FOR such was demonstrated. Such
were the circumstances under which Viz
ginia puppet of Calhoun, doubtless acting