Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1852-04-08

trade in this District, upon our Southern coast
and in our Territories, and to maintain the infa-
mons fugitive slave law. TWAS trusm uttered
nv nv Lord Coke, when he said, " fraud lurketh
in reneraties' THIS general expression in
favor of sustaining the Compromise embraces
all these iniQuities and when man, either
here or elsewhere, avows himself in favor of the !
Co,nnromisc measures, he, in substance and fact, |
avows himself in favor OF breeding men and
women for market in this District and in our
Territories. and of prostltuting our flag to the
protection oS-a commerce in human flesh.
wouId be as willing to traffic in Gods image, as
would sustain the owner of yonder slave prison
in his accused vocation, by uphodlng the law
which authQkjzes INN to pursue it. would as soon
vote for Williams, the slave dealer and owner of
wonder barracoon, to the Office of President, as
would foI any man who suStaias him in his ex
eccrable commerce. Yet, sir, STANCE as it NAV
seem. your Presidential candidates of the Dem
ocratic party appear to think they will have no
chance of success unless they palronze those
worse than savage practices, while the Wing
candidates is to keep silence in regard TO them.
But the Compromise was intended also to,
and if observed, must, forever, close all hope
of excluding slavery or the slave trade from our
Territories On this point there is no longer
uncertainty The official returns from Utah
shows that slavery exists there. ServlIe polite
ians can no longer deny the fact. The honora-
BILE Secretary Of State, think, will not repeat
that gigantic falsehood which he put forth in the
Senate on the 9TH Of March, 1850, when ne as
sorted that slavery was excluded from that
country by the laws of God" lndeed, at the
time when that attempt to deceive the people OF
tbs North whessssSfA it was known here and
Throughout the country that siceserv existed In
| Utah The fact had baeu puunshed some TWO
months previously in ,anst of our leading news
naners and If the author OF that declaration was
ignorant of the fact, think helwasthc only mem
berof Congress uninformed OH that point Slavery
also exists in New Mexico, as we have seen by
the public press Indeed, if we rely upon the
the public press, a Judge of New Mexico was
lately engaged in purchasing slaves in this city
to work the silver mines of that country, from
which the Secretary Of State asserted that slavery
was excluded by Gods law.
Now, if the Compromise be sustained, then
are these Territories to be delivered over to the
curse of slavery. The soil which, under Mex,
can law, had been consecreated to freedom, is
now. under American law, to be cursed with the
most degrading oppression that exists upon earth
and slave markets are to be established, and men
bought and sold and women made the subjects
of purchase and sale, on territory conquered by
our arms. To sustain the compromise, is to sus-
tain slavery and the slave trade in those Terri.
tories To vote for Presidential candidates who
ulhold the Compromise, is to vote for slavery,
for the slave trade, with Its attendant crimes, to
continue in those Territories.
Again, sir, by maintaining the Compromise,
we shall uphold the fugitive law, with all its IN
famous and unconstitutional provisions. The
constitutional provisions in regard to fugltives
from labor have been so often argued by me,
that will not, on the present occasion, repeat
my views. will only say that proposition to
involve the people of the free States IN the ex
pense and disgrace Of arresting and imprlsonng
fuuitives slaves, was offered to the Convention
that framed the Constitution that the proposal
was objected to ;and SO strong were the ohec
lions, that the member who offered it withdrew
it. not daring to take a vote of the Convention.
We are all aware that on that occasion no mem
Der expressed the opinion that the people ofthe
free States were bound by that instrument, or
by any moral or political principle. to participate
in the expense or the disgrace of capturing fugi
tive slaves. We know, historically, that it was
the intention of the trainers of that instrument to
do no more than to secure 10 the master the same
right to pursue and capture his slave in a free
State that he possessed to pursue and capture
his horse or mule. That the latter part of this
provision, which saws rhe shall be dellvererG
up on claim Of the person to whom such service
or labor may he due" renders it our duty to de-
liver up the slave, as we deliver up the stray
horse or mule, or .clalm Of the owner. We are
M4,t lsp ohstaasSs ~ master IN 8claiaiing him
lhis-NTas the view expressed by the Supreme
Court, in the case of Pnrg US the Common.
wealth of Pennsylvania.
This is perfectly consistent with the views OF
the gentleman from Massachusetts, Mr.. RAN.
TouL who think, has taken the ground enter.
tanned at the time the Constitution was adopted
by the people in their several State Conventions
But, fc sake of argument will go beyond him,
and admit that Congress possesses the right TO
leglslate so far as TO secure the owner in the
exercise Of this right that we may, by legisla-
ton, punish any person who intcreres with that
privilege, either by making such interference
penal, or giving compensation to the owner.
This the view evidently entertained BY the
Congress of 1893. They endeavOredto effect
this object but there they stopped. They made
no attempt to involve this Government, or the
people of the free States, in the burdens expense
and disgrace, of catching and sending the trem-
bling fugitive back to bondage.
Here, sir, at this precise point, | take issue
upon the conshutonaity Of that portion of the
law of 1850 which imposes upon this Govern.
ment the burden, expense, and disgrace, OF
chasing down flying bondmln, and sending
HIM back 10 chains.
Those portion OF the law which authorize and
require the appointment of officers to grant pro-
ces for the arrest of slaves; that part which
makes it the duty Of judges to grant such pro-
cess !; that part which directs marshals and de-
putty marshals to arrest the slave which author
ICES them to call on the people to assist in that
pratical work which renders it penal for a man
to feed a furnishing or starving fugitive, by
which he shall be strengthened and enabled to
pursue his fght-these provisions are each OF
them unconstitutional unjust, abhorrent to the
principles and the feelings of the people of the
free States, inhuman, and barbarous.
Mr.. Chairman, it has pleased certain gentle.
men, on various occasions, to allude to myself
and my political friends as opposed to the Con.
sttutiOn, They will not meet our arguments on
this point. They recoi from Legitimate debate,
and seek to misrepresent US by general char
ges, carefully avoiding everyEspeciic point.
now repeat, that to the inll extent to which the
law OF 1850 involves this Government, its Of.
fcers, and the people OF the free States in the
burden, the expense, and disgrace, of recaptur-
ing and returning fugitive slavss, it 10 aBsonSti
tutI0uai.
And, sir, here desire 10 understand if there
be member from Ohio, or from any free State
east of it, who denies this position Is there
one who holds that his constituents and himself
are bound to participate in the expense and
crime OF chasing slaves II so, desire that he
will announce the fact long TO find one such
public man and if there be one here | wish he
would avow the fact.
No, Mr. Speaker, blush for my country,
when her representatives take shelter behind
unmeaning generalitles, and refuse to aVow their
honest sentiments.
If gentlemen intend to support the Compromise
they must of course intend to chase down the
trembling female, as she fees from the inhuman
ity Of awolse than savage oppressor. And, in