The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-09-29
NO. 352.
cAssIUs N. CLAY IN KENTUCKY.

Va learn from an address "To the People
.sysntucky," issued by c. NJ. Clay on the I'd
,,,.rt that q portion of the shareholders Of
po,tcastle county met on the 27th ult.; APP
soioted R. G. Williams Chairman, and w. II.
ri,,Iey Secretary, and put forth a series of
,,.,lutions publicly censuring him. Mr.. Clay
.,es the following statements as the moving
s,uss of these resolutions:
Whilst | was attending the Anti-Slavery
rbr,ts Church, at the Glade in Madison
o.,nty. established under the auspices of John
q Fee and w. b. Fisk, native Kentuckians,
Osws came that A. q. w. Parker, a native of
tennessee, and now citizen of Kentucky and
voter of Rockcastle county-employe as
rooorteur Of the Home Missionary Society
vas in Jail on u charge Of having attempted
=, PERSUADE u slave to leave his master; : and
ast the bail was assessed by the Judge at one
yulsand dollars for the principal, and the
',me for the surety. Rumors also came that
eighty five Shareholders had banded together
~ A written article that they would prevent
Nv violence, Messrs. Fee and Fisk from preach
mo in Rockcastle county, where they had
cnnded n church and made an appointment
Il was also understood that Parker denied the
charge of his accusers.
il took friend and went to Rockcastle, and
in the Mount Vernon Jail found two prison
era committed on the charge of persuading
.layes TO leave their masters The man named
Shiaet was said to be of bad character and
babimal drunkard. | gave twenty dollars to
his wife and children, who are destitute, and
6gs dollars to the jailer for his benefit but re-
Used 10 bail him. The other man, Parker, |
D..lsarned was q citizap Of unimpeachable chsrac-
~ a long time MS4embcr of good standing in
ha Methodist Church, and that lately he had
bacome a member Of the Free Church. and a
colnortenr After had read him, in the pres
once of the iailer, Mr. Fees letter, he said that
late in the night, after he had gone to bed, he
was awakened by slave of J. Newcum, who
sud his master had sold him, and he had run
away. and wished to know how he could es-
caoe into the free States. Parker refused to
,1e him the information, and the slave went
sgay. After O while he returned, and pressed
n, suit so urgently that Parker told him to
say at a certain place, and he would see his
master. and whether he had sold him or not
The slave went off, and Parker went to bed
when several men entered and seized him, and
took him to jail He denied, positively all in
tsnt to induce the slave to leave his master,
and ayowed his determination not willingly to
violate the laws of his country
Now, if this be true, Parker has violated
no law-neither the higher law nor the
lower law as it will no doubt turn out when
he comes before an impartial jury of his peers;
for 80 far from attempting to induce slave
to tGm his master he attempted TO induce
nun to aand, after he had lefS him !"
Under these circumstances, Mr.. Clay was
induced to bail Parker, though language was
used to prevent the Judge from taking bail.
He says: When Parker was brought into the
Courthouse Mesrs Kirtley and Smith, citi-
0Hs and Jones' the county attorney, contend
ed that the prisoner was committed under the
81 clause of the 5th article, 92d chapter, Re-
vied Statutes, concerning slaves, &c., and should
give bond for his good behaviour, or to leave
the State, commended on the part of the pris-
Oner that he was committed under the I'd Sec
ton, for higher crime and penalty than the
81 section and that he claimed fair trial of
his accuSers. The Judge said that the warrant
was issued ON the charge of attempting to
persuade the slave to leave his master, and
that the testimony was to the same effect As
he himself had made the commitment, he was
the best judge OF the offence, and would insist
on the highest penalty of the I'd section, as in
duty bound that violation of the Sd section,
being suspected Of an attempt to persuade,
was simply misdemeanor, requiring surety
Tor good behaviour or to leave the StateD
Mr.. Clay well argues that "under this sec.
ton the liberty of seven hundred thousand Of
the people of this Commonwealth is insidiously
endangered. Whenever man is true enough
to the instincts of nature to refuse to become
the Watchdog of Slavery, some slaveholder-
and they are not wanting in that virtve--has
only to swear that he suspects him of an in
tent to induce slave to leave his master, and
the poor devil is thrown into prison to die, or
iorced to sign the warrant of his own exile
from his native landn and it is therefore to
be expected that any one who becomes surety
Tor person so charged will receive their
highest censure." Mr.. Clay says the Free
Democratic party of Kentucky intend to "abide
by the laws Of the State, and yet make, under
the Constitution and laws an uncompromising
war upon slavery that he left "one man in
jan because Of his bad character" and told
Parker IN presence of the court, that he would
withdraw his suretyship if he had reason to
leheye that he Parker at any time had viola
led or should violate the laws" He pays a
merlted tribute to the zeal and devotion of John
u Zee, worthy representative of the Chris
tan faith, by the exhibition Of q Christian s
lh
The Address of MIR. Clay is like him-fear-
los outspoken impetuous, almost fierce, in its
uehancc of an institution which permits one
twentieth of the people Iof Kentucky to say
"'he other nineteen. twentieths, You shall not
NEEDLE with an institution which is sup
ported by the ballotbox and cartridge-bOx ~
"ncn Osracizes the non-saveholders from
Ill places of civil and political power and
pOn'-whlch drives us into the mountains and
waste lands, and cxles us from our homes
winch monopolizes the land, and puts an eter-
"u barrier between US and manufactures and
VO'"merce-which builds up among us worse
'nAn heather caste, embittering all the social
Intercourse of life-which dooms us TO isolated
'uoH and consequent ignorance by unattain.
,Oe schools--which saps our manhood, and
p'~ns our consciences in maintaining by the
'oN and the sword, this greatest Of all wrongs
"O' all this enough! And now, when we
10y we have borne all this and we in our woe
:" LOT the Bible for that consolation OF
rO.n''e IN better world, which the 'accursed
1 "''''u!l0n has denied us here-you will sup
pc" 1t, will you?"
=" Perusal of the Address of Mr. Clay will
ln. VIC candid reader to pass a mental reso-
D. VI censure" upon the prosecutors Of