Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1851-01-09

we had noting TO do with slavery III lio '''"',
we shonld he careful 10 lend no SANCTION 10 IT.
Sir, we will lend no sanction to II, NOR s.al
your fugitive law compel us to Sanc.''n -. ~
Dickinson thought it proper Suo!'C' W. "
General Government TO lnterie.e' n','' 10 ~
tecled our nationgl happiness bn' sou.ne1 1h
members resisted this pfopo5l'on' anu "'''N
not consent to any Interference . .t,;, o,os,;on
But sir, to comemre Directly 70 ui's q"rG,,
of fugitive slaves. The repoft OF I'e 'u
giving the forn of the Cnn'tHuVor .,'.o
clause for the return OF tngitveS 'fo,'
They we're to be delivered up ny me hAeou''' ",
of the State to which they He'd II 10 O0"' ~
the expense of eaCh state.
On considering the report, Messrs' Du'lor aug
Pinckney, Of Souh Caro- ina proposed |" a.',c"u
the repoIt so as TO make it the duty TO SURRENDER
IN fuGj ives fion labor in the same 'nahher'-
But MIR. Wilson OF Penn, objected illa' such 1h
amendment won compel the Tree states 10 W
it at the public expense, mn .,,I zoo
Mr. Sherman OF Conn, SAID "Ile c"u'u see
no mere proproty in arreStlng iuS'L'Vo '1l'"n,
or slave at the pnhhc expense than mere DC Ill
arrestinu horsen Mr.. Rutler, on these sng-
pestions beinr made Withdrew his proposItIon'
Sir, no. member of that body dared sta"d up
then. and advocate an amendm' mt, when Sh"olo
involve rs IN cxpen;c or disgrace OF nrTeSIng
tu,r,,io u. slnyos Sir no stronger evidence OF
the accuracy of The views which have express
ed. could possibly have been left On record
1t was the intention of those trainers Ot che
Constitution to secure to the master the rlght 10
pursue and arrest his slave without molestltloh
or htnderauce. - rhey then declared that no II"
or regulation should b. passed by any State, Oy
which the motive should be released from ser
vice or labor: non intervention" was their
doctrine BY the Constitution, we are bound 10
deliver IN the fugitive slave to his master, III the
same manner that we dcliyerup our friends To
the civil officer. We we're not permitted I"
Interfere. We are tostHnd neutral, and permit
the master to take biz slave II he can.
Sir. did tie ramers Of the Constitution intend
/ that northern freemen should lelye Their shops,
their plows, their merchlndlze To give chase 10
fugitive slaves why such an asser ION wol!u
! be sande' u libel upon those patriots. lae
law Of 1898 was framed in accordance with the
Constitution. That gives to the master no plo.
cess Tor the arrest Of his saYe. It lends no ald
of the Government, or any Of It's officers. nor OF
any citizen Of any State to aid OF assist the mas
ter in artsring or carrying back his slave
Those who bad assisted IN framing the Constlu
ton, assise1 IN framing this law. They knew
the intention Of those who framed the Constltn-
lion. and have no doubt carried that intention
luto the law OF 1888,
From that day until the agitation of the an
nexafion of Texas, this doctrine Of uon .llIterer-
once was held by southern and by rihern men.
In 1913 this new theory OF prostullng the power
OF this Government IN favor OF slavery was put
fourth by the then Secretary If State bnt no
man in This Iionse ever came forward with an
argument in favor of that doctrine until the last
session Of Congress. The gentleman from
Georgia, (Nlr ToumbS.) not now IN his seat was
the first to come frward in this Hall with an ar
gutncnt IN tavor of this new theory OF subsez-
ing the people Of the free States to the support
Of slavery.
Nov, sir. with the President, | repeat, tina,
no lover OF the Cons tuition will seek to inter
fere in matters left with the States. We vii
not be nude to interfere with it; but | mus
hasten to another expression Of the Pres
dent.
He tells ms "the law is the only sure protec
lion of the weak, and The only efficient restraint
upon the strong" This sir, is said in dTec
reference to this fugitive slave law. 1t woult
SEEN that the President IN ended 10 see how TAI
he co i'd impose upon the intelligence Of the
people. Sir, what protection does this law give
to the poor, weak, oppressed, degraded slave
whose flesh has Dion quvered under the lash
his inhuman ownkr whose youth has beer
spent IN labor for Abther whose intellect ha
been ,arIy bReitedAAIt When he socks al
ASYLUM in a laid Of freedom, this worse thai
bnrbarous law sends the officers Of Go ernmon
to chase him down. The people IRE consrain
ed to brcome his pursuers. Fan ishng, fAintlng
hod tho n,ld bn d., IL
limbs forward, while The whole power of tt
Government under fthe Presidents command
The army and navy, and all the heemcn Of thu
land, organized INTO a cOnstabulary force are OF
his track to drag him back to bondage, uRde
this law. And tins law, che President tel 5 rs
Is the only sure protection to the miserable slave
The expression, appears to me, rather insuItln!
to our intelligence.
Sir there IN not man in this body-there il
not an intelligent man ~ the Tree States, bu
knows, il he delivers fugitive into the cnstod,
of his pursuers that he VIII be earned to thu
South and sold to tie sugar and cotton planta
t.aus, aud ms lie will be sacrificed in five year.
it employed On the sugar plantations. The mel
of The North, who look upon this as murder
would as suon turn out and cut the throat O
the defenceess negro as 10 send him back to
land OF chuus and whips. AS ston would the,
do this as comply with law which violate
every principle Of common justice and human
ty.
The law. sir, holds him who aids ina mur
der as gulty as he who strikes the knife to tn,
heat of The victim. Under our law, a umn l.
hanged II he fails to prevent murder when !
is plainly in his power to do SO. Such man l.
held guilty OF the act, and he is hanged accord
mgly. The man who should assist IN the cap
ture of fugitive, would be regarded by us III
guilty as he under whose lash the victim ex
pires.
have compared this capture ola fugitive t,
a common murder. In dong that do injustice
to the common murderer TO capture a slave
and send him to the South to die under ii torture
of five years, is far more criminal than ordinary
murder.
Sir, we will not commit this crime. Let me
say to the President no power Of Government
can compel us to involve ourselves IN sucl
guilt. No! The treemen of OHIO will never
tn oui to chase the parting fug uye-they vii
never be metanorphosed into blood hounds K
rack him to his hiding place, AMI seize ant
drug INN out and deliver hun to his tormentors
Rely upon it, they will die first They NAV b,
shot down, the cannon and oayonet NAV d,
their work upon them; but never will they stool
to such degradation.
Let no man Tell me there is no higher Law
than this fugitive bill We iee there is a Law
of hight Ut justice, of freedom, implanted in thc
breast of every intelligent human being, tina
bids him look with scorn upon this libel upon al
that is called law.
Sir, was about to make some comparisons
but perhaps they may be regarded as indeIi
cate. Duling last Su,nner two distinguished
gentlemen of the same name occupied much o
the public attention. One was SAID to hav
committed murder, and the other to have pro
cured the passage Of this law. One was hange
for his crime, the other, Tor his efforts, taken II
the Executive Cabinet. One destroyed the litt
of an individual, the other contributed his effort
to tn, passage ofthls law, which must consig
hundreds, perhaps thousands. to prematnr
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