Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1854-11-04

sstenty enforced the laws Conformity that Puritan
Fathers persistenty refused obey and which afterwards
with Jees the bench crmsoned the pages of English
history with and murdereven with the blood OF
innocent And it judicial tribunal in coun-
try surrounded by all the forms of law, which hung witches
at Salem which affirmed the consttuonaty Of the Stamp
Act while 1t admonshed Jurors and the people to obey
which in day. has lent its sanction to the unut
terabe atrocity of the Fugitive Slave bill
applause and three cheers for Sumner.l
The judgments Of courts are Of binding authority upon
inferior tribunals and executive uctonare whose virtue
does not prompt them to office rather than aid in the
execution Of unjust law Over all citizens, whether In
public private station they will naturally exert prece-
dsnts commanding influence This admit; but no man.
who is not lost sespec and ready to abandon that
hood which is shown in the Heaven directed counenance
will voluntarily aid in enforcing judgment which in his
conscience soleny believes be against the fundamen
tai law whether Of the Constitution of God [Appause
Not lightly rashy will he take the grave responsibility of
dssent but if the occasion requires he will not hesitate
Pains and penalties be endured, but must not be
done. Cheers cannot obey, but can suffer- was the
exclamation Of the author of Pilgrims Progress when impr
ter e an
bondage, than the unhappy commissioner Appnse and
The whole dogma Of asre obedience must be rejected,
whatever guise may and under whatever atas
may skulk whether in the yrannica usurpatons Of king
parliament judicial tribunal whether the exploded the
cries Of Sir Robert Fmer the rampant assumptions OF the
parsans of the fugitive slave b The rights of the civil
power med there things beyond its provinces there
of its control there in which the
faithful citizen may sayay, must sayI will not obey NO
respondto the words Of Shakespeare If king bid
OATH to be one Nor will any prudent reasoner who duly
considers the rights of conscience claim for any earthly ma
gtrats tribunal howsoever styled power which, in this
age of civilization and liberty the loeet monarch Of Chris
tan throne wearing his brow the round and top Of
citizens Of MASSACHUSETTS, our own local history
without encouragement In early colonial days, the
law against wchcra abhorrent to reason and
scenc regarded constitutional and binding precisely
the fugitive slave b not less abhorrent and
conscience been regarded constitutional and binding
The Supreme Court the Province with able judges whose
entwned with history enforced hisaw Salem
the execution fourteen witches precisely pet
acting the sanction Of the Supreme Court
Of the United States and also of the Supreme Court of Massa
chuset have enforced the fugitive act by the reduction OF
two human beings slavery The clergy
particularly Boston, and also Harvard College, for
the law 'Wchcraf shouted Cotton Mather from the pull
pit the most nefandous high treason capital crime
opposition to the fugitive act was denounced as
son.. Laughter
"But the against witchcaft not triumphant long.
The General Court of the Province first became penitent and
pardon of God for all the Of his servants and
people in the late tragedy Jurymen united in condemning
and amenng the deusion to which they had yielded under
the decision the judges and acknowledged that they had
brought the reproach of wrongful boodhed their native
land Sewa of the Judges whose name lives freshly IN
the liberty loving character of his descendant don S H.
sewa who had presided at the trials, stood in his
place church before the congregation and mpored the
prayers the people that the he had committed
visited by the judgments of avengng God on his
country, his family himself And in manuscript
diary of this departed judge be read on the margin
against the description Of these trials in his handwriting
these words Of Latin nterjecon and sorrow We, r re
Woe woe! woe [Sensation.
The parallel between the enforcement Of the law against
wchcra and the fugitive act complete II remains
Legislature the Of that original General
Court to lead the penitcnta march Laughter In the slave
there have been urymen to rocant and
it is much, perhaps expect any magistrate who has
sanctioned the cruelty initiate the magnanmy of other
days by public repentance But it is not impossible that u-
ture generations may be permitted e read in some newly ex
words of not unlike those which were wrung from the
soul Of sewall. [SensasionsR