Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1854-07-01


was pronounced " the rawlings Of parcel of wild entu
siasts recent proceedings in Boston, resulting
in the memorial before you have been characterized on
this foor Was not right in adducing this parallel
The country aroused against the execution Of the
act And here Boston took the lead In formal nstrsc-
tons her Representatives adopted unanimously In town
meeting Faneu Hail. the following rule OF conduct WAS
prescribed: III
eve therefore, think indispensable duty, in justice
to ourselves poterity it undoubted privilege in
the most open and but and
10 declare our greatest dissatisfaction with this law And
iak incumbent you ty means 10 Joa IN any Pnoec
measures for eoaaenaacng and assisting "a the erecaon 81 e
but your best endeayors in the General Assem-
bly, the inherent naenabe rights Of the people Of
Province asserted and vndcaed and left upon the public
record posery may have to charge the
present times the guilt of tamely giving them away
The opposition spread and deepened, and Of its
uraf tendencies to outbreak and violence On ons
in Boston it showed itself in the lawessness OF
/ mob, of most formidable character, even as is nov
charged Liberty in her struggles is too often driven Il
force But the town. at public meeting in Faneui Hall
called without delay the motion of the opponents Of
the stamp act with James Otis as chairman, condemned
the outrage Eager in hostility to the execution OF tho
act Boston cherished municipal order and constantly
discounenanced all tumut violence and illegal proceed
ngs On these two grounds she then Stood and her
ston widely recognised In reply, March ~, lioo
address from the inhabitants Of Plymouth, her OWE
consciousness of duty done is thus expressed
"If the inhabitants Of Boston have taken Tho legal and
to be dreaded The execution Of the stamp act and
sary of preventing it, have made any spirited appca
tons for opening the and cous Of justices if
at the time they hare borne their testimony ogaias out
rayeou ats and illegal proceedings and given any
pie Of the love of and good ORDER next conscious
of having done their duty the satisfaction OF meeting
with the appreciation of any Of their fellow oounrymen
Thus the stamp annulled before its actual
repeal which was pressed with assduity by petition and
remonsrance the meeting of Parliament Among
the potent influences the entire concurrence Of the
merchants and especially remonstrance against the
stamp act by the merchants of New Yorkike that
made against the slave act by the merchants O. Boston
j frat Nv ito Evan lag
Otis began with this moderate desire. The King him
self showed disposition to yield TO this extent But
Franklin, who was then in England, when asked whe-
Their the Colonies would submit to the act if mgated in
certain particulars, replied: "No, never, uness
PEELED by force Of arms" The great Commner, VIM.
Pitt in an eyer-memorabe Speech uttered worls which
/ fifty belong to this occasion. He said:
Sir have been charged with giving birth seiiion
America They have spoken their sentiments with freedom
against this unhappy and that freedom has become their
crime. Sorry the liberty speech this House
imputed crime But the impuation shall discourage
me- 1t liberty to exercise No gentlcmai ought
eman who caumniates 1t might and ought to have pofed
The gentleman tells America Is obstinate; America is al
most in open rebellion. rejoice that America has resisted
three millions of people dead to all the feelings q liberty
as voluntarily to submit be slaves would have BEEN fit in
rumen to make slaves of all the rest would not debate
particular point OF law with the gentleman but Idraw my
ideas Of freedom from the vital powers of the British Const
tuition from the crude and alacious notions much
relied upon as if we were but in the morning of liberty
can acknowledge veneraon for any procedure law
dnancc tht repugnant and the first Of
our Constitution The Americans have been wronged they
have been driven to madness Upon the whole will beg
leave to tell the House what is really my opinion that
the stamp act be repealed absolutely totally and mmedi
ac end that the for the repeal be assigned because
It was founded on an erroneous principle"
Thus spoke this great orator, at the time tutelary
guardian OF American liberty. He not UNDECIDED.
Within less than year from its original passage the
stamp aet-assaed unconstitutional on the precise
grounds which assail the existing slave act-was
driven from the statute book
But sir the stamp act at most an Infringement of
etea liberty only, not of personal liberty 1t touched
questions of property only but not the personal liberty
of any man. Under it freeman could be seized rs
slave There was an tax of few pence with the
chances of amercemen by single judge without jury
but by this statute person could be deprived of that
vital right of ALL which is to other rights the soul to
the bodytie right Of man ohinse AS liberty is more
than property is above the beasts that perish
heaven higher than EARTH the rights assaed by
American Congress above those asaled by the
British Parliament and just this proportion must be
our condemnation of the slave the side of the stamp
act And this will yet be declared by history.
| call upon you, then, to receive the memorial and
hearken to its prayer All other memorials asking for
changes IL existing legislation treated with respect
promptly referred and acted upon This should not be
an exception. The memorial simply asks the repeal of
al obnoxious statute which is entirely within the compe
tency Of Congress 1t proceeds from large number of
respectable citizens whose autograph signatures are at
tached 1t IS brief and respectful in form and, in its
very brevity shows that spirit of freedom which should
awaken generous response In refusing to receive it
refer it. according the usage of the Senate treat
y
these numerous petitioners but also to the great right of
petition which is here sacred than when ex
ercsed in behalf of freedom against obnoxious
ute Permit to add that by this course you provoke
the very spirit which you would repress There is GER
tain plant which is said to grow when trodden upon 1t
remains to be if the Boston petitioners have not
something OF this quality. But this know, sir: that
the slave act like vice. is of SO hideous mien that so
be hated needs only be SEEM" and the of
this day will make it visible and papable to the people in
forms of injustice.
Mr.. BUTLER. Mr.. President wish to know, as l
came into the Senate chamber since the discussion
menced, what is the proposition before the body?
The PRESIDING OFFICER, (Mr. NoRRIs in the chair.
The question the motion to refer the memorial to
the Committee the Judiciary.
Mr.. BUTLER. 1t becomes me, then, chairman OF
that COMMITTEE to say two words have never
had any very great confidence in what is called the fug
tive slave law 1t became my duty certainly as the or
gan of the Committee the Judiciary, to report bill
out Of which the present act known the fugitive
slave act. My opinion always has been however, that
at ALL but that under the Constitution Of Confederacy
of savehodng Satesfor these slayeholdng States
at the time Of the formation of the Consttutioneach
State bound perform its duty in carrying out
the mandates of that Constitution The Constitution csn-
tanned obligations Of States parties to them per-
formed and if each State would do its full dutythe
duty OF mpacstpulationin good faith, Congress- as
the representatives OF the States would have been
called to provide such the fugitive slave
act. :
Now must be permitted to ask the honorable Senator
from Massachusetts, Mr.. EocKwEL) who has spoken in
temper that somewhat commemorative his solemn de-
caraon That the feeling which has been excited the
North by the passage of the Kansas and Nebraska bill
cannot be extngushed; that the fires which have been