The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1851-06-04

II passed and answered all the purposes OK
pecied IRON il; till about the year l841 or
l842, when the States nterfered 10 make
enactmen,s in opposition to 1.-THE Law Of
Congress said that State Magistrates might
execute the ddties Of the law. Some Of the
States passed penal enaciments involving a
penalty on any who executed authority un-
der tho law. Others ofthem denied the use
of their jails TO carry the law into effect
and getierally at the commencement Of the
wear 1850, il was absclutely--I say-it was
absolutely ly--indispcnsable that Congress
should pass some law for the execution ot
this provision of the Constitution, or else
give up that institution entirely. That was
the question. | was in Congress when the
law was proposed. ! was for proper law.
had, indeed, proposed different law
was of opirion that summary trial by ju.
ry might be had, which would satisfy the
prejudces Of Tie Feople bui left the Sen
ate and went to another station before the
law was passed The law of 1850 passed.
Now undertake, as a lawyer, and on my
professional character 10 say TO YOU and to
all. that the law of 1850 is decidedly more
favorable to the fugitive than Gen. v ash
ing,on's law OF 1913; and i tell YOU why.
In the first place, the present law places the
power in much higher hands Of indepcnd.
ent Judges of the Superior and Circuit
Courts and District Courts and Commission
ers who are appointed TO office for their law
learning. Every fugitive is brought before
a tribunal of high character, Of eminent Il.
biliry, of respectable station. WE'LL then,
in the first place, when claimant comes
from Virginia to New York to say that one
A or one B has run away, or is a fugitive
from service or labor, he brings with him a
record of the county from which he comes,
and that record must be sworn to before y
Magistrate and certified by the County Clerk
as to its correctness. The affidavit must
state that A or b (as the case may be) had
departed under such and such circumstances
and had come here, and that record under
seal is, BY the Constitution OF the United
States, entitled 10 full credit in every other
State. Well. the claimant, or his agen,
comes here, and he presents TO you The seat
of the Courts of Virginia that A and B had
escaped from service. He must prove that
be il here. He brints witness and asks Il
this is the man, and he proves it, or in ten
cases out of eleven the answer would be,
Yes. Massa. am YOUR slave, did escape
law, and so much opposed and maligned as
il is, it is more favorable law to the fug gi-
tive than the law Of Washington of 1893,
which created no disturbance at the time il
was passed, and which was sanctioned by
the North as We'll az by the Solth.
But this opposition is a sentiment Of mod
c:n times. From whom does this clamor
como Why. look at the proceedings of the
Slavery Convention-look at their res.
cluuons. DO you find among all those per-
sons who oppose this Fugitive Slave Law
any admission whatever that any law oug h,
10 be passed to carry INTO cfiect the solemn
stipula'lons OF he constitution zen me
any such case Ieli me II any resolution
was passed by the Convention at oyracuse
iavoring the carrying out oil The Constiiu>
lion Not one The fact Is, gentlemen
they oppose the whole-they oppose the
whole NOT II man OF them admits that there
ought to be any law on the subject. The!
deny alto9ether that the provisions OF the
Constitution ought to be carried INTO effect.
Well what do they say Look at The pro-
ceedlnes OF the An'l'oiavery conventions
III on'o' '"",a T ",,u WI a ~ ,, a., 'ss' :,
."e o.",' VI Nv. .,e" -" " "'' uo '", ~
"" ~ rup rap, 'u ,La S,a,o of Now YnrL L""L
=, h;' IT,. ',o. y. v;na;,,;a ~, ,ha, sa'
~ ~ '.'' 'i'a'ro. c III " s'inI', of ,h"; ,h",
'n"', '"T ,o' ,;, Wv ,S';n S e..,,n". and 'ha;,
Pe"S, 'ne'' N,e', '"e' III, a ~ W
saoieu noIU' Sn"' i ,ha lnws T. fJ ~,
'"e'' S"''e "o"I' " ''I- -. 80 Wv l ~
count! nv! P'eus '.' 49,. - " H.
oo"'u''' "."'o' "s.I' Wv IT,
w" '.'' h
""o p''uAe '"e' "'"' "a
eause' \HFPau''|
have already sta'ed' gentlemen wha
your observation of this mus' rave oeeh'
will only recur TO u Tor moment, Tor 'h'
purpose oil pe'suaulng YOU as p"onc mei
ant private men as sood men anu pa'r'on'
men-ihat you ou9ht, 10 tue extern o.
yonr ability and lniihenrc, TO see 10 u INA
such laws are es'an'lshen anu ma,h,a'nsd , a
shall keep YOU ana lhe SCUM, ana 'he "es'
and all the country together as lar as u
just and right, ana as fat DIS the Constitution
demands. say, that what IS demanded o
u is to be up TO our Constitutional un'ies-
10 do for the South what the South have
right to demand.
Gentlemen | have been some time befor
he publc. Nv character is known. nv If
is before the country. profess TO love lii
eriv as much as any man living but pro
frss to love American liberty. that lihert
which is secured TO the country by the Con
stituion under which we live, and hsv
no great opinion of that liberty which goe
over the restraints of law or OF the Cons,
tuition. bold tho Constitution Of the Ia
ted States to be the bulwark, the only bu
wark of our liberties. and our national char
don't mean that YOU should become slave
under the Constitution. That is rot Amer
lean liberty; that is not the liberty Of th
Union for which our fathers fought tha
liberty which has given us a right to b
known and respected all over the word