Western union. (City of Hannibal, Mo.) 1850-1851, 1851-04-03


wapvsh friend Of mine said the other day.
"Whv," said he, "these gentlemen aie very
unreasonable, for they would perhaps desire
tina, IL slave should be caught and surrcn.
dercd before he actually runs away
ILaush,orl What meant to say before,
and what say now is, tina, there has been
no resistance TO the law for the recovery
Of fusi,ives that know Of, except in the
single case of Boston. ! admit there has
been some inconvenience sustained. We
could not fail TO anticipate such nconve-
njence. There has been some expense,
too; and concur entirely with The Senator
from Georgia, (Mr. BERRIEN) when he
pronounced upon petiioSng resorts when
were made in q manner disgracc,ul To Inc
profession in Boston, in order to arrest the
nycn, from Georgia who went there to re.
cover his property. But is the General
Government to bc responsible II slaves are
aided ana facilitated in their escape, under
circumstances in which it is impuSslbIc Tor
them /, he pursued, while all the general
government, car do is to pass laws, aud 10
enforce them and execute them!
The Senator said that this proclamation
OF the President and the invocation at pow
ei was 10 catch fugitive slave. Now, Is
that the true state vi the case The luigi
tive who ran away from Boston the other
dav think will probably never be retakcn
bu, i, NAV be IA consolation to him, and
will be to his owner, to know that the Mar
shall is respon.iblc for him under the act oil
the las, session Was the destruction OF
the tea in the harbor OF Boston at the
commencement OF our revolution nothing
more than II little question as to the price
OF tea! No, buto principle was involved
in it. SO is u principle involved IN th''
matter. What is that principle 1t
whether the laws shall be violently and out
rageou,Iy opposed by force, or shall be eH
ucuied If to-day the law upon the sub
ject Of fugitive slaves is obstructed by vlo-
lence and force, and its execution proven
ted, what other law on our statute boob
may no, tomorrow be obstru cted by cqua
violence and its execution prevented !
What department of the Government
villa; Government itself, will not be oppo
.ed by violence and BY force, and thus it
very existence be threatened! The Qucs
ton, then is not the recovery OF the .ngl
tive slave. The question is, shall tho Gov
eminent he maintained Shall the law bt
enforced Shall those who have violated
the sanctuary Of justice and carried ava!
10y iorcible rescue NJ prisoner in the custo
DIV o! tie United States, and all other sim
liar occurrences, be averted and prevented
by rcaccable means, or, if not prevented
punished Why, we would have cast
somewhat analogous to that which occur
red in Boston, i! two or three hundred
black men, instigated by II parcel of white
men, were to enter that door and drag TIT
Senator from OHIO, or any other Senator
from his seat and withdraw him from hi
duty. Would it then he said that only on
Senator out of sixty-two had been taken
and il uas no great ma,,er' No sir. The
question is not about one or two thousant
fugitive slaves. II is question which
strikes at the u',prity OF the law--strikci
at tho maintCrracc Of this Government
which we hey, Isrivcd from our anccs
tors.
The SENATE. rom Ohio (MR. CnAsE) TIT
other day told rs that it was promised thu
compromise measures OF the last session
woad bring peace and tranquility to thu
land, aud that these measures have elect
ed no such thing. Why sir so far rs re
gard, the Wlmot provSo, agitation i
quiet. SO far as relates 10 the admiSSo,
Of California it is quiet. SO far IA relate
10 the settlement OF the Texas boundary
there is quiei. So far aS relates To the abo
li,on of slavery in this District, | have no
heard "A single voice complaining oI it,
Then those measures have worked won
Gers. AT least, the honorable Senator, an,
others who concur with him in opinion
anticipated "A vast and hounilcsS fund q
agitation II the compromise measures were
passed. Instead of that. they have them
selves been reduced to peace. Nay, more
the Senator himself, who was at The last
session an agitator, cries out tui peace
and reproaches me with being an agitutor
Of which charge will presently take some
notice. Those measures have worked Il
miracle. They have made thousands OF
converts among tho aboli,onis,s them5clvc,
and not one OF them has risen on his nool
or on the floor Of the other House, | he.
lcvc, or ihc has risen he Vas instantly
repelled, to move even repeal OF the
measure; which, by the by, the Senator
from South Carolina ought forthwith to
do, he thinks the fugitive Slave law I'M
constitutional. supposed he intended to
conclude by intmaling purpose Of that
kind. No sir; peace ha, been produced;
peace to an extent surprising even my
most sanHuinc antcpa,icn' There was
one exception made 10 the universally ui
peace. 1t was predicted by my self and
others, at least, tina, the ultra aholiiionsis
would moi be lianquilized; that they would
30 on and nrjtate: that thew woulu de-