The southern press., 1851-08-09

\ What said Clay and Webster TO these great
questions! Why, MIR. Clay in reply 70 q senator
said, sthe North has gained everything; the
South has galned nothing but her honor.N Now
he trusted that If Che South had gained her
honor, that she would still preserve it but they
would have lost their former heart when they
licked the hand that smote them-and supported
an Infamous compromise when they should as
sert their position and maintain their rights Zap
plause) Mr.. Webster said in reference to the
compromise, ''the North has lost just what the
4 South has gained, viz. nothing at ALL" The
/ North lost nothing, the South gained nothing.
/ Webster and Clay were the leading men OF the
great compromise, and taking their opinions as
the sentiments of their party, the South was ad
mitted to have gained literally nothing. Yet
some persons, with great gravity, said ought
they not to be content with the Fugitive slave
law I? What was such a law worth, and what
concessions were made from the North to have
this law framed? The obligations imposed by
the Fugitive slave law existed between the
States themselves; for the property found in
one State, belonging to the citizens OF another,
had right to be delivered to the proper owrer
| Suppose, for instance, the property OF person
straycd on to the lands of neighbor, would a
spirit of honesty dictate the propriety of setting
dogs upon the strayed stock that it might be
driven into an adjoining cane-brake And yet
such was the miserable position of the fugitive
slave in the North; worked by the philanthropic
Abolitonist, in the first place, and then terrified
onward to Canada, or to some other place !!
ave must have some higher power" exclaimed
| they,Is we must have court to compel our
neighbors to give up our property" What hon.
4 est mea would require court to compel them to
deliver up property which they held illegally !!
But the law was passed, and it at any rate sup
ported one principle, that if the government had
to pass law to compel the delivery Of slaves, it
exhibited the feeling Of the abolition States, and
gave convincing proof that the South must de-
pend upon herself for what protection she re-
quired The Fugitive slave law proved that the
North had refused to deliver up the fugitives,
and consequently the fact showed the Northern
feeling to the South But who voted for the
Fugitive slave bill? Did the North support it !!
No, for only three Northern senators voted for it.
If, therefore, so small number of Northern
men voted for the Fugitive slave bill, how was
it that the compromise measures were passed by
such maorities? The fact was, the South's own
members neglected, in one solid body, to speak
out manfully and boldly; some deserted their
ranks, and the North reaped the advantage, that
arose from the want of a unity of action. The
three men Of the North who voted for the Fu-
gitiv slave law, were Mr.. Jones, Mr. Dodge of
Iowa. Gan abolition State, but newly formed, and
its senator reared in Missouri. without the fana-
ticism of the Abolitionists,) and Mr.. Sturgeon
of Pennsylvania, one of the good, old, steady and
Independent sort of German stock, but who had
not learned that it was honesty to steal a mans
property, whether that property be in slave or
otherwise (Applause.) They could have but
| little hope that the law would be executed in
the midst of Aboltionists and Freesoilers, and
although they might expect that as before, slaves
would be concealed and privately sent away, or
at best that delay and obstacles would be raised
against the delivery of a slave to his master, yet
| he Gid not expec: that the North would go into
the extremes they had done; he did not expect
that when master went to lay claim to his slave,
the master would be arrested and held to bond
| for libel, and for damage that might be done
| to his slave in a business point of view, as had
been the case at Boston on very recent occa-
sion. He did not expect that armed mobs would
be permitted to take negroes out of the hands Of
the State officers and steal them off to Canada,
as had been done. These things, however, were
all lost sight of by those who told them there
was returning sense of justice rising in the
North, and who yet persisted in the statement
that they had faith in the execution of the law
in Boz n. Where was this justice manifested,
or upon what was the faith of the submissionists
based! Was it upon one delivery of slave to
/ his master? if so they would consider how mat
| ters stood IL was found that in Boston the
late manifestations in favor of abolition caused
the trade of that city to decline a sum of about
three million dollars the non-execution of the
Fugitive slave law having embittered the South
80 much against Massachusetts In consequence
a trade Union was called and when the meetings
assembled II was ordered that when the next
slave was apprehended he should be delivered
TO his master.
Here then was the secret Of the delivery of
| Sims-but how was Sims delivered? When
the trial was in progress the mob assembled, and
the courthouse had to be shrouded in chains
The police Of Massachusetts were called out,
but neither the United States navy yard, nor
Massachusetts navy yard, could be made avail
able for the required purposes Of suppressing
rioters and law breakers The tria' progressed
slowly, and the Abolitionists left undone nothing
that could be thought of to libcrate the slave.
Eminent counsel was employed to endeavor TO
defeat the law. The verdict was in favor Of the
owner of the slave but when the Judgment was
delivered, was the mob satisfied, and was no re.
sistance to the law shownl Why the fact was
that for fear Of any outbreak, and under the i'm
preston that the law would be violated, and the
fugitive rescued, telegraphic despatch was
sent 10 New York for an armed force TO wait
upon the borders Of the State TO receive the
slave snd escort him till he could be safely sent
| on to Georgia, where the master lived Subse-
quently this idea was abandoned, and another
course was adopted, that showed still further
the public mind. II was ordered that the pris.
oner be sent TO Georgia on board Of ship, and
for this purpose before day; when the people
were unaware Of the transaction, he was taken
TO brig and sent 10 Savannah. Was all this,
then, indicative Of a returning sense of justice
being manifested in the North, or were the sub
sequent acts of the Massachusetts legislature
anything in favor Of returning sense of JUS
ticeT He judged not, for the first fruits were
the election Of the Abolitonist Sumner These
two movements clearly demonstrated the tone
Of public sen.iment--in one case an Abolitonist
was elected senator--in the other case, although
the fugitive was returned to his MASTER it was
contrary to the desire of public feeling, and the
arrest and delivery cost something like $4,000!
sum which was so enormous as TO preclude