Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1851-05-22

The Fugitive Slave Bill.

and thus accosted me: How dye
DO, sir? | never saw yoa before, but with
great pleasure have read your writings ia the
freeman, and should be very happy to see your
otOn grammar displayed on the noted Fugitive
Slave Bill. And am not alone in this thing.
Other gentlemen, also, have the same DESIRE"
To which answer No objection, fellow coun-
trymen. And although scholastic skill and
grammar " have none," yet "such as haze
give unto hee."
Gentlemen enough has been said by all
honest newspaper editors, on the Fugitive Bill,
to convince all common readers that it is in
spirit and word unconstitutional. But if must
try my own grammar on that thing, it will be
wholly, or principally, on tho higher law-the
laD of laws. That Bill, you know, gentlemen,
makes four claims. Two upon the Fugitive, and
two on the Freemen of our Free States The
two on the Fugitive are LIST. Ownership in the
person Of the slave. Cd. Labor due from the
slave to the claimant The two claims on the
free statesmen are list. To catch the Fugitive
and deliver him up to his owner, I'd. $1,000
fine, and six months Imprisonment, if this man
date is neglected. In these four things is plain
~ seen the high school grammar of our Wing
Congress.
On the two first articles of claim shall try
the higher law. And, first, deny,ri light up and
down, that any man living has the least clam
of personal ownership in the blood, flesh, bones
and sinews of his fellow man. And my first
proof is, the silence of the whole Bible on that
case. That is enough. Where in the scriptures
is there word spoken, or an intlmatlon given,
that the authority of Heaven ever gave one man
to another?
My next proof lies in good reason. God made
man Sin his own image and likeness" Is 1t
reasonable, then, to suppose that the eternal
God ever designed that his image and likeness
should be handled as the slave is How absurd.
Ny next proof lies in tile following" God
hath made of one blood all men, TO dtCeu on all the
face Of the tOhOie Earth" Now let reason and
common sense preside over our minds one single
breath, and see if it looks in the least consistent
for man to buy and sell, and enslave, and whip,
and starve, and work his own blood under the
cruel lash, from infancy to old age?
My last proof that the STAKEHOLDER has no true
Inheritance in the slave is this Every slave
IN the South is directly or indirectly stolen prop
erty. There are many slaves at this day who
well know how they were stolen by white men,
and shipped into this happy, free Ldnd and sold
to the STAKEHOLDER. And the STAKEHOLDER well
knows when he buys a stolen negro, he has
bought stolen goods. And in this way he be-
comes confederate with, and accessory to the
thief. And what thief on Gods earth, has any
right to claim ownership to stolen property P
SO here we drop the first pretended claim.
The I'd claim is labor due the claimant. How
much, Mr.. Southerner, does your stolen negro
owe you? Well, according to the slave bill, it
can't be less than 81 900. How does it happen,
Mr.. Virginian, that your stolen negro owes you
so much That is no small sum. But few
free white men in Vermont are in possession Of
so much property. We would like to learn how
the poor runaway came TO be SO much in your
debt. II you don't tell us, we shall hate to catch
him and hand him back. My grammar teaches
me, that when the creditor sues the debtor he
must present his account, article by article
And any court in these Northern States would
nonsuit case where the creditor kept saying
ten times over, as is exhibited in your slave bill
-" You owe me: you owe me: you owe me,
and not name one single thing you have let hin
have at any time. 1t seems you hardly know
how to keep book accounts out there. DAME
Webster is Northern man he might have tolC
you better than all this that is, it he had beer
mind to. Now, Mr.. Southerner, we say you
have given us no evidence, either in your slave
bill, or in any other way, that your stolen negro
ever o,Oed you one hours labor in his life. 81
no more on this head.
The third unfounded claim of this infamous
bill, is-We must catch those Fugtives ant
hand them back to their lawful owners again.
Veil, really! This comes pretty near being the
nub Of the bill. What in the name of thu
dem. gods of Ecron, must we, who never stol,
sheep in all our lives, hunt up their stolen, wild
runaway, black sheep? Sheep that won't shea
four ounces of wool head Sheep that hav
always been chained to a BdCker Field !"
Sheep that have been logged, and whipped, an,
starved half to death! Why, such sheep vii
always run away. And we must catch thes
poor, wild, naked creatures, and see them fort
going to their poor masters again, eh ? Ifthei
pretended owners could not keep them at HON
when they had them there, how under heave
/ can they expect we can catch them here, an
send them back again?
Again, do we owe the South this unreasonable
service? What have they done for US that WI
are under such obligations as their bill demands
, All! that they keep back the same as they d
their account against the Fugitive. This CLAIM
also, Is as void OF justice as the two former
namely, OF ownership, or of labor due. An
r as it respects the last clan,-one thousand do
J lars fine and six months imprisonment, if W
/ don't catch their black sheep and send theI
back to the old fold again,-we would only sa
boo to that, and let it CO.
But, gentlemen, have not yet done with thi
ignobe and infamous Fugitive Save Bill. NJ
srs, that viper, and fiery flying serpent can
slip my fingers until l do it little NOR
justice.
shall now compare it with a Bible fugitiv
bill, and weigh it off against that, and see no,
it will look there.
, Just cast your eye at the 35th chapter of tn
, book of Numbers, and there you may see Ell
cities of refuge, built on purpose Tor untortunat
man-sayers. Then look at our six New Eng
, land States, well calculated for places of refug
for the stolen black man and comnare cite