Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1853-08-25
The Constitution and Fugitive
Slaves.

We have often regarded it as tho greatest err
ror which the Anti slavery party ever commit
ted, to admit, as TOO many of them have done,
Iha, the Constitution required even the rendition
of Fugitive Slaves by the States, mach less by
the authority of Congress as in the late Slave
law. We believe the Constitution which We
regard as an anli-slavery instrument, warrants
neither, and So unqucsionsbly, believed joint.
Calhoun, whose almost dying words to his south
ern friends were, "the Constitution must be
amended-it don't protect Slavery"
In view of this matter, therefore, it ia with
great pleasure we lay before our readers the fol
lowing cngent, and, to our mind, unanswerabe
argument, on this subject, which has just ap.
peared in the .New York Tribune deeming it
the best, in so short compass that has yet
been published. Every Free Democrat in Yer.
mont should read, remember land ar himself
with the argument
EDlroR OF THE FREEMAN.
As the United States, Ingraham. Albert
g. Co have again been at work in Philadel.
pha, saving the Unon. perhaps it will not
dangerously increase the agitation" to in-
auire how the United States came to be the
senior IN this partnership! how it operates
amicably with maleiactnrs in committing
the very crime for which one of them has
already suffered in the penitentiary, There
is no dispute among decent people about
the criminality Of tearing such a man as
George Smith, alias Bill Fisher, from his
Pennsylvania home and family and consign"
ing him to chattel slavery in Maryland,
whether i, be under master whuse veins
purple with the blood of the Towards, or
with similar liquid which has "crept
Through scoundrels ever since the Aood.'
No one justfes it. even on the ground If
saving the Union simply. No. i. would
not do to commit 80 mean and revolving a
crime, even to save the integrity of this
grea, Republic, il it were no, soIemnly pre-
scrlbed and enjolned in the fundamental
law received from the fathers thereof The
creed from which i, results tina, the Unlied
States must s,oop to the lneffable Degrade
lion Of beconng particeps crimin's with
such ruthless Williams as AlberIi is this -
That the Constitution, the handiw"rk of
Washington, Jefferson. Adams, Wilson,
| Sherman, Franklin and other revolutlnna-
ry peers, soIemnly adopted by the people Of
these States in Conventions assembled, or
dained that the Federal Government, in &C
acknowledgement Of the right Of property
,.kiSh hi hn Ia nod
soni of another, shall, by its mighty pnwer
and all the machinery of Tvs Justice. AID the
stapdkotder ia recovering his fugitive siape.
who may have escaped since the dale OF the
said Constitution, INTO any other State.
TINS is very hard curd to swallow, for
men who respect either themselves or their
country. Even it the language Of the Com
stitu'ion seemed plainly to express it, such.
men would naturally believe from their faith
in the history of our countrys heroes, that
it must be capable Of a more decent inter.
preiatior, reconciling il To the known pr,n-
cipes of the franers Of the Constitution
But the language of the Constitution, it is
notorious does no, plainly, nor at all, ex.
press any such thing For the honor of the
Constitution we love 10 quote the very words,
honorahle and pure words as can anywhere
be found. They are these:
"No person held to service or labor in one
State under the laws thereof, csc ping into
ane'her shall, in consequence of any law or
regulation therein. be discharged from such SER
wee or labor. bnt shall be delivered Nd on claim
Of the party 10 whom such service or labor may
be due"
AS question of words. governed by the
laws of English grammar and standard die
tl"naries, nothing can be palmer than that
this Language has nothing to do with slaves.
BY the loyal definitions OF the Slave States
themselves. slave is person from whom
nothing can be "due" He is incapable Of
giving anything. To wl,omsoever else this
language may apply, il neither describes
slaves nor applies to them BY any force Of
lie own. Nevertheless, by the creed afore.
is isa aehsr2i "1' 5P