Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1852-06-29


wavs given The negro the boEcf of all doubts Our Com
r Appcas least case carried this, in my opnio
90 an nwerantabe extent In that case where the idcn
val nngro wos concerned they decided way when the
between claimants oi him as property, ana
nj xay when the suit was one for iteedouI ana
nnr Tin favor Of liberty they allowed proceedings To be
had they would have IN 1 of
r sny iii he e fueirve had really right TO freedom
Thai r.ht impaired by ms pr"cesuns t'u sohs
bn warrant his surrcnder) He was placed JUS. In me
- in which he stood before he fled and might prose-
o,. ns nh in the State which be belonged ,.,;,
c" W ,hen might Judge Washington, IN case "n1ch
wen, him in Philadelphia, in With the fugitive oieI-
"a NC .Inw that by the laws OF Virginia tr wmen ne aa
m,,e he had fed he was free fs ,o ra Of heT
gu M oiiiye be really entitled 10 freedom he can es-
,srah il hetier in Virginia than here
" w. could be any doubt that the question OF i1ecoSn
in The case OF fusitivcs from LABOR, any more IMAM
~ nson of guilt innocence IN Inc case ol lhel''e
Isce does not arise the application Tor Inc suIfch-
@ 81 hin il would be removed by the proceedings OF Tue
Isnnvcn,inn which framed the Constitution. .
On the 29tl OF August, lIo' the ioio"lns poposi'oh
w,a nroposcd and unanimously adopteo
mI w nerson bound TO serrce labor in amy of the
Ii,d STATES shall escape into another State, ne or she
be discharged from bush ssi n S S u O IN which
hsy escape but shall be delivered up 10 The person justly
. Ginning their service or labor" ..,o. :,
The Committee Revision, proposed the following in
mo person legally held to service or labor in one stote
escaping into another SHALL IN consequence OF regulations
nhssljng therein be discharged from such service or labor
but shall be delivered up on claim OF the party 10 ~ho
smch service or labor may be due"
The word Illegally" sicken out by the Convention !
and after the word State the words under the ldns there
Q Of" inserted. -. -,
North might be dragged from their families and be forced TO
assert their freedom before the tribunal OF another STATE
which would be great hardship Mol greater than Tor an
innocent be dragged from his family 10 be tried Tor
crime another SIatenor so great In Inc case OF Inc III
sliye from justice he would not have the favor shown m
BY the law which The fugitive from service has; anu he
WINS found 10 be innocent he w0uld have redress but
the negro is found freeman lie would have his action
r against the person making the seizure.
In the have already referred TO- Chief justice Far
n ker Of Massachusetts said:
"gut il is objected that person may in this summary
manner, seize a freeman. But this would DC ATTENDED
with misclcvous consequences 10 inc person hahg e
seizure"
no pctcnsc Of ltc he could be criminaly prosecuted
Sir the fear ta; frecmen arc TO be sezed nnncr me luz.
tive slave law is imaginary Ii is almost Impossible that
any other than slave will ever be seized under IT, ms
him If cap,rnu runa vay negroes such cheap
il pleasant and safe thing life AMI limb that men will free
IL GO It, The difficulties the expense and Inc danger
o SUCH that d. not believe that ono master IN lhou
If sand would ever attempt catch runaway slave except
for The sake OF the example those al home Kidnapping
free negro would not accomplish this There has never
been but mistake made in the surrender OF an aese"
fugitive; and in that case the moment the negro w3s car
ricd The claimant isarOwed him Aud II mast always Dc
So Every Southern mans ovcsesrs and nel"hoos n," MS
NJ gGes and il he attempt to 90 TO the North KID
nap Northern negro and Keep him upon hi. Fllc he
wcui he ynched first and the penitent!ar alter
wnrds s y:ould any ON who wouk! ailclpt bring
II the South for traffic. such There Is not planter
in the who would have Northern free on ms
plantation for times his value Our laws under severe
penalties prohibit their being brought ny Others or coming
y themselves into the Southern States.
The idea therefore, that any other Than slaves VIII ever DO
seized under this law ide and to he surrender wes
clear and explicit constitutional right, and The denial OF
which does benefit the North although lnares
On the contrary i, benefits them well as u. infer
this from fact that their legislation shows that icy do
e not regard tho negroes desirable population.
Rn has said upon this floor very frequently and
% necay b. The gentleman from New York Mr FLorp that
iln
are cpugnan Northern feeling, and therefore e nrei not
expcc this be executed Well cir tey are s'r:nge
! WHY arc they 80 Is il net because !c action OF ihc
Northern people ard their Legislatures have made stringent
laws necessary? and il d,s not lie in rhlT mouths q o.
" 10 has ingenirsiy .ncd that The officers who
III zcd 10 cxecre these laws are rearo"sih people he
contends that The very fact that nan WI! undertake 20
cu, thcs, laws proves his; he is Indifferent character! He
says Tho execution OF c laws ere LEI" l. me seri ana cor
IF stables who are cos for their fitness vi" have given bun's
ID for The faithful discharge o their duties And ne lntnl's
ho The ryccnon of mis- ought lie aIru-tel 10 them
He is RIGHT, That .!ew taken b. the early '"@sa.
ii tors Of tie ccn,ry imposed the execution Of rs many
nf The laws The United States a. possible upon the State
A. fcrrs with the satcsman.Ikc view o! preventing con.
c between State and Frdcral officers and hy
between the States and the General Government tie Ia"
al OF 1893 was ns all our laws then "ri ':n' WE, s'i
c. view Bat did The Legislature OF the sersnanS owl
TO State mass and have the Legislatures OF most OF the
n Northern States passed laws prohibiting. tie officers Of tia
STATE nader severe rcnaics from aca - 10 maize The
Nc enforcement, aw Of 1893 absolutely Impossible? NM
" they mol BY legislation nuIS that law IT. thcn complaints
are made that the execution Of these laws is not nusc 10
The State officers has become matter OF necessity
H. TIN, ;hr execution should be ntruslrd Others and that
nec"sairy result Of the action Of he South and
docs lie in the mouths o:Northorn man !" condemn "ha
to their conduc haa made indis9cnsble
But the severity Of these PROVISIONS ana rs 10 thelr
" summary character: They not more severe
sumnary than are those for the delivery fusves from
n. usce There are classes of fugiIycs from justice fol
The surrender Of whom our laws provide. uner The treaty
oil OF Washington it 10 provided that certain 'ugitves from
Great Britain and her dominons 10 this country shall be
delivered up; and they are sn,rrndcrei n's similar rue:
Ill and regulations those provided for in The delivery Of ug
I'd tive slaves laws executed by precisely the same
III persons Yet why there complaints that white men
are thus summay delivered when They have lied from
land of oppression 10 one of lioey7 why arc the COM
nant. made the character Of those proceedings confined
10 the delivery Of fugitive slaves alone Is IL because in
the of the fugitive slave it is impossible as have
j. shown that there can be oppresssion7 He h,s better
nnruntes ten times over raining his right TO free
dom in any OF the Southern States that the fugitive from
justice has in establishing his Innocence either IN England OF
ar Now sir do here say that the re-
lie peal Of The fugitive slave law, without the substitution OF
another equally effective will lead the dissolution of this
Union. do not 10 say that because know there
IT, amongst the great many persons disposition TO laugh
al idea that there is any dunger of that RESULT but co
here 10 prove il TO such men as are rational upon ha
= point.
" In the language OF the Supreme Court of The United
% Historically well known that the object of this
II clause the citizens of the savehodng States
the complete right and title of ownership in their slaves as
property every State of the Union into which hey might
escape from the State where they were held in sevitude
The full recognition Of this, right and title was indispensable
'r to the security OF lS species Oh Popcf! ~ az ''c
holding States; and indeed vital the preservation
Of their domestic interests and institutions that cannot be
II doubted ot constituted fundamental article ntaou
,o;h the Union could not hare been formed lis true design
was 10 guard against the doctrines and principles prevalent
in the pon-savehodng States, by preventing them from
inermeddng WITH obsructng aboshng the rights OF
&C the Of slaves."
And in the language Of Chief Justice Tilghman already
: quoted
"Whatcvcr may be private opinions on the subject OF
slavery Il is rel knorn that Southern brethren would
not have consented 10 become parties TO Constitution un-
der which the United States has enjoyed much prospect.
~ unless their property in slaves had been secured"
When the Constitution of the United States formed
there was not necessity for provision to guaran
tee the surrender Of fugitive slaves there now Al that
!. time nil the States the Union with the single exception
If of Massachusetts, slaveholdng Between the slave
holding States there has been great necessity for
this provision The provision out Of the forecast OF
our fathers who that the Northern States would grad
uaIy become slavehodng States. II we were all 10
have remained sIaveholdng States there never would hnve
bcen any necessity for such law The necessity in pros
Ell hnweynr ihal Tine was ohvinus that L in