The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1851-02-27

Al.
to none, in point OF lnteihgence. -,
M, Hale lam not goingto oppose the PASSAGE Oh
the resolution. think am glad that II mas Deeh
introduosd have listened with some sa's'ao
t;on 70 inc torrent Of Indignation which the oeu-
ator from Kentucky has poured out hsains, 'n's
obstruoton OF the execution OF the Jaws; DIV
49,, s,ss sbonld have been more grauhed II TINS
,od;.n.t;or had been exhibited in opposition to
,a,sI .r;fss,lv for different latitude, and upon
: Uaarnnt subiaot We are relying upon news
- aooonrts | have seen IN account, though
a. no, tnow whether II is true or not, but have
ooo an occonut since this Senate has been IN sea-
go Thai judicial officer in one Of the Southern
re- rcfised and did for o long time refuse,
49, o.ao,to the law of the United States for the
snr,ander of person belonging to another
STATE | do not know whether the account -
,rna or not but | saw it in the newspapers, and
7 have as much authority for that as We have TOR
the account which we find of the occurrence 10
Boston.
have seen AN account Of an expedition got up in
a Southerp city to march into foreign coun-
try. in opposition to law and treaty stipulations
forbidding ANYTHING of the kind but never
heard of any resolution calling on the President
IN knov what he had done about it. | recollect
that after the expedition against Cuba was got
M a resolution was offered here, and that reso-
luton was rather one Of censure upon the efforts
made by the Executive TO suppress IT.
Since have been member Of the Senate
bsve known n mob TO hold control for success
siye DAYS OF n considerable portion OF tins CITY
under tho nose of the President OF the United
States and there was no anxiety manifested men
to know what the President had heard OF 1t, or
to know what the President had done about IT.
to know whether, in this Federal city, where all
ha Tpit ia n
tra,ed and where he was bound by every o5-
legation that could weigh upon civil oihcer, to
know whether he had taken steps to maintain
the supremacy Of the law. There was no in
ouiry made then | did not hear word about It,
But as | said, ] am not opposed TO the pas
sage of this resolution, for ] will vote for 1t
bnt fear the Government Of the United States
are about TO take that very step which 1t 10 SAID
separates the sublime from the ridiculous. Yes,
sir, here is mob Of negroes who have for
time executed their purposes there, as mob
may do IN any place and in ANY city. MODS are
not peculiar to Boston. | believe | have read
about mob in Kentucky, which took possession
Of printing press, and sent it off into neigh
boring State Mobs may arise everywhere. hut
have heard that it is seriously the intention of
the President of the United States to issue for
NAL proclamation to all the naval and military
forces 10 hold themselves in readiness to put down
this mob Of the negroes in Boston trust II IA not
true | trust that the Tresident will leave the
execution Of the laws in boston to the silent reg
sG,o,on III the good people Of Boston themselves
for the President may be assured that, II the NOR
nj sentiment Of the people among whom the laws
are TO be enforced is not sufficient TO enforce them
they cannot be enforced 10 is not in the power
of the army and navy of the United States to en-
force this law in Boston, unless the people OF
Massachusetts sustain the Law. You must rely
upon that or yonr case is hopeless. George III
tried this experiment in Boston, when there WAS
but handful Of people there, compared to the
present population Ho sent his royal army
there, and they shot down the citizens in State
street. That law which it Was attempted 10 ca
force was odious to the people and it could not be
enforced, though the population in Boston was
not one-tenth Of what "a nos il. IL eapi,ot he
done now if tho moral sense Of the people of hos
ton IL against it, and will not support it, AMI il is
the idlest thing on earth 10 send any force there
to enforce the law No, sir such is not the found
alton on which esr institutions rest. They rest
upon the moral sentiments and Judgment Of the
people, and when they fail to sustain any measure,
it is lido to fall back upon standing armies.
think the consequences Of this movement
have been exceedingly msgnihed. | have no
doubt that the people Of Boston will maintain
all proper regulations and laws nm rs conf
dent of that az nun that the sun will rise to-
morrow as usual. an not citizen of that
State, nor do represent that State, but if were
one of the citizens of Boston, / should look upon
it as The fouless insult offered to my Stnte 10
assume that the laws cannot be executed and
the fact that violence has taken place Is not the
least indication that the laws cannot be executed
apprehend that the part of the account which
relates to taking the sworl Of justice down, and
tourishing il over the heads Of the officers, il all
fancy | have read on account by the deputy
marshsi. frem whose custody it is said the alleged
fugitive '~as takep.
MIR Davis Of Massachusetts. | think, perhaps,
that that account is q mistake
MIR. Hale 1t is suggested to me that it may be
a mistake Whether it be 30 or not, cannot tell.
! think this move il entirely premature, and that
we had better wait and see what movement the
authorities there will make; that We had better
leave the laws 10 the quiet operation of their own
Government, among the people where the laws are
to BIZ executed, before we attempt to magnify this
into any great and serious consequence do
not think II ere Ia apy serious danger of any man
Hesitation Of resistance to the law in that quarter
Mr.. Foote As the honorable Senator has
thought proper to refer to certain occurrence in
the State in which | reside must inform him
that he is In error as to the fact. II is not true
that any Federal Judge in the State OF Missis-
sippi refused to perform his duty that he delayed
Issuing certain process whilst our Legislature
was in session, ia true but that he subseq uenly
issued q writ and that tho Governor of Missis-
sppi went to the city of New Orleans in the Gus
topy Of marshal, and appeared in court, aud
there claimed speedy trial, without the least
show Of violence, without the least disposition TO
commit disorder, is certainly most true, as the
newspapers prove, and rs various letters which |
have received also attest.
Now for another fact for which fear the Sem
ator has relied too much upon madame Rumor
with her hundred tongues There never was
seen any organized body Off men, marching through
the streets Of the city Of New Orleans, or any
Southern city, destined TO the island of Cuba, or
any other foreign port. There was some suspi-
cion existing with regard to the connection Of
some Southern citizens with the late Cardenas
affair AMI this Government deemed il it's duty 10
institute scrutiny ut once, and that scrutiny has
gone on, and the trials are now in progress If
that bad not been done, there is no true spirited
Southern man who would not have deemed the
Government wholly unworthy thesuppOrt Of every
law abiding citizen There has been no opposi.
ton in any part Of the South, 20 FIR M know, To-
the supremacy Of the laws and am bound to say
that in my judgment, ninety nine huudredths OF
the people there would turn out for the purpose
OF aiding in maintaining the supremacy OF the
law and the Constitution.
MIR Davis Of Mississippi Mr. President, when
the bill providing for the recaptGre of fugitive
slaves was under consideration was one of those
who sought to give it the greatest efficacy OF form
! was also one OF those who expected no great re-
suits from it. feared then what seems TO be too
well realized now, that there was not sentiment
in the Northern States 10 enforce the law and
without that public sentiment, without that con
sent, felt thai The law useless. Here AMI
there, perhaps. . fugitive may he recovered, bat
il il seldom thai he Can be found seldom, indeed
that the process can be executed against him 10
commercial communities it may occur in rural
communities perhaps never, did not then ar
ticipate that il a fugitive were arrested aud
Il. 4 e. IL. l.