Southern standard. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 1851-1856, 1851-06-07
Testing q Principle.

..Nr Potter has not been influenced by pecuhi-
arv considerations in the pursuit OF ms Siase' ""
has been actuated by principle alone ne ue9ne
70 tast the operation Of the Fugitive Slave Law
and to demonstrate to the country It's constitution
aIitv. and its efficiency in protecting the rl9hts oi
the South. Regardless OF cost he mas Hiaue 'i,e
tost He has required his property at the hands
~ tho law to which even the fanaticlsm OF Boston
has been forced to yield reluctant Obedience
While he is gratifed at the result, as eXhioiun9
he fidelity of the federal and municipal authorl-
ties Of Boston, he is nevertheless opposed 10 any
compromise of principle with the aboitionIsts, ana
assures us that no sum of money they could oner
could purchase his slave to be set free among
them. This is the correct principle, ana we con
ceive that Mr.. Potter is entitled to the approod-
ton of all true friends of the South and the Union,
for the patriotic example ne has set IN TINS matter
o-a7-The above is from Georgia paper, ana as 1t
presents the conduct of Mr. Potter in novel hght we
nronose TO offer few words of comment upon it. 1t
appears that Mr. Potter the owner OF the slave
" arrested in Boston, is very wealthy and strong
advocate of the compromise measures and IN order TO
test the sincerity of the people of Massachusetts IN
faithfully abiding by and carrying mo effect the Whoie
series of measures he caused his slave, Sims, to be ar
rested who it appears had ESCAPED from Savannah and
located in Boston The slave was arrested and return
ed TO Savannah We published some account OF this
at the time and our readers cannot have forgotten that
the U. s. Marshal had his body of deputie, Ga large
body of armed menu and that the city authorities num-
bered about two hundred more and that the court OF
Justice was guarded by armed men, chains suspended
around the building to keep the crowd Oft and thai
after the final finding of the commissioner, the slave
instead of being despatched by the route first intended
homeward was sent on board of vessel, under strong
guard, about three O'Clock in the morning. This md
Gates singular state of public sentiment, and it Is
source of satisfaction to know that Mr. Potter has II
two very important particulars succeeded in demon
strating first:
That an explicit provision of the Federal constitu
ton is still susceptible of enforcement in the city o
Boston-and
Second, That it costs to arrest fugitive slave
and retain complete possession of him than hesworth
This is testing principle of law with vengeance
How do Southern men admire this Mr. Potter de
sired to see whether slave could be arrested in Mass
achussetts and returned to his He has teste
the question at an expense of from two to three thous
and dollars twice as much the slave worth n
doubt He has proved to his submission friends at tn
South how much it costs to enforce compliance wit
a constitutional provisoniu Massachusetts, and he Ia
also shown that Boston is almost safe place fo
runaway slaves to concentrate as is Canada. No ma
will attempt to arrest his slave in Boston after this
prment Of Mr. Potter-it is too hazardous at the bes
and it costs too much Boston may hereafter very az
propriatey be called the cradIe of Liberty For run
away slaves it is emphatcally So