New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1853-09-30
Mr.. SMITHS REPLY.

j. w LoGuEs. Committee
Mr. SMITHS REPLY
PErERsoRo, Monday Sept. 5 1858,
or'nd' ssssss joseph Sas Savage W iSsa
FELLOW CrizEss Your lettes is, this hour presented
TO me; and, this hour, win give you nay answer.
had the honor 10 preside, at the FIRST celebration Of the
Rescue of Jerry The honor of presiding at the second
should have been conferred another. But will not
decline H. Life and health assured TO l shall be IN
Syracuse the morning of the glorious Frs OF October
do not forget that the trials OF persons charged with
rescuing Jerry will be going on in the u 5 Court at Can
andagua at the time that are celebrating his
rescue: ard do forget that expected To attend
them But attended them in Albany last winter; aud
learned then that need not attend them again The part
assigned 10 me was argue the unconstutionaty of the
Fugitive Slave Act attempted TO perform lt-bu 10 my
surprise and grief the Judge soppedme had no appre
hension, that Jury would convict my client were al
lowe to characterize that infamous act in fitting terms in
their hearing The Judge Is TO preside in Canaan
dsgua and there is other part in those trials that
wish take feel competent to take and as the Judge
would doubtless be determined against my performing
in Canandsigua, he was against my performing IN
Albany, 30 is unnecessary for me to go to Canandagus
There is no more runous error among men than their
regarding law what is not law and what cannot posi-
by be law No event of times is so influential as the
Rescue Jerry convince of this and hence,
should be celebrated long share of the American
people continue be- foolish and insane a. TO recognize
slavery 10 be law The Rescue of Jerry taught lesson
in law never TO be forgotten II is lesson far more i'm
porant TO create and maintain the idea of law and
inspire and widn and perpeuate respect for law than all
the judicial decisions which have been pronounced and
age
archists are always, to belaw abiding law defending
and law honoring But to be such, must Oh some
oce asions tramle upon human enactments The jerry
affair was Of these occasions The thousands who
the streets Of Syracuse on the first day OF October
ISL were plain and unsOphisticated men. They had
read law very little in law booksbut they had read
much in their hearts snd in all that heart law they
had never found line for Slavery, OF conventional
law they knew but little, because they knew but little OF
books OF real law they knew much because they knew
mu,h If heir nature. Such were the men who de-
hvered Jerry. They delivered him in the name OF true
law and in contempt and defiance of sham law. They
foesaw that they would be stgmatzed a. mobocrat but
they knew that they acting the part OF loyal citizens
and that the mobocrats were the misguided ministers Q!
Government who were striving to plunge an innocent
fellow man into the pit OF slavery:
In truth there is no man who believes that Slavery
be embodied in Law: All know that there is a law
against conspiracy and they know that there no lawor
con piracy least of ALL for Slavery, which is the most
guilty and horrible of all conspracies That Slavery can
be legolzed g leIths biggest OF oil e,g nes Inc
yet they continually acting 1t out Congress acts out
this lie in al its pro Slavery enaetments The President
acts it out in his enforcement Of them While we shall
be celebrating the Of Jerry Judge Hal will be ad
ministering this lie.
No man can be tested otherwise than by bringing the
test home to himself thus tested how quick Judge Hall
would scout the idea of Law for Slavery Come to his
DIV cling for the neiarous purpose OF enslavng him. or his
wife or chd-and, though you shall come ~ the name OF
all the imposing authorities Of earth, no will rather shed
the blood of thousand you than suffer you to prevail
Judge Hall would permit enactment for murder
not even an enactment for comparatively small an out
rage as murdtr-to be executed upon member OF his
family And yet when he is administering the law or,
more properly the e of Slavery he conscious that he
would rather have oil his family in the grave than only
one member OF il under the yoke of Slavery Judge Hall
would die thousand deaths than consent to have
the wife Of his bosom exposed the auction block to the
sul looks Of the greedy competitors for her person
said that no believes in the possible egalsstion Of
Slavery add that there is man who Is not an Aboli
tic nt-a thorough Abotionst Nay, the greatest slave
holder is the greatest Abont for be witnesses, most
largely Of the horrors Of Slavery and. therefore when
the hour arrives for testing bis heart Slavery he will
struggle hardest keep himself out Of that he'll into which
he has cast so mIny Their anguish and writings which
he behed with compOsure he viii remember with unspeak
able horror when their fate is to become his fate.
repeat 1.-THE American people are liars Their
Churches and Church Ministers their Political Parties aud
Politicians liars They the cruelest and meanest
Of ars They sOlemny declare in their Halls Of Legs
aiion in their Courts of Justice, and in their Santusre
Of Religion that Slavery Is right while there Is not one Of
III, NJ who does not know that Is the heaviest and bitter
est wrong They call 1t crime away from slavery
when they know that they would spill blood like water TO
escape il themselves And yet the American people
claim to be D,mocrasl-nay even Christians Amazing
impudtnee Unparalleled hypocrisy
But must stop Your messenger 10 me in haste for
my reply Your friend GERRir SMITH