New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-07-11
Plea for the Fusitive slave Law On the
Ground Of its Humanity.
"a Tk1tlnf.

To the Editor Of Ths Irer"<'
When a slave makes his escape from SER
vi,nde AZ the South and becomes hreling here az
The North the following are some OF the evil cohse
onences which result from his doing.
The fugitive himself loses whatever advantages
there were in his condition as slave ana taese
advantages are great and OF various hihos nc
slave has secured 10 hon far has lJs sufficient WORK.
and work Of the kind he can do best. Also, ne mas
a sure maintenance for life and certain provision
for his children maintenance generaiiy toeq
OF the kind 10 which he was born and has oeen RON
infancy accustomed 70, usually equal TO ms oesIss
and TO his notion OF what ne ought 70 pave; ne
has, likewise, an inyeyeraole connect0n MN ~ -
periors in fortune and knoWlecge 80 lhat 1917
bound together by strong tie oil interest, AZ ~,
IL not Of afection-the very lowest clslihle soito
property IN the highest-eDoylng snare oi VI, o.oi
belonging TO the highest slave, moreover, ia ..ie
pexuTessible advantage OF having dgOVeIhihen,"'e
hlm ,bich Is real and not sham, which is utaiiy IN
teresed IN MS health and entertainment, whch ea
tends its care beyond the field and the 'soP, ~
the cottage All these advantages the siase - no
sEcuRyLY They are ms 10 MS latest BREATH au ~
dies with the certain knowledge ina, ms WIG anu
children cannot experience want OF oe gasIe q
ence upon charity public or private opon I'M 'a,'
though circumscrbed foundation II IS Possloe 70 en-
loy decent worthy, useful and conten'ed me- anu
millions hare enjoyed such lives ana hiliiohs oIe
enjoying such. When the slave, for cause or whiIn
deserts his post he loses all this lie leaves Denlno
him advantage winch the Northern hIreling, thus
far sghs and strives for in vain, though ne has long
snOyed your assistance, and that oil all te pest men
The hireling still feels himself all too insecure lie
cannot vet get basis upon which 10 erect the super
structure Of worthy life. The most appdiIe esns
threaten him. He lives upon the cage oi an doyos
INTO which slight mlstep OF his own, or announcer
mans failure, interest or caprice may al any moment
plunge him and his Ue yearns for security; ne longs
II be sofe but cannot be- Butthe slave has security
the SLAVE is safe and when he wantoniy throws
away this advantage, when he JOINS our crowded ana
anxious ranks, what compensation does ne gam
Not equality for ne Is sun BLACK OF io"er Gss ,
~c(,. Nnf
at another mans bidding when, where, now ana al
what another man commands and MS masuei now
has no interest," or thinks he has none, m ms neaitn
or PROSPERITY Not civilization ms fnlnd continues
DARK his person uDgTacefnl his haDtat0n mean, his
Tarnent coarse or tawdry, his manners vulgar Not
enlightenment his worship is still yoclerauOn, ana
terrific wells and hOwls burst from the places where
he does his religion. Not hope of better things for
he is excluded from entering the paths OF honor and
has ten temptations TO debase himself for one that ne
had home In short, so far as appears the iugtVe
loses all and gains nothing by his escape. The law,
therefore, which would send him back to seryltude
appears TO me a humane as well as Just one. 49,,
ii. When slave escapes, ne lhnic.s tmoIoiu
wrong he goes from place where he and his la
Dor are wanted and TO place which has no occa-
SION for him or his labor from master who Freely
gives him work and substance, TO master whom
he has TO sue for both.
III Every fugitive inficts a serious injury upon
the companions he leaves behind hum. The fact OF
his escape is known to lhe whole plantation ana
the rumor flies to the adjoining ones hunufeus VI
the discomfort of some and TO make many dlscon-
tented who were not so before. In every mans 10.
there things hard TO bear which, oblge US 10 can
all our philosophy TO our assistance tlat we may
bear them with eouanimty II is not pleasant
thing 10 hoe down long row of cotton under burn-
Ing sun but cotton must be hOed under a burning
sun else, half mankind must go shlrtless until MI
Greeley gets the fax manufacture more forward
POmpey to day for the first tlme pauSes al the emo
Of his row to sigh for the imaginary blessedness oil
Caesar who yesterday toiled at his SIDE Inc iaDu-
l<.,. md tba
and make his labor insupportabe. Just as when
boy runs away from school or an apprentice from ms
shop, fired with desire to scale the giddy mast ana
pare the captains potatoes, the minds oil all ms CO.
labOrers are unhingcd and their industry palsied
discomfort, disorder and disobedence prevail IN the
place of labor and everything goes Ill with every one
Then, too, the master must be more strict fnVi-
leges are cut of, leisure abridged tasks increased,
punishment more frequent and severe mat oaie'
1ul an,ag onism arises between master and servant
mutual dstrst and aversion take the place oil paer
CIV and actual effect Of escapes, and therefore the
law which looks TO their prevention seems 10 me 70
be sanctioned by humanity, no less thai py Jus"He
~ This antagonsm, increased 70 , he NSr,S has
caused the passage OF various laws, when Ill lhem
selves are harsh and injurious to the slaves foi
example, the law forbdding the slave 10 oe tansn'
10 read In addition to this, many laws neediui LOT
the better protection OF slaves against yiahhiCa
masters from ACKNOWLEDGMENT oil iainllies' anu o'c'
evils cannot be much a. CONSIDERED, uh'ii iIe All.
and opposite one Strict and hearty compliance
with the Fugitive Slave Law would, 1 dono, not
have its effect IN preparing the minds Oh men a' tne
South TO grant many ameoratohsl III the sia'e sVol'
dition which night and philanthropy concur Ill oc'
mandng. ...,, ~,
Finally and principally, the same an,aeonlsm be-
tween master and slave, between NORM anu oou'l'
prevents Southern men from taking mo cohsiueid
lion any measure which looks like the tnal enamel
patton Of the slaves Though IN Two or tree states
Slavery is obviously and avowediy huge mcuu
-CfA
Enterprise, a stumbling block IN the way oil Iros-
perity a nuisance and evil regretted by every
man-yet in these States the question OF Enanclpa-
lion cannot be discussed. The people turn from
every such proposal with indignation. Yet We all
know that u Siarery IS abolished must BE- aooi
.shsd by the States m which er'sts 6y the rHyPePf
uA0 noe refuse 10 entertain ne faonsM Is IL " hu-
name thing then, IN one who regards slavery a. a
great evil to refuse compliance with law, the eject
OF which will be to help remove one obstacle TO us
final abolition think not Let us send every III
Gtlye vigorously back TO has master then We can
say TO the South, with good grace and with moral
effect, I'VE have done our duty To you, do yours 10
them cast away all fears OF escape and insurrec-
tion and let the slave be instructed and adequately
protected We wash our hands of your peculiar IN
stitution-look YOU 10 II for your backs bear IT'S
burden--not ours" MY opinion is, that "A few years
Of such behavior on our part would SCI virginia anu
Kentucky upon a path of reflection and action upon
the subject OF slavery, which thousands OF US aooil-
tionists ever so vehemently denouncne and pathe'-
ically pleading, Will never so much as suggest 10
them.
Therefore, Mr. Editor, II is 10 me thing mexph
cable that YOU, with your humanity and philanthropy,
friend Of the slave and of man IN general, that you
above all should oppose the fugitive law
That the fugitive is not tired by jury seems TO me
one of its best features Trial by Jury was doubtless
AN admirable con,rivance when King Alfred nsti-
tuted II, and long after In the ninth century law
was a simple business crimes and penalties were
few, and OF a simple, primitive character But now,
when law is an abstruse and complicated science,
when offenses OF infinite variety, when the hurry
of III. nafa has al
vouring MS all when the men of Intelligence and eN-
perience escape the jury duty, the times demand
a better system. Give me "a single upright Judge,
rather than miscellaneous jury OF twelve Is the
strong II secret wish Of many an unhappy hanger-on
Of courts. Our present Jury system seems as awk-
ward inefficient and expensive as any relic OF bar
plcyed. II is doubtful AZ yourself could and a
verdict which would subject man TO a punishment