Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1851-04-10
Cheering from Kentucky.

Cheering from Kentucky.
The friends of Freedom are organizing IN
Kentucky, and are about to unfurl their banner
inscribed with the name of Cassius M. Clay for
Governor, who, though surrounded by slave
holders. fears not 10 assail the fugitive law,
which he wishes to make a test question in the
canvass. Here is his last:
LETTER FRO C. NJ CLAY.
To the Editor of the Progress of the Age:
DERR SIR In my Address to the people Of
Kentucky, | did not wish to lengthenm my remarks
by a complicated argument. | now undertake
to prove, beyond controversy, that there is no
power in Congress to compel the seizure and re.
turn of slaves at government expense. | reca-
%pitulate the argument. All powers granted to
Congress are included in the Is clauses power
over !" ~fugitives from justice" is not one of them.
The North denied and opposed all efforts to
make them at all responsible, morally or politi-
cally for slavery. They agreed only not to in
]terlere. The clause over " ~fugitives from SER
vice" is among those " prohibited 10 the States"
that is, had it not been for that clause, by the
law Of nations and State sovereignty every slave
escaping into a free State would have been free
by the very act. Now to the proof. Messrs.
Sherman, Madison and others, would at no time
acknowledge any right of /" property in man."
When it was proposed to lay a tax upon the
importation of slaves, it was not agreed to, be-
cause that would imply that they were as other
property-which the Convention were not will
ling to admit, and therefore changed the terms
to " person" and total prohibition after 1903.
Come on then to " fugiti2es from justice."2
Madison papers vol. 8, page 1,447. "Mr. Butler
and w. PinckneY moved to require Fugitive
Slaves and Servants to be delivered up like
criminals" Mr.. Wilson-This would obIge
the Executive of the State 10 do it, al The pub
Tic expense. Mr.. Sherman saw no more proprie-
ty in the public Seizing and Sprrendering d S!aUe
or servant, than d horse. Mr.. Butler withdrew
his proposition in order that some particular pro-
vision might be made apart from this article"
Now the article alluded to, was concerning
criminals, which were to " be delivered up, to
be remoued to the State, &C." Article a., sec.
2, u. s. C., and clause 8, concerning slaves was
adopted, without the word "removed."
Now, higher evidence of the intentions Of the
trainers Of the Constitution could not be made
out. The thing Congress has done in the Flu
gltlve Slave bill was expressly refused to be
granted by the Constitution-and the law is null
and void. To compel Northern men to catch
and bring back slaves, and pay The expenses,
makes them morally and politically responsible,
for every slave held in these States! A rcspons.
lbility which they never agreed to bear; and the
imposition OF which upon them now by uncon-
stitutional law, under other aggravated circum-
stances, they wiH neuer bear.
IND with Chotbnp, oonoo,n;o. .Lo A-.a.;oo.
tax, | rejoice it is so. Twelve millions of men
thus enslaved would be fit instruments to en-
slave me also! Once more then, | call upon the
Wing and Democratic parties, and the people
of kentucky to reconsider their resolves.
want, for one, no dicta of p|resumptuous individ,
uals, or %factIous parties, as a basis of Union =
the old Constitution of 1857, left us by the ia.
theirs of rs, is my basis of Union-hat, b,
word and deed, | am ever ready to maintain
G. M. CLAY.
And the following shows that G. M. Clay il
not alone In his opinions of the slave law.
The .NaySuNe Eagle publishes the following
resolutions adopted at a meeting of citizens o
Lewis county, Kentucky:
Whereas, In the letter of Ex-Governor Met
calfe to Mr.. Foote, the former in speaking o
the fugitive slave bill assumes that Kentucky
with an unbounded unanlmity will regard it
repeal by the General Government as a dissolu
ton of the Union:
RESOLVED, That the opinion of d slavehold
err, as is Gov. Metcalfe, or of the $1,000 slave
holders of Kentucky, can in no fair sense b.
regarded as the opinion ofthe 100000 non slave
holders of our Stale.
RESOLVED, That we shall be happy to be fur
nished with the evidence by which the Elk Gov
ernor learned the views of the non-slaveholder
in advance of their having expressed them.
RESOLVED, That, so far as we are informed
intelligent and influential non. Shareholders re
gard the Fugitive Slave Bill as demonstrations
and anti Christian.
ReSolUed, That the admiration which we fee
for free institutions leads us to believe that tn,
North will remain firm in its purpose of repeal
ing this bill in a legal manner, and that it will
be as much opposed at the South as at thu
North when the light shines as abundantly her,
as it does there.