Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1854-06-06
RICHNOND ENQUIRER.
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By RlTCHIES g. PRYOR.
nsoNDAy aHo.NINC, 5uNE 5, 1874.
THE SURRENDER OF BURNS-SlIALL TIE
SnJ"rJI REIpIrEJ

II the fugitive Burns had been set free bv the cor
rup decision oi the court or had been rescued from
the custody Of the aw by tho violence oi the mob,
the shock would huvr been ic tn the rcmot"st cXir.-
mity oi the Union. Such M instance of successful
resistance To law unl To the power OF the Federal Go.
vcrmmcmt, would have brought upon the country
worse rulmn.cs tan any foreign foe could possibly
lic In this view the rccaptlrr Of Burns is the lc
-iiilnntr occasion Of patriotic rNutaii"n.
Blu: The triumph IS noi complete, and we r. j"i""
over victory which is only not 80 bad ~ the most
disastrous lrcnt. In nr aS the interests nj the
South are involved :hr slave might well have
been allowed to escape. With whatever success the
supremacy of order WAS vin'catcd by the sur
render of Burn-, as regards the efficiency ri
the law for the recapturc Of fugitive slaves,
the leslie WIS determined adversely to the in
tcrcsts Of the South. 1t some representative
from the North were tu suggest The repeal of the u.l-
tive slave law, um were 10 propsc instead, that the
Government should compensate the owner ior the
loss Of his property would the South accept tho oer
Certainly not: and why! Bcra'+r, the proposition
would substantially amount to this: That the South
should be indrmnicd for rhr violation ri It's rights
out Of i.s own fund.-. Yet this compromise would be-
far better for the South tllnn submission Ia such an
execution nf the law is WAS achieved in the OF
Burns The expense of the rccap.urc oi Burns can
no fall short of iythnsnnd dollars, and rs the TO-
vcrnnru; ilc responsibility I" tins debt the
South pays lur c recovery If IT, stolen property III
the proportion that IL contribution I" the federal
| treasury exceeds that Of t!r North. Better would
il have been lnr the Interests ol The South ii the TO-
vcrnnrnt had nh-innc from all rm'l"av"r +" cN"rul"
the law, had suffered Barn. I" 90 his way III
peace. anl hal repaid IL Mr.. Sur the iull value ri
| his slave.
Such instances Of the violent repression rt the l'"
pular passion. by military force We have just seen
in Boston, are terrible n"rce.rics in republican gov
! crnlncni. DcsI",ism executes lis purposes with IN"
bavunct hui in free governments the supremacy III
law is dependent on the voluntary submission Of pub
liz opinion The institutions Of liberty caiuo: c"-cX
i-I with military violence, and when free govern
mcut j. driven to invoke the MD oi the so'licry to
carry "u its lnwE. the day of it, overthrow il nor re-
ma". Its decay la. already begun, the c"naeion Il"
insubordinnl"n will rapidly spread. and the exercise
ni military power in the repression "t popular out
breaks Will he no longer remedy IN great rucrg"a-
rs hut an cxpcdcnt nj everyday and familiar re-
sort In such contingency, whatever may br the
forms OF government, amili.nry dasp"tism dominates,
and the people are mu longer free We rejoice mt the
onturc or Eurr. but tew more such victories, und
the South is uni"nc.
Il become. the imperative dnty Of the people o!
the SOUTH in view nj the extraordinary md p"rlen-
tols circumstances ni the crisis, 10 concert measures
for their safety and for,hc protection o those Slral-
fees OF liberty which northern violence exposes t"
such imminent Inznrl. We know that the public
mini uf hr South is .anyi"Isy engaged in working
ou the problem, o Southern duty AMI destiny, and
that some ul the most conservative and moderate
men amongst way %! cscnpr AMI II" career
of glory in the conictrracy. Blu; it is for the North
tu say il the Union shall last.