The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1851-04-19

y
ton must be- settled. II he 10 The person
claimed, he must go ia obedience 10 The law
VI the Union, aud drag ont his miserable OK |
ihtence in slavery. N, however he 10 not the
person claimed, but citizen Of Vermont he
shall not, like another Adam Gibson, be tore.
ed of "a hopeless serfliude' The rlghh "l
our citizens shall be maintained II he -
slave, he shall he faithfully given up bll "
he u citizen OF our Stale and not slave
nothing la the Constitution on laws Of the
Union requires that he should ~ delivered
over 10 false claimants, II may DO objected
that the fugitive slave law provides Tor spe'
cfe method OF trial. True, it does proFlhh
for q single Commissioner-no a Nnull-"hp
may remand back a fugitive 70 slavery ioif
life, but IL gives him no power over lfee cru
sens ofour State. When our jury has decld-
ed that question, the Commissioner can ever
else his powers, " the person claimed is luen.
iihed Our jury cannot consider tho hul i.'lJ
question Of slavery, bat whether thl' lndiNlu'
uAl Il the Robert claimed.
/ On both Of those points Il Is claimed, that
1 the law Of our State embraces nothing AZ va
\ rance with the Constitution or laws OF the
! Federal Governments Buff In any respect
| there Il collision, tbs. people 81 vermont
will freely submit the question q The highest
/ judicial tribunal OF our land aud cheeriully
abidt the decision, II the Supreme Court
should decide that any OF the provisions OF
thia las aFo Incompatible With tie laws OF 10"
| Uintol States, Il will undoubtedly be repeal
| ell or modified hut until there b such de-
eision, all the storm and buster Of the South,
aided hy the New York Herald aud Journal
of Commerce, and their ready echoes ia Dos
ton, will nrnhnhlY lll 10 force our sat IN
I tramnelcd legislature ~ recode from the po-
sition they have assumed
Our law further provides that State Attor-
uieA alall u-as.ll k4laf.I means e., procure the
discharge Of any pcrs0n claimed as a fugitive
And why l. not our State equally tustilahle
ia requiring this OF her officers, as Hon Dan
icl Webster Is Ia requiring our minister NJ
Cnustantiuoplc ~ use his influence 10 procure
the release Of Kossuih and his companions
Arc tln. chains uf slavery less CALLING on the
green hill sides, aud among the "sequestcred
.dclls" Of Vermont where the love Of freedom
r. inhaled M every breath, than iu The do
minions u the sublime Porte II the Cen
oral Government r. under obligations 10 step
la with such a vigorous exercise Of IL powers
aud thu. To throw a broad shield over the
claims of slave holdcu, at the expense OF hn'
, man Freedom let the miserable victims who
,s,. thu- 10 bee hurried bark intoirun -cryitudr
have tho littlr benefit they may hope 10 dc.
rive irom legal counsel.
Bui Il r. cuntcndrd that there are no Oigi
tive slaves in Vermont, and therefore the act
wa. designed only Ia irrilalc and disturb the
, south. Il h. very true, there are probabl,
no iluiilyos ia Vermont, aud this very fact
= shows that thcdc.ign was 10 protect our owl
citizens; and IL " too late in The day TO say
there Is no need of such protection, a0cr the
transactions Ht Pittsburg, Philadelphia, New
. Albany, Cincinnati and other places to drag
, free negroes into slavery under cover OF th'
y furiti,c slave law. The natural effect of th
4. I.,..,, - pugnttraUg "A class pf roo lee
slave catchcrs, who arc now swarming ~ th'
Northern states ready 10 seize any pcrsoI
having the lva-, faint uf negro blood, VIII
4 thcy think will be- unable Ia exhibit dircc
y proof of his freedom II i obvious that
man who would engage in this business woul'
!, not hesitate to swear Co any fact which woul'
!, enable him TO put few hundred dollars int
- his pocket, 10y transporting negro, slave o.
free. iuto = State where "sincws may h'
! bought aud sold" II is not true that the Law
i of Vermont was dcugHcd To iriitate the south
!, though Nennonicrs do no feel ,hruIsvtvc
:, under special obligations to bow very low q
the preindices Of Southcrners. They hay,
heard the storm aud thunder of Southern
y politicians too often 60 be greatly terrified
], and they will probably attend TO their owl
. alairs and quietly enact and enforce sucl
/. laws ~ they think necessary to protect thci
own citizens, Though n small State, AM
! possessing little comparative influence IN th'
= great sistcrhood, Vermont yet claims tn
- ripht ormanauing her own affairs, and of sc
curing 10 her citizens the enjoyment OF "lilc
:, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" AM
y the free and untrammclcd exercise and cN
y preston OF opiuQn on all suhlcgts. Nil
:, not, however threaten 10 scccdc from to-
" Union iflhc General GnYnrnm -4lee--tte'
proceed in all things Ngrecably 10 the view
:, aud wishes of our people; nor will she, lik
A--.r+4r-t -rrutrrrr7 furTyrfrc7 rnT CasUing
si,.,,l, ui tttit,fi, nrtrruv hCryut 10 the teeth
and prcuarina for all ilis-gFiEH- heFfets- ei
- bloody war but if aggrcycd and injured b.
" the Federal Government, she will probabl.
y appeal to the highest judicial tribunal in on
! land, aud calmly abdo the decision.
% II * somewhat difficult to assign rcasot
i for the disposition of some Wing journals, 4
/. place Vermont, which has always been 81
II true to Wing principles, in a false position
a A few weeks since, a paper of that class ii
r. Boston, which has usually manifested n yer,
- doyc-likc tenderness tor the slaVcholding in
Is tercst, and has unccremoniously denounce,
all who did not yield every point so modest.
l., claimed by Southcrners, had paraded in It
h columns in glaring capitals, the name OF Sol
ONION Foot, Senator elect from this State, a
Il Free Soiler5 and the calumny was rcpeate,
n a few DAYS since in an evening paper Of
n similar class when the editors must hav
known that Mr. Foot was The regular Whii
Il candidate, was elected by Wing votes, in op
n position to a Free Soil candidate, and tina
= The is as sound Wing as the present WIN
candidate for that office in Massachusetts, 49,
). IN a course naniicstS low malice unwor
= ~ any respectable Journal.
' r. While large proportion Of the people Of
q Vermont are wing to the core, and ardent,
q attached TO Wing principles, it is still un
l. doubtcdlv the case that they do not sympa
: thise with class ofpoliticiOuF, who are labor
{ ing so untirngly 10 manufacture public
5 sentiment for the mass of thg people, hostile
$ to the feeling so prevalent through the Nor
= thern States, on the subject of slavery. They
\ believe, that with the exemption of a few tan
i atics (whose numbers PERHAPS are not create
j. than the insane already in our HOSPITALITY thu
l. whole North, almost as one man, are devoted
@ to the Union and that the Union mass meet
$ ings got up with so much parade 10 secure thu
4 Union from disruption, are as great bur
5 lcsque, as an attempt to increase the light OF