Southern sentinel. [volume] (Plaquemine, Parish of Iberville [La.]) 1848-1858, 1851-06-14
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war, md had sent troops intolNew Mexico, That
he would have whipped them IN q week. me
power on one side was far superior to all the
power on the other. But what then! What
ifTexan troeps. assisted bysthousands of vol
,n.eers from the disaffecfed States, had gone
"a New Mexico, and had been defeated and
turned back, would that have settled the boun.F
dary question : Now, gentlemen, | wish l had
ten thousand Voices-I wish | could draw
around ne the whole people of the United
States-and | wish ] could make them all near
what Inow declare in my own conscience, be,
fere tile Power who. sits on.higll, and who VIII
Judge you and me hereafter, as my solemn be-
lief, that if this Texas controversy had been
settled BY Congress in the manner called Tue
adjustment measures, civil war would have en-
sued-blood. American blood, would have been
shed and who can tell what else would have
been the consequence! Gentleman, IN an non
orable war, if a foreign foe invade us-lf our
rights were threatened-if it were necessary to
defend them by arins-l am not afraid OF blood.
Aud i'll am too old myself ! hope there are
those connected with me who are young, and
willing to defend their country to the last drop
of their blood. (Sensation) But | cannot
express the horror | feel at the shedding OF
blood in a controversy between one Of these
States and the government Of the United States,
becauseI see init, in the sight of Heaven a dis
ruption of allthose ties that makes us a great
and a happy people.
Gentlemen, that was the question, the lead
ing question, at the commencement of the year
1850. Then there was the other, and that was
the matter of the Fugitive Slave Law let me
say a word about that. Under the provisions
of the Constitution, in General W%ashington's
administration, in the year 1898, there was
passed a law for the restoration OF fugitive
slaves, by general consent. No one opposed
it at that period-it was thought necessary to
carry the constitution into effect. The great
men of New England and New York all con-
Cured in it. 1t passed and answered all the
purposes expected from it, till about the year
1871, or l842, when the States intertered to
make enactments in opposition to 1t. The La"
of Congress said that State Magistrates might
execute the duties Of the law some of the
States passed penal cnactments, involving q
penalty on any who exercised such authority
understhe law; others of them denied the use
oftheir iiils to carry the law into effect and ge-
morally 1t the commencement OF the year 1880,
ii WAS absolutelv@ say it was absolutcly-in-
dispensable that Congress should pass some
law for the execution Of this provision OF the
Constitution, or else give. up that institution
entirely. That was the question.
/ was i'll Congress when the law was propos-
ed. / was for proper law | had, indeed, pro-
posed Il different law. l was of opinion that
4 summary trial BY ajury might be had, which
would satisfy the prejndices OF the people;
but | left the Senate and went to another sta
ton before the law was passed. The law of
1850 passed. Now | undertake, as a lawyera and
on my professional character, to say to you and
10 all, that the law Of 1850 is decidedly more
favorable to the fugitive than General Wash
Inngton's law Of 1898; and | tell you why. In
tie first place, the present law places the pow
er in much higher hands-of independent
Judges OF the Supreme and Circuit Courtsand
district Courts, and Commissioners who area p
pointed to office for their law learning. Every
fugitive is brought before . tribunal OF high
character, of eminent ability, of respectable.
station. Wei Their, inthe first place, when a
claimant comes from Virginia to New York to
say that one a or one B has ran away, Or is Il
fugitive from sereice or labor, he brings with
him a record Of the County from which he
coiaes.4aisd that record must hi. sworn to be-
forest ls,agisYfaatte and certified by t%heScountry
elera as q lis Correctness. The affidavit must
state that AsorB (as tile ca~seinavEbe,D had de-
partedsaaliiMur such and such circinlstanees and
hid come aIere; and THAR cord undersealis, by
The CONSTITUTIONS b the UnitedsEStates, entitled
10 full credit ii every other SfateNEeIl, the
c..aiinant 81 iffis sagenfeoln llere, and he pre-
sentsto YOU tie seal Of the CourtsSofAVirgin-
in, that A. or b. had escaped from service. He
must prove that lie is here. He brings=a wit
ness and asks if this is the man, and he proves
1t in ten cases out of eleven the answer would
be, "Yes, massa, | am your slave | did escape
from your service" II Such is the present law;
and so much opposed and maligned as tits, it's
Il more favorable law to1thes fugitive than the
law of Waslington's of 1893. which created
no disturbance at the tifne7it was passed, and
which was sanctioned by the Northsas well rs
by the South. But this opposition is a senti-
mentS of modern times. From whom does this
clamor come Why, look at the proceedings
of the Anti-slayery Conventions--look at their
resolutions. Do you find among all those per-
sons who oppose this fugitive slave law any
admission whatever that any law ought to be
passed to carry into effect the solemn stipula-
tons of the Constitution? Tell me any such
case! Tell me if any resolution was passed by
the convention at Syracuse favoring the carry
~ out of the Constitution? Not one! The
fact is, gentlemen, they oppose the whole-they
oppose The whole! Not a man Of them admits
that there ought to be any law on the subject.
They deny altogether that the provisions OF the
Constitution ought to be carried into the effect.
Well, what do they say? Look at the pro-
ceedings of the Anti.Slavery conventions in
Ohio, Massachusetts, and at Syracuse, in the
State of New York. What do they say?-
that, so help them God, no colored man shall
be sent from the State of New York, back
to his master in Virginia! Don't they say
that land for the fulfllment of that, they
pledge their lives, their fortunes and their sa-
cred honor. Laughter.) Their sacred no.
nor! (Laughter.) They pledged their
sacred honor to violate the laws of their coun-
try-they pledged their sacred honor to resist
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