Washington telegraph., 1851-03-19

to attempt to magnify this affair into something
OF consequence. 1t was too absurd He con-
sidered the proclamation of the President improper,
| impolitic, unwise, unnecessary, and yery weak
He would have nothing to do with it.
Mr.. Clay said that the conduct of the Senator
from New Hampshire this occasion did not
surprise him. 1t was in keeping with his general
course. The Senator had pronounced deliberate
act of the Presdent-the President Of the whole
nation-as ridiculous. There were two opinions
| On that subject, as there were two on another
| subject-the oratorcal fame and influence of
| Senator On this last question, the opinion enter
tanned by the member was thing, while that
entertained of his oratorica powers, aud the inilu-
| ence OF those powers, was quite different one.
The Senator seemed to make It point to r'ze
always aitzr airl n1r. -O) as if t. a5U.o s:l.
| him for the palm of eloquence and oratory He
had no ambition to contest this with the Senator
lie relinquished cheerfully to the Senator all the
glory be expected in such contest, and he hoped
the Senator would receive the relinqushment with
| the same seli-conplacency with which he always
rose to adress the Senate. This mob was styled a
mere handful OF negroes. Did any one beside the
Senator suppose that none but the negroes were
concerned in the violation of the law? The proc
lamaton was directed to the enforcement of the
law, and was aimed at those who took no active
| part IN the mob, yet encouraged, excited, and
urged the negroes on this outrage upon the laws
OF the country. 1t was said, however, that there
were others than negroes actually engaged ia the
| moo; 1t was sad that one negro--a white negro
| stood at the door and beckoned them to come in
1t was at such persons these, who by their course
and advice, by their nstigatons and solicitations
Oy their lectures and speeches. speeches here and
! IN The other House, this proclamation was aimed.
Not only are these negroes made the catspaw of
miserable and designing to bring odium on
! the laws to violate justice and its officers but
there has been introduced man named Thomp-
S.afd IN h, e D.
to disturb and agta,e the people; and that police,
which could find time and the means to attend
| and protect this foreign emssary in his dsunion
addresses, could not give their aid to execute law
of the United States. He little supposed that any
member of Congress would be tolerated in Eng
| land who would go to Birmingham and Manches-
! ter, and there denounce the law of prmogenitur
! the aristocracy, and the crown itself. Such
/ man would justly be denounced and rebuked bv
every loyal British subject, and he would be put
out ct the country. Yet here this Thompson IS
received with open arms, aud encouraged by men
protesting to be Americans, in preaching sedition
and disunion. He had more anxiety to ha We these
men brought to punishment than the poor deluded
negroes.
Mr.. Mason said the duty of rendering fugitives
! from labor and service duty imposed by the
| constitution. 1t was part of the compact SUBJ
scrbed to by all the states upon forming the Union.
He would take issue with the Senator from Ken
| lucky on the question whether this law was exc
cuted or not. lie had full belief in the declaration
of the President that he would execute the law
| if he could. lie considered, however, that the
| President had begun wrong. In the first case,
| where the Crafts escaped, the slaves We're lost to
their masters because of the evasions, prevarica-
tons, delays, and equvocatons of those whose
duty it was to enforce the law and administer
Justice. 1t the duty of the President imme
dlately to have dismissed the marshal. The law,
. | If IL WAS TO be eulorced mnst h. axecuted wit In
alacrity, zeal, and cordality. 1t must be executed
| with a desire, OH the part of the people among
| whom it is executed, to have it carried out because
it is the law, and without any obstacles or OBJ
structicns being thrown in the way of its execution.
In this case the party arrested; time was
given, properly, perhaps. to him for his defence;
| there was no place prepared to confine him, il
being the intention 10 keep him in the court room
from Friday to Tuesday. How could his rescue
| have been prevented? The laws of Massachusetts
prohibit the Imprisonment Of parties arrested under
| the law in the Jals of that Commonwealth. He
| thought 1T wrong TO denounce the population OF
Boston, when, by the laws of Massachusetts, it is
made penal offence for any of that population to
aid or abet IN the arrest or Imprisonment of the
fugitive. The Senator from Kentucky was right
in denouncing the conduct of those engaged in
this open resistance, but he should have gone one
step further and denounced the State of Massa-
chusefs as false to her federal obligations. She
she received a consideration She agreed to thi,
compact TO surrender these fugitives and receive
consideration
! Her Legislature has been in session since the
passa gf OF this law, aud these laws preventing
the execution of the constitution still stand on the
statute book. The Senator from Massachusetts
said the other day that the people of that State
were law abiding people, and would not resist
the execution OF the law. He would ask the
Senator whether those citizens, by not forcibly
resisting the law, were dschargng their federal
obligations to render up fugitives from labor OF
service! Ii they were, it was keeping the worc
of promise to the ear, but failure in complying
| with its demands.
When the Senator from kentucky said the
law generally executed, if he meant that il
was executed without open resistance, he wa.
correct; but if he Intended to say it was executed
with the aacrity in the spirit of the fedora
compact he was mistaken Mr.. VI. then detailed
the circumstances OF the Harrisburg cases, where
the expenses amounted 10 81 ,450, and the ne
groes when sold brought s 500, thus making 6
balance in favor Of the master Of $50.
In the Long case, which occurred at New Y York
the expenses amounted 10 nearly the value of the
slave; besides the claimant subjected to seve-
raj vexatious suits. lie would respectfully cal
the attention of the appointing power to the va
rious delays end evasions of duty, and would re.
commend that the least evidence of this should
be cause for instant removal.
Mr. Dickinson said that the Senator was mis-
taken about the case of Long. In that cas-,
there were no suits brought against the claimant
In that case he considered that the issue wa.
fairly made up and tried between those who de-
: sired that the law should be executed and those
who intended peaceably to resist it. The latter
had been defeated. The case of Long did IL uct
to prove that this law could ba executed. After
the long and patient hearing given that ease
| q ch
S duce difficulty. The law was 10 be tested, it.
force was to be tried, and the question: having
been ludicaliy settled will not he again idly agil
: ated. The law WAS denounced at that tiu,e a.