The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1852-04-15
GEO. w. MORTON.
CARD OF RICHARD s. EMMETT.

CARD OF RICHARD s. EMMETT.
A card from Mr. Commissioner Morton, on
the subject of this case, intended as an answer
to the card of Messrs. Culver and Jay, appears
in the Herald of this morning AS my name
is mentioned in connection with the case, de-
sire to state my recollection of what occurred
The first knowledge had of the case was
from the Friday morning papers, and, as a
spectator, stepped into the room where the
proceedings were going on. | there found Mr..
Jay, who informed me that his associate coun-
sci. MIR. Culver, was engaged in another court
which left him as the only counsel for the fu-
gitive. All my sympathies being with him.
readily volunteered to remain with him, al
though, knowing nothing of the facts, did not
intend to take any active part in the case
After Mr.. Busted had left the stand, Mr..
Jay, upon consultation, moved the discharge OF
the fugitive, on the ground of the insuficency
of the claimants proof This motion was ar
gued at length, and Mr. Jay expressly stated
that in case the motion was denied, he would
be ready to produce witnesses. There was NO
| objection to this by either the Commissioner or
the claimants counsel; and when the adjourn
ment was had, considered that it was perfect
ly understood by oil parties that the fugitive
would be at liberty to call witnesses, if the mo-
ton were decided against him and need not
say that | was astonished and indignant at
the summary disposition of the case in the face
OF an offer to produce relevant testimony
Alter the decision, professional business re-
quired my attendance before Mr.. Morton, and
the conversation turned upon the recent pro-
ceedings. was earnest in my denunciation Of
what | considered the unjust execution of an
| unjust law. Mr.. Morton justified himself by
saying, that he believed that the effect of open.
ing the case would have been to detain him for
days or weeks.
| said that did not know whether the fugi-
tive had any witnesses, and insisted that it was
the duty OF the Commissioner to entertain the
offer of proof and that it probably would not
have taken half an hour to dispose oft This
was the substance of our conversation / GER
tainly never did assert positively, as Mr.. Nor
toms card would intimate, that the fugitive
had no witnesses. had not been in consulta-
ton with Mr.. Jay or Mr. Culver and had not
been apprized of the nature of the defence |
have since learned that there were witnesses in
attendance
would have no objection to the publication
of our conversation, as it actually occurred al
though did suppose it to be o private one
but object to the impression going abroad,
tHdt III any way dpprofeu VI Tile SoIlHfls-
sioner's course, or Of his decision
RICHARD s. EMMETT
New York, April s. 1852.
Here, then are the facts in the case as given
by Preston's counsel and the Commissioner
! 1t is apparent that Commissioner Morton heard
the witnesses of the claimant, closed the case,
and sent Preston into slavery; and there is no
appeal from his deciaoni His counsel Justly
complain of the partiality of the Commissioner
1t may be worthy of remark, that about the
same time that. this mockery of justice was
being enacted in New York, members of Con-
gress in this city were solemnly passing resolu-
tions to carry out the Fugitive Slave Law and
deprecating "all further agitation of the ques.
tons growing out of the Compromise" as Gun
necessary useless and dangerous" AS though
their resolutions could ignore the sense of JUS
tice in the human heart and enthrone despot-
ism in its place. Thank God there is tribu-
nal before which even members of Congress
will have to answer for the manner in which
they have discharged the trust confded to
them; and we hope the people will hold them
to strict accountability. Now that the bug
bear of Disunion" has been exercised, and
Secession " become an obsolete idea, We think
it will puzzle the ingenuity even of a member
Of Congress to convince his constituents that
necessity requires them to become slave-catch-
ers to save the Union from dissolution. What
mockery is it to pretend that patriotism de.
mands that freemen shall stife al the nobler
instincts of their nature, and compel them to
join the chase of runaway negroes, under pen
atty of fines and imprisonment.