Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1854-07-10

Rod, in order te guard the rights of her free
colored citizens, assaulted on arrival there by
an unhospitible statute, 30 gross in its provis-
ions, that an eminent character of South Car
Dina, Judge of the Supreme Court of the
United States, Hon. William Johnson, had
characterized it as "hampling on the Consti-
tuition" and 'a direct attack upon the sover-
eighty of the United States'' Massachusetts
had read in the Constitution clause closely
associated with that touching " fugitves from
labor" to the following effect, "The citizens
Of each State shall be entitled to all privileges
and immunites of citizens in the several
States" and supposed that this would yet be
recognized by South Carolina. But she was
mistaken. Her venerable representative, an
unarmed old man, with hair as silver. white
almost as that of the Senator before, me, was
heset in Charleston by a respectable mob,
prevented from entering upon his duties, and
driven from the State, while the Legislature
stepped in to sanction this shameless, lawless
act, by placing ON the statute book an order
for his expulsion. And yet. sir, the excitable
Senator from South Carolina is fred by the
fancied delinquencies of Massachusetts to-
ward slave hunters, and also by my own re-
fpsal to render them any (" aid or comfort"
He showers questions in volleys, assumes to
measure our duties by his understanding, and
calculates lecture at Massachusetts and my
self Sir, before that venerable Senator again
does this, let him return to his own State,
scanned all over with the rents left by nullifi-
cation, aud first lecture there. Let him look
iRto his own heart, and lecture to himself
. But-enough for the present on this head, of
the extent of my constitutional obligations to
become Slave Hunter. There are, however,
yet other things i'll the assault of the venera-
Die Senator, which, for the sake Of truth, in
Just defence of Massachusetts, and in honor Of
Freedom, shall not be left answered AL
luding to those days when Massachusetts was
illustrated by Otis, Hancock, and the "brace
of Adamses - when Faneuil Hall sent forth
echoes of liberty which resounded even to
South Carolina, aud the very stones in the
streets OF Boston rose in mutiny against ty-
ranny, the Senator with the silver white locks,
in the very ecstacy of slavery, broke forth in
the ejaculation that Massachusetts was then
''slayeholding;" and he presumed to hail
these patriots as representatives Of "hardy,
slaveholding Massachusetts" Sir, | repel the
imputation. 1t is true, that Massachusetts
was ''hardy;" but she was not, in any Just
sense, ''slaveholdmg." And had she not been
SO, she could not have been ''hardy" The
two characteristics are inconsistent as weak
iSoN anu 90 oiONiiCSS anu =
had almost said, as death and life.
The Senator opens page, which would
willingly present. Sir, slavery never -four
ished in Massachusetts, nor did it ever pre-
vail there at any time, even III early colonial
days, to such degree as to be a distinctive
feature in her powerful civilization. Her few
slaves were merely for term of years, or for
life. If, in point of fact, their issue was
sometimes held in bondage, it was never by
sanction OF any statute or law of Colony or
Common wealth. (LGaes5oro' VS.. Testified, 16
Mass. 40 In her annals no person was ever
born slave on the soil of Massaehusetts.-
This Of itself is response to the imputation
of the Senator.
A benign and brilliant act of her Legisla-
ture, as far back as 1915, shows her sensibility
on this subject. A Boston ship had brought
home two negroes seized ON the coast Of
Guinea. Thus spoke Massachusetts,
"The General Court conceivng themselves bound by
, "a y tp bear witoess against the heinous
s s, 81 man Stealing, also 10 prescribe such
u.s. to Eass 10 f What Is past, and sueh law for he
justly G5horred Of all good and JsPss gsto"stnT ~
that the negro interpre.e with others unawfly taken
be- BY the first opp 'runty at the charge Of the country
for the present. sent his naive country Of Guinea and
letter with him of the Indignation of the Court therea-
bout and justice thereof"
The Colony that could issue this noble de-
cree was inconsistent with itself, when it al
lowed its rocky face to be pressed by the foot
steps of a single slave. But righteous pub
lie opinion early aud constantly set its face
against slavery. As early as l70l a vote was
entered upon the records of Boston to the fol-
lowing effect: "rhe Representatives are de-
sired to promote and encourage the bringing
OF W lite servants, and to put a period to ne
groes being Slaoes." Perhaps, i'll all history,
this is the earliest testimony from any official
body against negro slavery, and thank God
that it came from Boston, my native town.
In l705. heavy duty was imposed upon ey-
cry negro imported into the province; i'll
17I2 the importation of Indians as servants
or slaves was strictly forbidden but the gen.
eral subject of slavery attracted little atten-
ton till the beginning of the controversy,
which ended i'll the Revolution, when the
rights of the blacks were blended by all true
patriots with those OF the whites. Sparing
all unnecessary details, suffice it to say, that
as carly as 1859, Que Of the courts OF Massa-
chusetts, anticipating, by several years, the
renowned Judgment in Somersetts case, es-
taolished within its jurisdiction the principle
of emancipation and, under its touch OF
magic power, changed slave into freeman.
Similar decisions followed i'll other Places
In 1875, the whole number OF blacks, both
free and slave, sprinkled thinly over ''hardy'
Massachusetts,, was five thousand two hun
dred and forty nine, being to the whites as
one is to sixty-6ve while in ''slaveholdlng"
South Carolina, the number of negro slaves
at that time, was not far from one hundred
thousand, being nearly one freeman, thus rem
dering that Colony anything but .'hardy."7-
At last, in 1880, even before the triumph of
Yorktown had led the way to that peace
which set its sel upon our National lndepen-
dence Massachusetts, animated by the strug-
giles of the Revolution, aud filled by the sem
tments of freedom, placed in front OF her
Bill of Rights the emphatic words that "all
men are born free and equal, and by this de-
claration exterminated every vestlge OF slavery
within her borders. All hail, then, to Massa-
chusetts, the just and generous Common
wealth in whose behalf have the honor to
speak. r1A sai
Thus, sir, does the venerable Senator err
when he presumcs to voueh Massachusetts Tor
slavery and to associate this odious institution
with the names of her great patriots. az
Mr. Rock well.---Will my honorable coll
league allow me to send to the Chair, and
have read in this connection with his present
remarks, a passage from Graham's History of
the United States 1 ~ Ok
Mr. Sumner.--l do not know the passage
to which my colleague refers, but welcome
any interruption from him. .ft
The Secretary read as follows,
"Aong other subjects of dispute with the British Gov
eramen and its officers more credable 70 Mass
achusetts than even her magnammlus IN for the
liberty Of her citizens aud their fellow cloniss Negro
slavery still existed IN every Of the American prov.
nces and the unhappy victims Of this yoke rapidly
multiplied by the progressive extension of the slave trade
Gorsa, the youngest Of all the States contained already