Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1851-11-07

give uttcrance to that conformation with trrqu'n'
cy and all earncstncss which subjected me- in that
latitude to vehement Suspicion OF abotoulsn.
Here it seems an attempt to show by plain argn-
nent, conducted with courtesy towards those who
might entertain different sentiments, that the FnE-
tive Slave Act is not an infringement ot the United
States Constitution but must br regarded as the Law
of the Land entitled to be obcyrd as such and that
a State enactment plainly designed and enforced,
calculated to array our State Authorities against
those of the United States was both inexpedrnl and
uncons,ituiiona is Characterised as scrshty, SUB
mission to the arrogant dcmdnis Of the South, aud
in short entire and perfect tOadyism. Very well, let
it he understood that those who dare to entertain
aud express however unoilcn-ve!y such obnoxious
sentiments are to expect neither argument nor de-
ccncy in reply, from portion OF the wing press IN
Vermont, and they will submit quietly to any amount
OF abuse, pcrhaps-psrhaps not.
CHARLES DAVIS.
MONTPELIER, Oct. 81 1851.
We have a few words of comment to make
on the foregoing communication, and shall Ger
tainly endcavor to make them without raising
any "ncw ISSUE" since Judge DAVIS, with II
courtesy that he doubtless intends for our I'M
proycmcnt, intimatcs that what we have hereto
fore said on the subject in discussion is un'cor-
Hyof his notice except for It's Justification of
facts, and dcrom ofdrg,menl or dcccncy. If we
fail to come up to 1.-THE general toHcml SPrd'
likely to secure the appreciation Of the Judge
we intend ~ set conmendablc example to
our fellow men in the way Of Keeping or tan.
per.
We confess, too, that we are more soctous
about "focts" than style, and in this respect the
''tone and spirit" exhibited by our corrcspon-
dent afford us the satisfaction to perceive that
we agree with him.
We must he INDUCED in saying, in the out
set that for Judge DAVIS, we entertain no feel
ng but that of personal respect and esteem
nor have we ever had the smallest intention to
treat him with rudcncss or discourtcsy. That
gentleman has committed the not uncommon
mistake of conounding himself with his writ
ings There are but two direct alluson to
him in the article in the Free Press the first
a simple statement of the wcll-known fact thai
he is the author oithe Report commented on
and the second a certainly cornmcndatory re-
ference to himself personally with a slight
but not discourtcous, reservation in regard t.
what we conceived to be Il Unemployment 0
time in promoting Il further unnecessary dgda
ion Of the Slarcry question in this State. Gu
comments chastity written and doubtless de-
void of "argumcnt," though assurcdly guiltlcs.
f of intentional indcccncy) were upon the state
mcnts and doctrines of the Il port Of The Judi
cay Committee, not upon Judge DAVIS, Nj
IIuBnELL nor Mr.. BowpIsH, the majority G
that Committee who made it. The Report of
I Committee, we take it, is public property, an
its arguments and conclusions are open to fire
comment and discussion, without sublcctlng tn
, commentator to the imputation Of unworth
motives or personal animositcS. We expires
scd with some freedom our OF, cCtlon to til
conclusions Of Report of a Committee favor
n able to the distribution of a copy of"W cbstcr
unabridged Dictionary" to each of the SchoC
Districts in the State, and our qualification thi
= its absurd recommendations were rejected
" We do not sec how this renders us liable to
:. charged with personally attacking the athc
e of that Report, whom we don't happen t
h know.
= -But Judge DAVIS is Wing. Certainl
he is, and good and true one, too BIT
:, neither the Fugitive Slave Law, nor the llabea
: Corpus Act, is Wing, nor is either of them
r Wing doctrine, or Wing Principle, or
l. plank in the Wing Platform. Nor do we VI
1t ders,and that the Report Of Committee mac
BY two Locofocos and one Wing, is a VIII
:. The Fugitive Slave Law and the lIabeas Co
re pus Law, are LAws,-nothng more nor less
If and one is entitled to the same OBEDIENCE {
+ the other, Qhe latter being ,corthy OF infinite
/ the more REspEcT) both being subject, (wheI
i. ever they are found to irreconclabe with eat
- other TO the determination Of the same augu
I'd National Tribunal and the constitutonality
neither being determnabe by the most potter
IN weight of individual opinion, nor by the con
l bned wisdom of any Legislature IN this Unto
' This is the simple fact; and when judicial
-, Committees, and learned pundits in priva
IS life, retired Senators, and patriotic ctlze
generally, gravely arrogate TO themselv
to the functions of the Supreme Court Of 4
}" United States, and denounce those who, in t
~, ~ spirit of good citizens, merely await, and a
IN prepared to abide by, the DECISION Of that II
nt bunal. we confess that the whole affair appca
y, to us TO be simply ridiculous ! What, Y
to ask Judge DAVIS, with the sincerest respe
a. and sincerity has the Judiciary Committee
=" the Vermont Legislature, or that Unto
,o loving Legislature itself, to do with sett
ny the questions involved in the Report of viii
~, he is the Author! Nothing, nothing, nothin
'"r When the Legislature Of 1850 unanimous
on passed the much-revcd llabeas Corpus A
(for which generations unborn will see cat
= to honor that Legslature) the controversy "
remored to the Constitutional Tribunal
are POINTED to DECIDE, in an actual conflict
to Laws; and, in our poor Judgment, it would
r,o,, nitnous nd u\vorthy the diUI