Daily national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1854, 1854-01-04
WASHINGTON, ID. C.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY a, 1854.
THE LENNON AsE-INTERFEREsC E OF Gov
ERN0R COBB

THE LENNON AsE-INTERFEREkC E OF Gov
ERN0R COBB.
Our readers have not forgotten the Lennon
case. Mr.. Lennon, citizen of Virginia, on
his way to Texas with slaves, found it conve-
nicnt to stop at New York. A habeas corpus
being taken out, the slaves were declared by
Judge Payne entitled to freedom, on the
ground that, having been brought into the
State, by the will Of the master, they became
free by its fundamental law, to the operation
of which there is and can he no exception,
but in the case of fugitive slaves, the right to
reclaim whom is expressly provided for by the
Constitution Of the United States. According
to the newspaper accounts ut the time, Judge
Payne made the decision with sorrow, and sub
sequently joined with others in raising fund
to indemnify Mr.. Lennon for the loss of the
slaves"
Governor Cobb, Of Georgia, in his parting
message to the Legislature, while congratula-
ting the country upon the termination of all
sectional strife, thought proper TO review this
case, and indulge in strain of remark well
calculated to rekindle the fires of sectional
ism:
Though unidentified fully, ! believe, by vol
untary subscription, yet the principle involved
in the decision is one of vast importance and
of startling tendency, in which the interest Of
Mr.. Lennon becomes Insignificant, and the
interest of every slavcholding State paramount
and equal Virginia and Texas have no deeper
interest than Georgia and Alabama 1t is I'M
derstood that an appeal has been taken from
the decision to the appellate court of New
York, and it il probable that the final adjudi.
cation of the question involved will be made
by the Supreme Court of the United States
The deliberate determination of any question
by that tribunal commands and should receive
tue respect Of the country, and constitutes
precedent controlling subsequent cases. The
principles involved in the decision of Judge
Payne will be better considered in court
room than in document like the present. 1t
is not my purpose, therefore, to submit an ar
gument on the correctness of that decision. 1t
such is the law, it is tie first time that it has
been solemnly thus pronounced in case made
before any tribunal within my knowledge. II
it be true that the cit2,ns of the slaveholdlng
States who, by force Of circumstances or tor
convenience, seek a passage through the terri
tory Of non-slavehol0ng State with their
slaves, are thereby depricd Of their property
in them, and the slaves ipo facto become eman
cipated, it is time that we know the law as it
is No court in America ias ever announced
this to be law 1t would beexceedingly strange
If it should be. BY the comfy Of nations the
personal status Of every MN ia determined by
the law Of his domicil, and whether he be bond
or free, capable OF Incapable there, he remains
n. Il 30 rad
This is but the courtesy of nation to nation,
necessary for the peace and harmony of States,
and for the enforcement Of private justice. A
denial of this comfy is unhard among civil
lied nations; and if deliberately and wantonly
persisted in, would be just cause of war. Can
It be possible that the courtesy yielded by in
dependent nations to each other can be right
fully denied by one Of these states to the 9TH
ersi Is the bond OF union an authority or
reason for course OF conduct 30 unjusti6able
without that bondf Did the trainers Of the
Constitution, so wise and so provident as 10 NIL
other possible causes Of disturbance between
the States, permit 30 pregnant source of dis
cord to pass UNDECIDED and unprovidedfor In
yielding our right to make treaties and to de-
clare war, have we left ourselves Iemediless in
cases Of palpable violation of the law and
comfy of nations? The adjudication Of these
questions by the tribunal organized under the
Constitution cannot be reviewed with indiffer-
ence by us Every slaveholding State should
be heard before that tribunal therefore rec
ommend that, in the event of the Lennon
case being carried before the Supreme Court,
the Executive be authorized to employ able
counsel, in behalf Of the State Of Georgia, to
be heard before that court upon these ques-
tiOns.o
The Governor for ex- Governor, as he is now)
betrays strange ignorance Of law and facts.
Slavery is against Natural Right, and is sane
toned alone by local law. The law under
which slave is held in Virginia, is municipal,
and has no ra-territorial force. II is not
the law Of New York, or Of any other State.
The law of New York recognises every human
being on its soil, as free with the single excep-
ton created by the ahigher law" Of the Federal
Constitution that Of person held to service
or labor in another State, escaping intoit but the
New York law, although in accordance with Ma.
tural Right, has no force in Virginia. A slave
holder who carries his slaves to New York,
cannot carry with him the municipal laws
of Virginia, or any other State He and his
servants, carried by his voluntary act into New
York, stand equally free in the eye Of the fun
damental law of that State. He cannot hold
them subject under Virginia law, for that has
no extra-territorial force. He cannot hold them
subject under New York law, for that is the
Law of Liberty. But comfy requires from
n Al n. =. A. A.
municipal laws Of Virginia" That would be
true, were not tho question one of fundamental
right; but comfy cannot justify the Judiciary
Of New York in violating the organic law Of
tho State nor in any case can il justify
breach Of Justice. The slaves, released from
bondage by the voluntary act Of the master
in conveying them beyond the boundary Of the
State under whose laws they were held TO SER
vice, and also in introducing them into q