The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-07-14
NEW YORK CORRESPONDENCE.

heTNonty magazine, and the baltimore q
Ohio Railroad, &c.
New YoRK, July 9, 1853.
To the Editor Of the National Era.
A person living at distance, especially if
his iocum teneaS he in some rustic retreat,
apart from even the gentler buzz of village
life, on reading the descriptions of the Crys-
tai Palace and Its attractions, copied into his
favorite weekly paper would scarcely real
ize how little attention it has attracted in the
city OF Its site, since the first few weeks of the
progress of this great industrial enterprise.
This was naturally the case amid the driving,
dashing, hurry-scurry, helter-skelter scenes of
our great Commercial Centre. An impression
made by any "new thing here, only remains
until the next novelty comes along, and then
1T is pushed out of its temporary lodging place
in the memory, to make room for some other
applicant for admission, which is routed as
quickly in its turn. But true as this is the
doings and prospective doings at the great Pal
ace are beginning to receive renewed attention
even here, where distance does not "lend en-
chantment to the view" This is owing to the
the fact that we at length begin to feel that q
reliable time for the opening of the great In
dustrial Exhibition has really been fixed"
This is the 18th Of July, as have already in.
formed you. The inauguration" however,
will take place the day before, and will be
comparatively private-that is, as "private ex-
ecutions" arc private, for there will be crowd
present quite sufficient for comfort In fact
the representatives Of the press alone, with the
officials OF the concern and the exhibitors, will
be quite multitudinous, saying nothing Of other
complimentary receptions of domestic and for
eign commissioners, their friends" sc.
On the l4th, President Pierce will certainly
be on hand, If nothing happens So, at least
he writes to Mayor Westervelt, in letter dated
July 4th saying "Should my health be such
as it is at present, nothing will probably pre-
vent me from reaching your city on the eve
ming of the 18th inst"
The presence of the Nations Chief Ruler
will be very appropriate as well as effective,
and 1t will conspire, with other circumstances
OF the case, TO render the occasion one of in
tense interest beyond mere local and selfish
considerations, because Dationalizing it, which
Is but the synonym of Identifying it in the esti-
nation of the world at large.
Some time since, while the Duerized phase
OF the noted Trainer case was pending took
occasion to state, as a contrasting matter of
fact, that the master" Of an alleged appren-
tice Mr. Randall who escaped from service
or labor in the adjoining State of New Jer.
sey into New York, could not find Commits
sioner to take the first step for his reclamation
however prompt they would have been to aid
the return of a slave to Maryland Ii seems
he found Commissioner, at length, who was
willing to give his claim hearing, in the per.
son of George w. Morton, of this city, before
whom the youth in question John Van Orden)
was brought on habeas corpus, since the pen
ming of my last letter It will not surprise
anybody to learn that the apprentice was dis.
charged from custody by the Commissioner on
the ground that neither the Constitution nor
the Fugitive Slave Law included "appren-
tees" in its category of reclamations | will
let him speak for himself in this wise, in his
opinion of the case:
"The evidence proves that the person claim
ed as fugitive from service was an apprentice
under voluntary contract by indenture, to learn
the making Of shoes and came to New York
without permission, and refused to return. This
evidence does not describe a person held to
service or labor within the meaning of the Sd
section, 4th article Of the Constitution of the
United States, and of the acts of Congress pass
ed in 1888 and 1850. The word person in
the Constitution, and in the sense used therein
is synonymous with s!oue, and the whole scope
| and object OF that clause of the instrument in
my Judgment is exhausted and answered in it,
application to fugitive slaves, exclusive Of any
| and all other description of runaway servants
| In 1897, this clause of the Constitution was be
fore the Supreme Court of the United States
iii the case of Priggs Us. The Commonwealth o
Pennsylvania, and the opinion delivered b,
Mr.. Justice Story, and that of all the indiyid
ual members of the Court occupying almos
one-third of Is Peters Reports, Gil, has rem
dered it now impossible to hold other, tina
that apprentices are wholly excluded from ha,
ing been within the intention of the trainers q
the Constitution, and of the acts of Congress
passed to carry out the true object of tina
clause providing for tho recovery of fugitive
from justice, and fugitive slaves described a.
held to service or labor"
Had Mr. Commissioner simply given it a.
his opinion that the said laws were not intend
ed to embrace apprentices | should not have
been disposed to differ with him, especially al
regards the law Of 1850, or its framers-thst is
those Of them who were into the secret of the
real motives and purposes of the concoctors
thereof The meaning Of the fourth section of
the third article of the Constitution is differ.
ent question. There are indeed, those among
the most learned constitutional writer's of our
time, who think they have good reason to in.
fer that apprentices redemptioners, and other
servants, were all that were included in the
clause in question: slaves not being in the
category at all However, q decision is de.
cision; and, while nobody will be surprised,
should this decision become precedent for all
time to come, there is at least this consolation
to DO derived from it 1t still further unmasks
the hypocrisy and injustice of the whole COM
promising tribe, while taking awaya ll pretence
Of DESIRE on the part Of the Northern com.
promisers to simply carry out q provision of
the Constitution" without distinction of per.
sons to be affected thereby--for such is their
talk, as you are aware.
Before passing to other matters of differ
ent class beg leave to enter my solemn protest,
in a tone of becoming respectfulness, against
the version of that Northern portion of the
sop of Compromise, tho 81 bill for the abolition
Of the District slave trade,n 20 called, which
DR.. Elder will be understood as giving in his
article upon the Pennsylvania Free Democratic
Il think it was that artcle) The
truth il, the sidUs trade in the District of Co.
fuUsUiA 20 HV UeVfc uoVtsoHtu Huf u ~ W. HlQTUs
land Mark what | am saying, for hereby
hangs a tale Of mischievous misapprchension
IN the part Of many intelligent Northern
people. The bill in question merely forbids
The importation Of slaves from the States osten.
sibly for sale within the District while there
Is really nothing in the statute to prevent quasi
mportations Of slaves, "owned by emigrants,
10 the District" being really in trans,tu ex.
a.. Al
through Williams & Co, with the appliances Of
their pens in Alexandria. A little sham and
pretence effects the thing without much rink
Of that which Is Mr.. Every body's business
being made source Of trouble to them In
word the concoctOrs Of that bill took On old
aw which Maryland had repealed but two or
hree years before, Incorporated il in their
batch, and called 1t yloretaur for Ant.Sla-
gsry palatcs What o slave State had reject
ID, because absurdly contrary to the great
,rincinle of omen competifion in all articlaa nj