Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1851-10-31

, week, this Committee submitted Majority
Report, (disscntcd from by Mcssrs GENNprr
and EvERrs, and dsscntcd 10 by .lE. IIuH-
BELL, The FRrE-soiL RrrHEsrNrArNE rRoM
FArRrAND Recommending the passage of the
Bill, and incidentally expressing favorable
opinion Of that beauty of Il law iamIIiarly
known rs the Fugitive Slave Act. This Re
port is understood to have been drawn up by
Judge DAVIS, the Chairman Of the Committee,
aud is currently looked upon US un elaborate
effort to Wcbsterzo the Wing Purity i'll this
State. 1t contains the customary reference to
| the stcrcOtypcd case Of "prigg u.s. the Common
wealth of Pennsylvania XVI Peters, 49,"
which has come to be regarded, i'll ccrttln
quarters. as Of considerably higher authority
than the apocalypse, and as setting every Con
stltulonu question that can by possibility arise
in this Country on the subject Of Slavery, md
settling it against freedom. Besides this, it
agrees with the Castle Garden Committee,
raised for the approximation of this Union, i'll
holding the Vermont llahcas Corpus Act as u
good deal worse than "llat burglary"
Tho scrvllity Of this Report, III lts temper Of
submission to the arrogant demands Of tho
South, is in no wise concealed by its tone oi
assumed reverence for the Constitution and the
Union. The Vermont Legislature is about the
last one in the Union TO be led away by the
form Of magnanlmily and patriotism which lacks
the substance Of truth and humanity. No nc
glslaturc and no people are more ready than
ours to submit to and abide by the Constitution
and the Laws, while no Legislation and people
are less likely to be mislcd into those refined
and sublamited regions of "patrlotisn" where
entire submission to the demands of Slavery ID
regarded as the incontcstlblo evidence of al
tachnont to Freedom!
The Report Of Judge DAVIS argues the
whole question on the side Of that poor hotch
poch, acceptable neither to the North nor the
South known IA the "CompromsD Measures,
After admitting (what could not, of course, b,
1 denied that neither the Fugitive Slave Law
nor our own llabcas Corpus Act haa been Il.
, yet, pronounced constitutional or unconstltu
tonal by the only tribunal in the country Az
r ruoEizED to determine that question, land to
whose DECISIONS the people Of Vermont are
always ready and willing to bow with respect
full submlsson the Report concludes with tn,
following example Of entire and perfect toady
ISM =
ave, tho majority OF the Committee, in
Y Gliding Mr.. Frcc-so lIubbclI therefore ,hlnl
"Tmr ONLY sApE AID PRUDENT COURSE 70
'lhIs House TO adopt Is to ASSUME THE IN
"rIEr VALIDITY AND CoNsrIrurIoNALIrY o
! "such Legislation as Congress has adopted OF
= "ths subject, 10 cd, The Fugiiiue Stare Lur
y "and the CoNsEQUESr INvALIDIrr Of all Stut'
"egslaton intended or calculated to counter
"vail it,"
An ASSUMPTION like this, which concede
. everything to Slavery and Oppression is rcpug
~ nant to the genius and spirit Of rcpublicanlsnl
Il not demanded by the Constitution, and who'll,
abhorrcnt to the lust sentiment of the pcopl
', Of Vermont, at least. ] believe it is the frs
u time the doctrine was ever laid down, in thi
Country, that "thc only safe and pruIcm course,
g i, to "AssuME" that legislation "lntcnded or ca
u culatcd" to aid and pcrpctuatc human SLAYER
is more Hkciy to be in agreement with the Icttc
and spirit Of the Constitution than lcwlslatlo
"intcndcd or calculated" to secure human free
dom! This doctrine will sound qucerly i
Vermont, and am sorry TINT it first secs III
light among our Green Hills. That it m,
with no sort of favor or liberation in Vernon
n Legislature is plainly, and crc'tiaJiy cyincc'
1t i'll the vote Of more Htnn four 10 one, by whlc
z the motion of Mr.. BowDIsu to print extra &C
re pics of the Report which embolics it, was en-
c phatlcally rejected. trust no so'i'uy copy q
at SUCH Il Report will ever be printed at the ex
re pcnsc of the people Of this State. The qucs
is ton Of printing will again come before Il
c. House, on "Wednesday OF this week, when
at hope it will receive its q,detus, If the ordna
Il 300 copies should be ordered to be printc
i however, it will be only on the ground Of coul
., csy to the csimabc and worthy, though mist
il ken, gentleman who nsemployed hi, time
vo It's preparation. {.