Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1851-05-24
SALEM, COLUMBIANA co, OHIO, MAY a. 1851.


CORD PREVAIL FOREVER! i know to what
point this doctrine and this language may
appear directed. But feel the principles OF
an Englishman, and utter them without APP
prehension or reserve. The crisis is indeed
alarming; so much the moro does it require
| a prudent relaxation on the part of govern
ment If the kings servants will not permit
a constitutional question to be decided on oc-
cording to the forms aud on the principles of
the constitution, it must then be decided in
some other manner and rather than II should
be given up, rather than the nation should
surrender their birthright to a despotic min
lister, hope, my lords, old as | am, shall
see the question brought TO issue, and fairly
tried between the people and gOvernment-
My lords, this is not the language of faction
|
1 was present in the Supreme Bench of
Massachusetts, the other day, aud heard the
Judge who, fifteen years ago, pronounced
the decision in the Med case, refer, in fitting
eulogy, to that decision. lie dwelt upon il
tile proudost feather in the cap of his judi
cial fame-ior some length of time; that
when the slave Med was brought before him.
under hdbeds corpus and it was shown that
she had not escaped from Alabama, but was
brought into Massachusetts aud consequent
| ly did not come under the constitutional pro-
vision in respect TO persons held, &C., eScd-
ping the Court decided that she was free
Since that time, numbers have been brought
here, aud have been set free by the same
principle. Ii has Tung through the whole
nation, and hundreds now enjoy the bes-
sings of liberty under that decision. heard
the Chief Justice allude to it with becoming
prideI but | could not help thinking, as
heard him, that ii that very child, now grown
TO be woman, should be brought up under
! the Fugitive Slave Law, by certificate, with
| the seal of the proper Court, affirming that
in 1885 that child Med was n slave in a cer-
tain county in Alabama, and had escaped
into Massachusetts,-as by the law of many
slave States she is held to have one,-if the
claimant should show that paper to George
Il. Curtis, give him proof that the person
named in it was the person now before him,
there is no power in the State--no writ, nc-
cording to the Courts decision yesterday,
that could save her-her, the very evidence,
subject and trophy of the occasion, which
will alone, probably, make the Supreme
Court of Massachusetts remembered fifty
years hence. She is not allowed TO prove
that she was brought into the State; she is
not allowed 10 prove that she was the party
TO that decision which has inlnortaliZed the
Judge who delivered il. Though the very
volume which bears that decision should be
produced in evidence, there is no power in
Massachusetts competent TO prevent her be-
ing rendered back to the degradation of
Southern bondage, at the option of MIR. Com
missioner Curtis. In Our Western States,
persons, situated like Med, have been sever
al times surrendered within the past twelve
months.
Notwithstanding this, let us remember,
that if fugitive slave shall be sent bnck from
Boston, fugitive slave has not yet been ar
rested in Boston. The United States Gov
ernment was obliged TO put on the disguise
of Boston watchman, aud prowl at mid
night i'll the streets, giving out that it was
engaged in the arrest of thief. Without
such pretence, it is not probable that Sims
could have been carried over the few rods he
was TO be given into the custody of the Mar
shal. Again. Massachusetts has not yet
surrendered fugitive. Ii will be done, if
done at all, only by trampling under foot all
her laws. We have made the fact palpable
that the Commonwealth stands arrnyed
against the City-the LAWS against the City
now degraded into miserable nppcndage TO
the County House, and catching slaves in
order TO improve business.
We have listened, of late, TO many homi-
lies on the duties of 'law-abiding citizens.
During the last few days, while Judges and
the Executive have deserted their posts, the
aboiiionlsts have been strictly law-abding
citizens. We have begged for nothing but
the law-haye wearied ourselves to obtain
the simple legal rights guaranteed to us and
TO all by the State. The City Government,
in direct defiance of the statute of 1913, have
| o;1aH hntI, 4 -. IL
rest and detention of person claimed as n
slave. To effect this purpose, they have vio-
lated the commonest rights of the citizens
shut them from out oftheir own court-houses,
subjected them, from day to day, to needless,
illegal, and vexatous arrests Judges hnve
been Artul Dodgers, and Sheriffs have re-
fused all processes. The abolitionists have
exhausted every device, have besieged every
tribunal, implored the interference of every
department, TO obtain the bare execution OF
the law of the Commonwealth. Charged by
the various presses with reasonable aud Sc
ditlous designs, and then tainted with cow
ardice that they were afraid to execute them,
they have stood quietly TO their wel-consid-
cred plan, TO develop, by unceasing diligence
and fearless men, the whole plot against the
laws Of the State, and then appeal TO the
people TO provide in future for the execution
of their own laws. When laws fail them,
and when good sense approves, they may re-
sort to arms but be assured, while so deep
ly entrenched in laws as we now are, with
every statute on our side, we shall not for
felt or throw away our advantage. George
Canning repeated what the profound sagaci-
~ of Burke had seen, that in slave colony
good laws were useless--they had no exc
cutive power We have found il so here.-
In the slave colony of Massachusetts, the
laws are well enough, but public opinion has
so degenerated, that there is none TO execute
them. The institutions are left, but where
are the men? We live in an age of masks
mot men. Rome had republican forms en-
ough when the Emperor made his horse a