Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1854-01-07

10 snow that the district attorney OF the State.O
Connecticut did not know his own duties that II,
did not understand the facts of the case, aud I,
/ show that the supreme Court of the United State
| did not understand its duties
A reference is made in this report to fact whicl
cannot pass unnotced. and il Is: That the Scuati
passed resolutions in 1910 tbat whcro ship Is driv
en- by stress of weather or other unavoidable nc,
dent into the port of a friendly nation. she carrie,
with her the relations which suIsistcd under tn,
| laws of the Government from which she sailed or
as was intended, the relations Of master and slaves
may hc carried l,y slave ship into Connecticut
New 1Crk, or New London; and that the slave
dealer shall have the right TO whip his slaves tc
cast them overheard, or shoot them, as thew would
uhucr the laws oi s1yot1caling marion from which
| she sailed. This was done by vote of the Senate
and 1t is quoted rs evidence of the law of nations
While would speak respectfully Of that body, il
becomes me TO speak Of them with perfect plain
ness and perfect sincerity.
/ Now, these resolutions Of 1870 which are quot.
/ ted as evidence Of the law Of nations were manu-.
.foch red 10 ordCr. The American slave shin En-
tcrpri.c was driven from stress of weather into
Fort Hamilton, in the Island Of Bermuda: when
she arrived, under the operation of British laws,
the slaves were of course free And tho slave deal.
ers interested in the cargo called upon our Execu-
i've to demand of the British Government compon-
satiOn. That Government referred to the law of
nations, by which ship coming within the iurs-
diction Of friendly nation becomes subject to her
laws. And such is the case rs regards our own
coast and the coast of every other civilized nation
in the world. Our jurisdiction extends over the
whole country, over our rivers and bays and gulfs
and for tic distance of marine league into the
ocean, When n ship comes within marine league
OF our shore, our officers board her in the
discharge of their duties, our health clccrs invcs-
tigate the condition of her bills of health" our
pilots conduct her into port and receive their COM
pensation for the samo and whatever questions
arise MS to acts committed on board the vessel are
decided according to the laws which regulate the
port at which she arrives.
To change this rule Of international law the Sem
ate of the United States passed resolutions which
held the law to be different. That body attempted
TO modify, TO repeal the law to which | have re-
icrrcd. Tho resolutions were brought up-and now
wish TO address myself to Wings, and not to DEM
ocruts, when say meta wig north Of Mason and
Dtron's ttHe ddcd rote one icdy or the other. They
lodged the question. they dared not take any po-
siton at ALL DO not understand me as entertain
mg any want Of respect for those men who fed
dcspse the act, while | honor the men--as some
Wgs stuck to General Scott, while they dcspised
and spit upon the platform on which he stood. |
speak of II as matter of history, to 20 upon the
record of the nation, To Lc known throughout the
length and breadth Of the land, that men intrustcd
with the interest Of the nation dared not show
their hand, dared not vote either for or against
these propositions, with the exception Of one man
from the State of Rhode Islund-and like to see
men honest and bold even in their deyiltry; ths.
gentleman stood up and voted for the resolution
Laughter.
The resolution was passed and it was there de-
tcrnined that the law Of nations was repealed.
modified, moulded into slaychOlding shape. But
10 and behold the next day the sun rose in the
east and set in the west and when the next storm
swept cur coast, every Swedish and French and
British vessel making our ports subjected 10
our jurisdiction, and our laws wero enforced on
board Of them. so it was with our vessels which
were driven into the ports of other nations. They
arc treated in the same manner; and one would
suppose that these foreign nations never heard Of
our Senatc's having repealed and modified the law
OF nations, Yet this report is based upon such
resolution as that.
have hurried over the subject much more rap
idly than intended to do, and have not alluded to
many points to which wished to direct the attcn-
ton Of the committee Should | think il best to
write out my remarks, | will supply those onis-
sions. will only say ut this time, in conclusion,
that the part of the Presidents message in which
reference is made to the Amistad affair." is ealcula-
ted for the southern section Of the country and that
part relating to the koszta affair was doubtless in
tended for the advocates Of freedom. The qucs-
ton Of slavery has become the great ovcrshadow-
ing, overpOwclng and absorbing issue which now
agltates the people throughout the length and
breadth of this land Tho only question before
the American nation is shall the powers of this
Government be prostitued to the maintenance of
slavery and the slave trade, shall they be appro-
prlatcd to the maintenance of tie rights Of human
liberty
Those Africans, while sailing on board tho Amis.
tad, breathing the pure air of heaven, felt as JEFF
tcrsOn felt when he declared that "all men were
created free and equal" They felt as our fathers
felt when they asserted, in the face of the civilized
world, that, men are endowed by their Creator
with inalicnabo rights of life, liberty, and happi-
ness" To condemn them is to condemn Washing
NorPQu. and untriot of tlp RpVnluiinn
To condemn them, is TO condemn upon the page Of
history every patriot who has heretofore struggled
for freedom
Now let mo again repeat to my friend from New
York Mr. DEAN that his colleague Mr.. SNITH
made no illusions, that was able to discover to
any political PARTIES but do allude to them; and
let me say, that every mcmt here is arraycd upon
the side Of freedom or oppression. These Africans
when they felt the immortal spirit Of freedom stir
ring within them, raised their arms in the same
spirit that animated our fathers Of the Revolution
and they struck lor liberty, and God be thanked
they succeeded in obtaining it! They saw ON yon-
der continent their beloved homes their country,
their kindred, and their friends, from whom they
had been ruthlessly torn by Spanish pirates. Who
will vote for compensation to these Spanish slave
dealers to pay them for their loss of anticipated
speculation in human flesh, from the hard earnings
OF northern freemen? Following the instincts to
which | have alluded, these Africans took posses
sion of the ship. 1t was a lawful prize. They
were at war with the pirates who held them in
subjccton. And they maintained those rights
when they came into possession Of the ship. no
vessel captured by the Americans in the late war
with England was more morally or properly OBJ
tanned than the Amistad. They had q perfect right
to demand of Ruiz and MOntez that they should
take them back to Africa. These men with the en-
tire understanding and knowledge that they were
imported slaves thereby became participators in
the guilt Of the original importers; and the carrying
of the Africans to Principe was as great crime as
the taking them originally from Africa. They
were as guilty as those who brought them into this
country, and deserved at the hands of civilized
men the gallows as much as ever pirates deserved
that punishment. If we, as a nation, hold that
men are guilty of piracy who deal in human flesh,
and when they shall be arrested in that guilt that
they are unfit for human association and worthy
OF death at the yard-arm Of our men-of-war, shall
we relax that rule in this case, and instead Of