Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1851-01-23
For the Freeman.
The Fugitive Slave Act and tn
Higher Law.

my operation, not to be over anxious to near OF
read, any thing tending TO show the Incorrect
ness of hose principles, or the inapttude OF
hose principles to the proctlce Indeed, men
of ardent temperament, and some share OF self
suficiency. will almost fee insulted by even
modest, reaso ing, attack upon their principles
and practice. Partisans in political warfare
frequently show themselves thus influenced by
the assurance thew feel in the correctness Of their
political creed, and their practice in support OF
it.. If we would reason with those, whether
Wings or Democrats, who adhere to their party
as party, regardless of the support afforded by
such party to slavery, and 20 the domination OF
the slave power over what we term free States,
and ask them if the course Of their party can be
reconcIed with the foundation principles Of our
Government, as declared in orr Declaration IF
Independence, and with our Constitution, made
to insure the blessings Of Liberty to the people
and their posteriiy, no dire t answer Is gwen :;
and, usually. the very conntenance tells MS that
we have asked very Nnwelcome question:
There is great reason to lppreheDd that this per
tinacious party feeling, and the rivashlp be-
tween the members Of the two parties, wing and
democratic, each striving for the ascendenc9.
prevents very many from becoming adequalely
acquainted with the operations Of slavery in on
country both to degrade Its citizens. and DIES
troy the independence Of the States which are
called free ; but falsely so called whe they
submit to the rule Of few hundred Thousand
savehoders. Those. surel y, who derive thel
information wholly. or chiefly, from the part!
papers of thnse two rival par:ies remain IN grea
ignorance of what every American ought II
know, relating to the tendency, oper.tlons AM
effects of slavery.
There are some things in those party papers
wholly incorrect in their results, which are
palpably incorrect. that not sufficient notice
aiken Of them by tine friends of human Libeh!
to prevent their being supposed correct bt
cause permitted to pass in silence. My MN
hghls upon the fugitive slave act Of the last sri
| SION or lOUgTfSSs w uIlS tIf HHluo VI 'II'
dom, every where, denounce II Us nncnnstitutlor
al and VOID, the pro-sIavery presses meet this
some by merely aHrmlng Vt to be CONSTITUTION
al; some by affirming that the g eat men, Sen
ators and Representatives, and President, an
Attorney General declare 1t 10 be constitutions
land their Oinons merit full confidence; an
some with more assurance slIIl in their sagaci
", affirm that it is the law, and we must ODE
it until repealed, whether constitutional or no
And was not little surprised, OF late, by OF
serving an agricultural paper, usually neutral a
TO political affairs, labor upon the pro SLAYER
side OF the question, and w:ite as it the lssu
before tha country concerning this Statute wa
whether the laws Of Congress-, made for OF
countryren, or the higher law of Moses and tn
Prophets, made Cor tue children OF Israel, was
binding force upon us. Again, some aim to d
vert the attention of their readers from the thu
issue, by waging a warfare upon what GovernC
Seward, and some others, termed the higher la'
That is higher than any law of Congress,
conflicting tendency.
These are all what the lawyers sometime
term shunage; precxt to catch the notice
the people, while they glance by the real issu
without observing it.
Those who malntain the consttutionality
this Statute, do it either by mere affirmation,
by talking about historical compromises OF t
constitution, which are in direct conflict WI
the plalnes terms OF the constitution itself
LAWYER or iurlst would ever resort tn this tori
support of any subject except slavery. Fhrth'
those who take this course, make no plauSlt
attempts to meet, and answer those clauses
the constitution. wh'ch furnish direct supoC
, of human freedom; such as that no man sh
t be deprived of his liberty but by due process
e law; and such as guard against unrcasonH
searches and seizures, without warrant up
oath, and such as secure to every one jury
al where he subject matter exceeds twenty d
lars in value, etc, etc.
n Those who trust IN the opinions OF great m
: the makers of the law, and those paTtcu'a
:. os,ociated with thu NJ, adopt the principle
r uonorch,cal Governments, condemned by e'
? nv resort to Republican lofm OF UoVe'hhe
They virtually say sour rulers can do no "Ton
A most dangerous idea this 1t presents Il
| ,riIahle barrier against all reform, and all c.
recton of errors IN the affairs al governments
7" ,rnose who make, or advise to the making
: laws are not ant to be very hasty in dlScov'
,o mr. admitting the errors other own dung
II and the attack upon the laws is so nenrly all
1 to an attack upon the law makers, at least uE
their sagacity and prudence, that their fren
mr., mn, n,,t TO be before them IN acknowledge
= the error. TINS is true when ali was done W
the best of motives, and through want OF io
sivht of evlls VIII Oh appear atlerward.
But it is possible that set OF men may co
bne together in measures and objects at
with the interests Of the rest of the peoples
! upon objects personli, or local. or sectional,
4 helm themselves and each other into office,
oromote some one Nlrionl interest to the IN
nv Of others, to encourage Foreign conme
10 the destruction of domestic industry :
u SUPPORT and extend slavery, TO the destruct
~ of human Liberty to place and keep all
n power of government under the control ola
/ wealthy, influential saveholders--to change.
II tualy, our civil, into military government
t. and should they begin aud progress by slow
grecs, to enact laws promotive of any one, OF
Of the foregoing objects in such an event, W
could those, thus combining, want Of the rer
the people, except to believe that their Inc
d ures, tending to the above objects, or an