The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-02-27

DEFE RED EBATE.
lcoHrNvED.]
IN SENATE, fAf4s
FsIpAy. Feb. ~. lsal.,
fugitive SLAVE Law.
Mr.. CLAY, 1t is with regrss that
have heard the remarks al the honorable
senator from Virginia, Mr. Mason, I be,
cause | do notjconiucide in the belief o. &
the state Of popular feeling upon which thos.
remarks were founded aud think thu,
have tendency to psodoce III effects wher,
there is already too much disposition in til.
public mind To he onetatsd upon hy lust sucl
statement az iac6. Now. l stated vhe,
] was up before, and ] repeat, that doub
whether there was any man 10 Congress,
who watched With more a.xious attention
the execution Of the Fugitive slave law O
the last session than have done and ID
every instance which has come within nv
knowledge, the law has been executed. In
no instances has there been violen ut intenup.
ton Of the law, except in Boston.
Let me run rapidly over the cases which
have occurred under this law. The case in
Indiana was highly c-edtable to that peace
loving and Union-loving State. 1t was a
case OF the claiming Of two persons as slaves
who were as white as you or / are-who
bore testimony; as far as the mere appear
ance OF colcr bore testimony, that they were
not slaves. But it was proved that they
were the descendants Of Africans. In that
case, as you and ] know, the testimony was
deliberately attended and listened to, and
the fact was clearly made out, that although
they appeared to be white, they were actu-
ally the descendants Of Africans, and that
the claimant of them owned them az his
property. They were ,thereupon immedi-
ately surrendered by the authorities there
was no attempt to disturb the execution Of
the law, and they were taken over to Louis
vile. The generosity Of the citizens Of
Indiana prompted them to subscribe sum
sufficient to buy the persons; they were pur-
chased at moderate price, and set free.
! have heard Of no other instance in Ind-
ana.
We will now 60 to the city Of Cincinnati.
There was case Of young female there,
prior to the one to which the honorable sena-
tor from Virginia has referred, who was
claimed as a slave, taken by the commits
sioner, adjudicated to be the property Of the
claimant, and quietly permitted to leave the
city without the slightest disturbance. The
very case to which the honorable senator
alludes, is case Of the full execution of the
law. What was it 2 A woman was on trial !;
she escaped /; and while her master was pur-
suing her in the streets with warrant for
her arrest, the cry was raised that she was
free; the man was pursued, and the negro
was rescued from him; she was again re-
taken, and carried before the proper au-
thority that authority was in the progress
OF examining whether she was slave or
not; but towards evening, the Judge being
about to dismiss the case until the next day,
the woman got up, and cried out, "let me
60 home with master" And that, by-the-
by, is the case with many Of these house.
hold servants that are improvidently enticet
away. This young woman said, "give
yourself no further trouble about my case
but let me 60 home to my master" The
amount Of it was, that there was conclusive
evidence Of the existence Of the slave, anc
the ownership Of the applicant There was
roattempt made to rescue her--to prevent
ner from being taken on board of the boat
to transport her back to slavery. The Law
was fully and finally executed.
Now, with regard to the case in Harris
burg. Since this discussion has arisen, |
have been informed, in way that is per-
fectly satisfactory to me, that within few
weeks there have been allowed actually from
the treasury $500 or $500 to malshals to
pay for taking fugitves back to the very
neighborhood of the honorable senator from
Virginia. There was case in Philadelphia
in which the law was more than executed
for the person who was pronounced to be a
slave was returned from the place where he
was sent. In the other cases there, the law
has been fully executed, and the slaves ac-
tuslly taken back to their owners. There
was the Long case in New York--the sec
ond or third case that occurred in that great
city. The trial Of Long was, think, a
most beautiful exhibition Of the moral power
Of the law and Of the justice Of the popua-
ton Of that great and glorious city. 1t was
in progress two weeks full deliberation was
given, witnesses heard pro and con, and the
officer finally decided that the claimant OIL
the slave was the true owner, and he was
carried back to slavery, through the free
State Of New Jersey, through Philadelphia
and through Pennsylvania, and through Will
mington, and that part of Delaware which
may be considered ~ most entirely free,
through Baltimore, and back to Richmond
by the marshal or some Of his deputies, at
great expense dare say.
Now, what does the senator from Vir-
GINA cxpect' He has mentioned no case
himself in which there has been failure on
the part Of the claimant who has pursued his
slave I, recover him. Does he expect that
upon the passage Of the law, without effort,
without diligence upon the rart Of the master
the slave is to be returned to him without
any expense whatever Did he expect
there were to be no evasions Of the law
We all know that it is utterly impossible to
avoid these evasions. The negro will run
IN thn r,rkf and ,~ha~ L.. :. = Al