New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-05-26

tiol, Do YOU ind among a.. mos. persons :. w or
nose th, fugitive slave law any admission Nlt.-'rt
iha any law ought 60 be passed. % carry INTO elec-
the solemn Stlrr IGtOls OF the Constitution le- il,
snv such case Tel me If any resolution vas passed
~ he convention az Syracuse fa' nc me carving
o. offho Fc-.-- tuition Not 1-el The flrt i> gem
tcmcn. they oppose .ho who.c-'heY oppose y.
Whole Nof man OF them admits That ihera "uaf
to be any law on ne subject ih"Y deny a - tt.H'f
that the provisions OF ne Constitution ought % Do
earned INTO effect
This contains two singular ldmS,.on>;
first, that the present law Is noj a propor
one and second, that the speaker desired
the trial by Jury merely TO satisfy the pr,1n-
does of the people We have heard before
of preiudlces from NJ. Webster, then his
advice was to conquer them, and his own
State, to which it was addressed, seems IN
some respects TO have taken the advice
But now we are told Of their being satisfied,
and with the trial - jury The objects
usually regarded in that formaiity, such As
impartial Justice and the protection Of per-
sonal liberty, are OF no consequence in the
view OF our statesman. The great end IS
10 satisfy the prejudiccs Of the people
Now we will tell Mr. Webster that the
great and powerful opposition to the Fugi-
tive Slave Law proceeds from the character
of the law itself The prejudIces Of the
people are against it, and thank God they
are 1t is not proper law, he has said the
word No matter whether 1t be better or
worse than the law of '93, It is not proper
law. Did it establish a jury trial, and re-
ouire the same kind Of evidence, and sub
iect it to the same rules as would be re-
duired to convict man of stealing sheep,
we venture to say that there would have
been no general or loud opposition to it
But as it is, no sane man can expect to
talk the Northern people into approving it.
They will not indeed resist it by violence,
they will not rise in arms to nullify it,sthoy
will not buster about dissolying the Union
on account Of it; but they will favor its
evasion, they will burden its execution with
all possible legal difficulties, and they will
help slaves to escape all the moro zealouSly.
They regard it as unconstitutional and NOR
ally of no binding force; and, because 1t IS
imposed on them, they dislike slavery all
the more, and sympathise all the more with
tho slave And, in view of this, we say
that the men who made it fell into the mis-
take which is always made by those who
labor to prop up an old and pernicious sys-
tenn They go beyond the mark and dam
age themselves and their system by the re-
coil of their own measures.
But it may be as well to inquire how far
the existence of this Government depends
on the execution, under proper or improper
laws, of merely local and collateral pro-
visions of the Constitution. For instance,
there is provision guaranteeing to citizens
Of each State the rights of citizens in every
other That provision is constantly violated
in the South because the eXgencles of
slavery require 1t. We protest against it,
we send men of eminent character to Char
lesion and New-Orleans to prevent it, but all
in vain The Constitution is disregarded and
so it will probably continue to be. Why? Be-
cause ITS provision IS unanimously d'Sap-
proued By the people Of those States. Public
opinion says it need not and shall not be
obeyed, and Mr. Webster, if we may Judge
by his action hitherto, is very nearly if not
quite agreed herewith. Now, we of the
North regard this as grieyous wrong, and
so we have regarded other things done by
our fellow citizens of the South. But we
do not consider the Constitution as annuled
thereby, nor 90 we think Of dissOlving the
Union in consequence Why Because
We see that the paramount ends Of the Con-
stituton are still generally attained, and that
no real benefit would be had, even in respect
of this single grievance, by destroying 1t,
while in other respects there would be an
infinite loss.
SO it Is with the provision for the recla-
nation of fugitive slaves at the North You
may make speeches and expound the law to
the Northern people in rain or in sunshine,
wear in, year out, and you will not bring
them to hearty, cheerful, eiIicacious sup
port of that provision; that is to say, you
will never bring them, of their own will, to
become slave-catchers and to deliver up the
flying fugitive when he appeals TO them for
food and shelter. The reason Is, that to do
SO IS unanimously disGPprooed By public
opinion. Even those who give most weight
to the necessity of slaye-catching and pretend
TO approve il, bring themselves TO It under
some sort of mental reservation and by force
Of long and painful augmentation with them