North Carolina standard., 1851-03-01
Debate in the Senate on the late Re-
sistance 10 the Law i'm Boston.
SATURDAY, February %, 1851.

SATURDAY, February %, 1851.
The Senate resumed the consideration of the mo.
ton to refer the Presidents message relative to the
late resistance to law in Boston, to the Committee
on the Judiciary.
Mr.. Downs resumed the remarks commenced by |
him on yesterday. He maintained that the Fugitive
Slave law had been executed and had been carried |
out In as effectual the most sanguine of
its supporters had anticipated. He enumerated the
savera instances and in Indiana, New York, [
Ohlo illinois, Pennsylvan and Michigan in which
the law had been executed and the ugitives reclaim
ed These cases, he argued, evidence that the
law could be carried into execution. Wherever it
had been attempted with the exception Of Boston, it
had been successfully executed.
He defended the Compromise of the last session
OF which this law was most important feature
which had been pronounced as having failed altogeth
er in its objects. He considered it had been emf
nenty successful. He alluded to the state of feel
ing existing the North before the passage of the
Compro mise acts, and said that since then great
change in popular sentiment had taken place. At
the last session resolutions in favor of the Wimot
Proviso and kindred measures, presented by
ry northern State except at this session CHI
resolutions were presented Illinois, Indiana, and
Wisconsin, had reversed their legislation and the
two former had openly declared their appreciation of
the Compromise. Pennsylv lvania also had undergone
change, and resolutions in favor of the Compromise
were now pending before the Legislature, and it was
evident that the people of that State were deermin
ed to stand by and carry out that Compromise. In
diana had reelected to the Senate Of the boldest
| advocates of the Compromise. In New York the
counter feeling had gone far that, although the
Wings had large ma jority in the Legislature they
cannot elect any the Senate who is adverse to
the execution of the laws. The Senator from South
Carolina saw something omnous the South, in the
fact that the President applied Congress enable
him to employ military force in the execution of the
laws. He saw nothing ominous in it !; on the con-
trary, an omen of good, omen of that great and
beneficial change in the sentiment of northern peo-
pie towards the South. The President and his chief
Nohi OfS1 L4kl
evidenced by this action their high and patriotic in
tention to execute this law and execute it among
their own people, even if it required the power of the
army and navy to effect it,
If the Senator from Virginia thou ght this law was
dead letter. would the Senator give up the law
would he vote for bill to repeal this law which he
said had produced fruits ! The Senator would do
no such thing.
for the Compromise of the last sessions but he
was one of those who were disposed to give those
acts fair trial be fore condemnng them. There
but of those capable of repeal, and that one
was the now before them. If he believed this
law the Fugitive Slave law, dead letter on the
Statute book, he would say that the time for the dis
solution of the Union had arrived The people of
Alabama had no particular or immediate interest in
this law, for they did not lose than negro
in five years but they had an interest in the
tion of the Constitution. They well know that if one
provision of the Constitution could be dsregarded
and aside, that another and other provisions could
be treated likewise, and that there would be no safe
ty dependence to be placed in the Constitution.
He did not regard this law dead letter. He con-
sidered that it had been carried into execution.
1t had been executed in Ohio, in Indiana, in New
York, and in Pennsylvan in the latter State it had
been, the Senator from New Hampshire said,
executed by sending freeman into slavery. In this
| the Senator was in error. First, the not
sent into slavery, for he returned and, in the
next place, he was not free man. The mistake in
! the was that he sent to the wrong master,
for he actually slave. Such mistake apt
uar eLo
be charitable to the mistakes of others. There was
tale abroad that's negro called distinguish
| ed statesman OF New Hampshire and said he was a
fugitive slave; he implored his aid and sought his
shelter he taken in and comfored by the
| man. Subsequently, it was ascerained that the
gro slave and that he had had his free papers
In his pocket all the time. Such mistake having
occurred in New Hampshire, the Senator might ex-
cuse the mistake in Philadelphia
Mr.. Hale said this piece of history was new to
him.
Mr.. Clemens said the memory of the Senator must
be imperfect for he had told the tale to him MIR. c.
and the Senator from Tennessee as having occurred
| to himself (Laughter.)
! Mr.. Hale. l have perfect recollection of what
stated to the Senator and the Senator from Teunes
see or the occasion referred to- but it was not as the
Senator had stated it. A man did call me at my
house, and represented himself to be fugitive slave
but he had not been in my presence three minutes
before knew he was an lmpostor. While talking
with me he kept his hat on; and knew that
who was raised a slave at the South would ever do
this in the presence of gentleman (Laughter.)
| Mr.. Clemens resumed. The law had been exc
cuted III every where attempted except In Bos-
ton, and there it was resisted in this particular in
stance by negro mob. He did not regard this fact
conclusive evidence that there the law could
not be executed. The very slave who had been
rescued could not with safety attend an abolition
meeting in a small town in Massachusetts, without
being in the disguise of female. Mobs ind-
cations of popular will, certainly not of the ineca
cy of the laws. There mob in Boston
ground. An actor caused mob in New York, which
was not overcome tiU after considerable blood shed
churches burnt in Philadelphia, after anoth-
er. and the city in tumult for weeks; in Bat-
more, forty miles from this place, mobs had taken
place, and the property of private individuals was
destroyed; and in the southwest gangs of despera-
does have set the laws in defiance for weeks at a
time. These did not demonstrate that the laws of
the land could not be enforced. But he still regard
ed the President as having done nothing but what it
was his duty have done. He had acted as states
and patriot who, knowing his duty, had resolv
ed to perform it.
The Senator from South Carolina had spoken of
the legislation of Illinois and Indiana excluding free
negroes indications rather of desire to free
themselves of worthless population than is favora
Senator similar ones were in force in South Caro-
ma and Alabama. He cared not what the object Of
those States was, it hostile the South.
Such Legislation not hostile to the South. He
had fault to find with it. If the free States would
all prohibit negroes coming into them, he would rath
er have such Legislation than a law reclaim fugi-
tives. 1t would he the best Legislation to prevent
slaves running off. In conclusion, he repeated that
he considered the President had acted with the great