Richmond daily times. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1853, 1853-03-09


ed upon all monies received
Mr.. ]. T. BRIGHrwEIL, of Danville, is our specia
agent in that section OF the State
e The Legislature of Illinois has passed a
very stringent law to prevent the immigration of
free negroes into that State. The act provides
that any free negro coming into the Sta:e with
the evident intention of residing there shall be
fined fifty dollars, and if the me be not paid
forthwith said free negro is to be sold into tenn
porary slavery at public auction for payment OF
the fine and costs. If Mt the expiration of his
term of service the free negro shall persist in
staying in the State he is made liable to a second
prosecution similar to the first and so on as long
as he refuses to remove from the Commonwealth.
The law also declares that when any negro ar
rested under its provisions shall be claimed as a
fugitive slave, it shall be the duty Of the Justice
of the Peace before whom such negro is brought,
to restore him to the owner if satisfied of the
justice ofhis claim.
We hope to see many other free States follow
ing the example of Illinois. There would be no
necessity whatever, for Federal Legislation ON
the subject Of fugitive slaves if all the free States
bordering on slave territory and some two or
three others, such as New York, for instance,
would prohibit the further admission of free ne
groes within their limits. In our judgment the
Fugitive slave law never can be efficiently and sa
tsfactoriy executed by the federal Government
| without the sincere and jealous corporation of
the citizens of the free States.
4 great majority of the Northern people may
acknowledge the constitutional and egalauthorty
OF the IN aster to reclaim his slave, but unless
they assist him i'll doing SO, their admission of
his abstract right is utterly worthless The
abolition fanatics and higher-aw men are always
strong enough to raise mobs and thwart the exer-
lions of the federal officers long as the great
body OF the community stand by with folded arms,
passive spectators of the struggle, and affording
| no aid or encouragement to those charged with
the execution of the law. The late administra-
tlon, we are satisfied. did every thing in its pow
er to enforce thefugitive slave act, aud yet how
many slaves have been restored to their owners
during the last four years? We have no precise
information this subject, but we may safely
aver that not one-fourth of those that escaped in
that period, to say nothing of the immense nuns
Der that had escaped before, have ever been
reclaimed. General Pierce promises to dis
charge his duty faithfully in respect to this
subject, but we venture to predict that he
will meet with no better success than his pre-
decessor. The law may be enforced in few
instances, it has heretofore BEEN but so long as
the public sentiment of the North is opposed to
its execution, runaway slaves will continue to
find an asylum in that region in spite of all that
Congress and the President can do.
A far more efficient remedy for the evil of
which the South so bitterly and so justly COM
plains, may yet be found in the legislation of
the non-saveholdng States Believing that
free negroes are vicious and worthless popula-
ton, those communities may be induced to dis
card their negro-phlism, aud by closing their
doors to the further introduction of the black
race, remove one of the most fruitful causes OF
sectional discord and controversy now existing.
We may thus owe to the selfshness of the free
their gard for the constitution aud laws, could
over induce them to grant us. But we naught
for the motives of their conduct They may be
guilty of very garing inconsistency in deny
ing refuge to the black man after their oft re-
peated and profuse expressions of sympathy for
his lot, but this is matter with which the peo-
pie of the South have nothing to do. We are
gratified to witness any legislation on the part of
the Northern States which has a tendency to
secure us in the possession of our property aud
constitutional rights, and at the same time to
strengthen the bonds of the Union, no matter
what may have heen the motives which prompted
them to the act.
Mr.. Shelton F. Leake, Lieutenant Governor Of
Virginia, aspires to be made United States Com