Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1852-03-27
From the Eevening Post.
Slavery in California.

pronounced the Wilmot proviso goats wool
of no use to q territory already sufficiently pro-
tectcd from slavery by the unrcpcolcd anti
slavery articles against it in the Mexican consti-
tuition; and those who thought the patriarchal |
institution was excluded from all our Pacific |
territories by the will of God; oil arc invited to
pcrusc the debate and proceedings of the Lcgis- |
ture of this thrice protected state, upon a
bill introduced there at the commencement Of
the current session, "for the surrender Of fug-
tivcs from labor" They will perceive that bill
has passed the Assembly after very full debate
by vote Of AZ to IL, making a slave Of every
person within the state who a slave prior
TO the adoption of the constitution, and pro-
viding for his surrender TO his owner under
the stringent operation Of the Fugitive Slave
law Of the last Congress, rendered, if possible,
more stringent by additional domestic pro.
visions.
The bill has made thus much progress in face
Of the article of the California constitution
which provides that
"Neithcr slavery nor involuntary scrvitude,
unless "for the punishment of crimes, shall erer
be tolerated sin this state"
The overwhelming vote in favor Of this meas
urc in the Assembly disclosed the fact that the
Legislature is under the dominion of a large
pro-slavcry majority, and there is every reason
to presume that the next steamer will bring us
intelligence that the bill has passed the Senate,
received tho approval of the Governor, and be-
come law.
Such will be the end of all the learned OK
positions about the operation of tho laws Of
nature, oe the laws Of Mexico, and the laws of
God against slavery in California Thus, at
one fell blow, hundreds of negroes, will be illc
gally and inhumanly dragged back again into
slavery in the United States, after having per-
haps, helped to earn a fortune for their masters
in California os a reward for taking them to a
country where they supposed the chains fell
from their hands the moment they landed.
But this is not the worst feature of the law
in question, though at first sight it appears to
be- Who or what is to protect the negro who
is carried into the state since the adoption of
the constitution, and how is lie to prove that he
was not either brought there before, or
is not runaway since; Ills testimony will not
be taken, and every provision Of the bill is de-
signed to hurry him away before any opportunity
can be had ofprovng his freedom. That such is
the purpose of this part Of the bill, is obvious
from the fact, that the bill Of the last Congress
sufficiently covered cases Of runaway slaves.
That bill, they re- enact as if they supposed
they could give it new force, adding clause for
the surrender of class of persons calming to
be free under the operation Of the Mexican and
territorial law, that the two provisions may
operate together, and as the most direct method
of circumventng the ant. slavery articles of the
constitution. Hencef1rth every slave will as
readily be proved to have entered the state be-
fore the constitution was adopted, as in Cuba
every slave can be shown TO have been a native,
or to have been imported before the Spanish
treaties for the suppression of the slave trade.
True, the constitution says, that from the day
of its adoption, slavery should not be tolerated
in California, and Thus, in fact, destroyed what
ever claim to involuntary service, any one with
in her borders might have set up before, but
that provision is entirely in disregard of every
principle of public faith and public dcccncy, to
create class which cannot constitutionally
exist there.
In connexion with this subject and as serving
to show tho class of pro-slavory influences from
the Atlantic coast at wo.k in California, we
call attention to the following account Of pc
titon presented to the California Legislature,
about the same day that the bill We have been
discussing passed. 1t is taken from the lcgisla-
tive report of the San Francisco Pieaypne
SACRAMENTO, Feb. 10, 1852
Mr.. Poachy presented a most extraordinary
memorial in the House this morning-a memo.
rial of twelve hundred and eighteen citizens of
South Carolina and Florida, asking the legisla-
ture of California to grant them, as an essen
tial benefit to this state, the privilege of be-
coming citizens-of identifying themselves
permanently with our intercsts-and of cmigra-
to our rural districts with a raltaJle and gov-
erRaJh population, in Mo relation Of property
by whose peculiar labor alonc, our valuable
soils may be rendered productive, and our
wilderness may be made "to blossom like the
rose" They ask permission to COLOMBO rural
district with q population of not less than two
thousand slaves.
Upon the reading Of this petition, as you will
readily conceive highly exciting discussion
occurred. multitude OF motions were made
respecting it, but motion to send it to the
Committee on Federal Relations, finally pre-
vailed. A debate on a motion to print was cut
off by the previous question, and the subject
necessarily lies over till tomorrow.
II will be perceived that these twelve hundred
and eighteen citizens of South Carolina and
Florida are not content with the indirect mode
OF violating tho constitution contemplated in
the Assembly bill they have not respeot enough