Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1851-10-01

r. where a person claimed, is clearly prover
, to owe service to the claimant. Deep a
may be the regret to see the persons doomed
. to Slavery, yet the unanimous voice of the
- community would be, to respect the pro
vision Of the Constitution which enjoins
upon US the duty Of delivering up such a
person. A fugitive slave-law which does
this, will be sacrcdly observed and univer-
sally respected in the North 1t would be
better for the South, because it would pre-.
vent delays, and the possibility of such oc.
currcnces as we now are called upon to re.
gret, and would preserve that kind and fra
ternal feeling which the members of this
Union should entertain towards each other.
: The operation Of the present law, has
done much to hcighten the repugnancC
which is felt towards all kidnapping. It's
harsh and unjust features have beer dcvel-
oped by the indecent haste and zeal Of IN
GRAHAM, and by the stupidity and ignor-
ance of Commissioner SMITH at Buffalo,
in the latter case fortunately Judge CoNK-
LING was enabled to prevent the injustice }
Under it, free citizen may be arrested,
examined, and in few hours, the inmate
of slave barracoon unless he should be
happily SO situated, as to have the proceed
ing arrested upon ha6sas corpus 1t may
never be amended. We should judge that
the spirit of the South would forbid it I'M
less they listen to the dictates Of reason,
and permit its obnoxious features to be
softened. But We are quite certain that it
will fall into condition Of desuetude-aId
fortunate for the South Will it be, if it does.
In this connection, we feel called upon
to deprecatc any attempt to drag this un-
fortunate occurrence into the arena of pol
itics, for the purpose OF making capital for
any party. Such conduct in our opinion,
is disreputable, whether it be by Democrat
or Whig. We have no need to dip our
banners in the blood Of the victims at
Christiara and faunt the bloody insignia to
create enthusiasm for our candidates. Any
attemp: so to to DO, is both uniustifable,
and unworthy the name of Democracy. Let
US never stoop to inhame the passions and
prcjudices of men, while We are a party of
principles-nor upon the bleeding eorpses
Of men who have fallen victims in such a
manner, endeaver to prejudice either local
or state authorities, without better cause.
The immediate instigators of the riot
which has eyentuated 50 fatally, will, we
trust he brought to condign punishment.
They arc more calpable than the negroes,
who ignorant of the magnitude Of the crime
they were committing, armed themselves
to defy their master in his attempts to re-
gain possession of his property.
1t is one of the deplorable but legitimate
consequences attendant upon and resulting
from the institution Of human slavery.
Upon that dread evil falls the olium-
brought about and FASTENED by the Fugitive
Slave Law. In no small measure are they
answerable who are aiding and ahetting
the Slave Power, by dcnouneing all who will
not worship at that shrine, as Abolitionists
and inccpdiaries, and who for ulterior OBJ
ieets and from motives of personal aggran-
dizement are endeavoring to create the i'm
preston that a considerable portion of the
North, is hostile to the fulilment of the |
guarantees of the Constitution. What !
wonder if the colored population of the /
North will arm themselves to prevent the |
reclamation of Fugitives by bloodshed and
violence, if they arc made to believe that
4 large portion of the citizens of the North
stand ready to aid them, or even to wink /
at their reasonable proceedings. And yet .
it has been fashionable of late, in certain |
quarters, to dcnouncc those who did not !
stand ready to endorse the Fugitive Slave !
Law as the perfection Of human wisdom
and the height of mercy, as Higher Law
advocates, persons who were ready to tram !
pie upon the Compromises of the Constitu-
ton, and ready to fire the sacred temple of
Liberty, and to class them with that mis-
guided and fanatical sect who avow the most /
dangerous and reasonable doctrines.
Such publications, while they are calcu-
lated to widen the breach between the North ,
and the South, also have tendency to
make their property more insecure, and to
make more hazardous the attempt to re-
claim the fugitives from service. 1t is ,
high time the South learned who her true
r.ends are Ttey will sooner or later learn ,
the selfish motives of those who claim they /
are the only friends the South have, and !
that ill others are inimical to their prop |
erty and interests.
These men are doing immense injury to
the South Claiming to be peculiarly Ma /
tional-they are the only truly sectional
party in the North, and their insane efforts
have in them more hazard to the Union, !