North Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1850-1852, 1851-02-26
THE BOSTON OUTRAGE.

- .o,onnts of the Boston outrage. Quite an
an;naed debate sprung up in the Senate on the re-
- the Presidents Message, brief notice OF
49, I'VE COPY to-day from the Baltimore Sun.
~ Hale of New Hampshire, was impairment
- ;nsoIsnt on the occasion, as he usually is, when
,ho question of Slavery is up; but he was rebuked
bv MIR. Clay in the most severe and pointed terms.
Messrs. Cass, Dickinson, Mason, Butler, ad Bad
or also addressed the Senate the subject. There
!; much truth and force in the following remarks of
Mr.. Mason on the occasion. We quote from the re-
potts of the Republic:
MR. Mason said the duty cf rendering fugltIves
from labor and service duty imposed by the
Constitution. 1t was part OF the compact suOscr-
he'd to BY all the States upon forming the Union. he
Uould take issue with the Senator from hentucKy on
the question whether this law was executed or not
He considered that the aw far as lis practical exc
,r,on was concerned, dead letter. He had full
belief in declaration OF the President That he would
vecute the law if he could Ee considered, howev-
or that the President had begun wrong In the first
case when The Crafts escaped, the slaves were lost
,ber master because OF the evasIons, presentations,
Ja,vs and equvocations of those whose duty it was
~ enforce the law and administer justice. Ii was the
Itv of the President Immediately to have dismissed
tho marshall The law, if it was to be enforced, mu st
be executed with alacrity, zeal, and cordiaty. 1t
mnst he executed with desire, on the part of the
onle AMONG whom it is executed to have 1t carried
ont because it is the law, and without any obstacles
or instructions being thrown in the way OF its execu-
lion In this the party was arrested time was
iven properly perhaps to him for his defence; there
ras no Mace prepared to conhne him, it being the
Intention to keep him in the courtroom from Friday
- Tuesday. How could his rescue have been pre-
waited The laws of Massachusetts prohibit the
;rIsonment of parties arrested under this law in the
;;ts of thai commonwealth. He thought it wrong to
denounce the population of Boston, when, by The
laws of Massachusetts, 1t is made penal offence for
any of that population to aid or abet in the arrest or
jmprisonment of the fugitive. The Senator from
Kentucky was right in denouncing the condu of
those engaged in this open resistance, but he should
have gone step further and denounced the State
of Massachusetts as false her federal obligations.
She was false TO those obligations for making which
she received a consideration. She agreed to this
compact to surrender these fugtlyes and received
consideration.
Her Legislature has been in session since the pas
sage of this law, and these laws preventing the
cuon of the Constitution still stand on the statute
hook The Senator from Massachusetts said the
other day that the people of that State were law
abiding people, and would not resist the execution
of the law. He would ask the Senator whether those
citizens by not ociby resisting the law, were dis
charging their federal obligations to render up fug
lives from labor and service If they were, it was
keeping the word of promise to the but failure
in complying with its demands.
When the Senator from Kentucky said the law was
generally executed, if he meant that it executed
without open resistance, he was correct; but if he
intended say IL executed with the alacrlty or
in the spirit of the federal compact he was mistaken.
Mr. NJ then detailed the circumstances OF the Harris
burr case, where the expenses amounted to 81 $50,
and the negroes when sold brought $500, thus ma
king balance in favor of the master of $50.
In the Long case which occurred at New York, !
the expenses amounted to nearly the value of the
slave; besides, the claimant subjected to several
vexatous suits. He would respectfully call the at
tenon Of the appointing power to the various delays
and evasions Of duty, and would recommend that the
least evidence Of this SHOULD be for instant
mova.''
In the course of the debate Mr.. Cass said
He concurred with the Senator from Kentucky in |
his condemnation of the late proceedings. He was
no defender of the Administration, but ne had the Ut
confidence in believing that the President would
do his duty. Ii the laws were detective he would
corhe him with full power to execute the law.
He deprecated the remarks OF the Senator from VIr-
ginia that this law could not, not and would not
be executed. He considered that the Massachusetts
laws obsructlng the execution OF this law ought to
have been cleared off her statute books long ago.
But whether they were repealed or not, they would
prevent the execution of the law. He considered
the Senator from Virginia wrong in supPosing that
voluntary action by the people OF the free States
necessary due execution of the law. He consid
cred that Longs great triumph of the law.
If time given the law would work smoothly.
The could not be expected to subside
He alluded to the conduct OF The miscreant IhOnP-
son, and said that if member of Congress did in
England what Thompson dtd in this county, he would
be sent to Botany Bay.
MT. Mason replied. lie considered the reason why
the law was not properly executed by the people OF
the North was, that they considered il odious they
considered II law In which they had no hand In
passing. Of the thirty Senators from the free States
only three had voted for the law. These the
Senator from PENNSYLVANIA, (Mr Sturgeon,) and the
two Senators from Iowa"
The President is disposed in his Message to treat
this outrage more surprise the people of
Boston, than any of theirs to its perpetraiion
He is 10th to believe that they would stand quietly
by and see the law and the Constitution trampled
under foot in their midst But he states distinctly
that the attention of the Marshal had been called TO
The duty of hiring house in which to confine fug-
tves: and though he does attribute the escape
rescue OF the fugitive to the of prison place
of confinement, he does 81 see how the prisoner
could have been safety and conveniently detained,
during the adjournment of the hearing for some days.
without such place of confinement" The Marshal.
it is admitted had not performed his duty ere to this
ertent and yet, month or two since, after the
Crafts case came o-or rather, after the Crafts had
gone off quietly in the face of day-the President,
through his Attorney General sanctioned the conduct
of the Marshal and retained him in Office But we
have no disposition to speak of paPabe neglect
or ineficency on the part of the President This is
a question which rises infinitely above party. We
give that high officer credit for his evident determine
ton enforce the law, and thus to meet The demands
of public sentiment We hope he tUiH find a ,0ay to
do it in Massachusetts, If Andrew Jackson were Presi-
dent, he would that law. if he had to do it
at the head Of the army and with the whole State OF
Massachusetts under martial law.
1t is idle to deny the fact that Massachusetts is
Eaithees her ohiUations fhe slave and