Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1855-07-06
For the ~ o. Commercial Bulletin
MASSACHUSETTS QUALIFICATION.

| NlNEER THREE.
Under the "pcrsonal liberty law 10 open action ~
| vet has taken prce. Even the public gaGettc
have s2rncely noticed the subject, so far rs eau u
certain. Oar people are scattered for the summer
hundreds spending their mon"y N pleasure :Xcursion
or purchases in Massachusetts. No. my good trerd
Of Bunker Hill and Lexington lnnd long may N
permitted to address you az suci) here has been n
yet no open action Some of our bees and buttcriile
have hutterel oil among you, but we who are toin.
here al home, consult together about your Liberty
law" and other movements, and have leave To tel
you some things which more than limited at ii sucl
laws are IN be enforced.
Frst-Excuding your ships.
.<yco'd-ExclulinS your manufactures:
| TH~d-Ccasing our visits 10 your borders, already
| unsafe, and more or lc9s unpleasant.
| FDarfh-RcGuiring your citizens trading here a
least 10 take out licenses, perhaps 10 furnish bont
for good behavior.
How will such laws suit you OF course not NJ all
They trench thu: provision of the Constitution
which declares that the citizens OF each State shal
be- entitled 10 all the privileges AID Immunitics ctl
! Zcns in the several ST. ties. They certainly do, my
conscientious friends, md such laws operate aGans
all other rights the people Of the several States have
in other States umGc: lis Federal Constitution. We
know it; but wc k.ow also that this is precisely ou
objection 10 this "ibcrty iaw," which has made al
tiu trouble aid that its uncunst:utonahty has Dcei
! pronounced by our highest tribunals.
| All %our reasoning would have done very WELL s'
! long rs you held TO your bargan-so long as yol
yourselves submitted to the paramount law, and re
| cognscd our rights under its guarantoes-so long N
Massachusetts held 10 her obligations and place IN th
great American family. But now you have repudla
ted right ui almost vital importance 10 and pass
| ed law TO fine and imprisUn as elons our citizens
VINO may claim their rights under that Constitution
| Why wait for formal rupture and separation IRON
you You have not done so. Cur compact is bro
ken by roC There is little obligation on US to re-
pect the rights of your citizens or their properly
when ,Hu openly ranpcl on OURS. There is rs IIlti'
to restrain mob from taking possession of one oI
more of your ships rs there was to restrain your nl,
in the case OF the negro Burns, from their assaults o.
the Court and its officers, anu from numbering tAt
| iarshal Batcheder. Your lnw nOw Virtually Jcsti
! iies and sanctions that and al future murders.
| No reason warrants or pallates you: conduct which
would not, with greater force, justify our COURSE
Your acts will he the cause-ours but the elect ant
| sequence
Should such stntc of affairs happen have her
foreshudowed Of course ycu will do all the m:oche
you can. This we expect, come what may. For sev
cral years past YOU have given us an earnest ot VIVA
you have been doing. Nor have Pennsylvania nut
others I'll you been idle. HAS the law yet r"Tengct
the m.;rdcr Of Gorsuch y Many Of us nrr of opinion
! that you do nothing much worse than you ar'
doing. II you imagine the loss OF your m"!!Nahdi7e
manufactures and supplies will distress anl dre us
vou Greatly mistake. We can war our Old ciothlii;
another wear though We should receive none from
abrur aud that year will suffice to set head an,
hands enough at work 10 rcInr'i! nj. Our climate
mil !. our soil icl:c: We Gun i!rc within ourselves
| LOOK around anu tAhHlIIl' HOW "
have cvcu could you induce all the New Enganl
States iu combine. We have only To look ai,ii-t'
/ husc who will be delighted nj the chance oi supply
ing U.S. and whom ve can and do amply supply VIII
| the raw materias-ii, indeed, We do not take botl
| surply and demand into 'ur own hands, Oi whIci
| there are some very significant indications.
Let Us take the case nt transaction III common
liie--the case of man who has purchased property
! and given his bond to pay the price but hnds tina
the seller hl1 conrivcd to obtain possession Of fha
property Do the laws of the land, ;hc laws OF hon
esty or morality, require him to pny his bond Her,
is plain question vi common, everyday business 4
br pIainly and cncgorically answered II neiihe
the laws OF the land the laws o: morality require
! H. in what code will you find the law which r"quir.
one party to compact, individual or State, to tain
his obligations after the other has broken anI denet
! his part Of their agreement! Perhaps YOU may fin,
it in that higher laT when has been referred to t
sustain your abolition pretenslons' Tor NO where eis'
can il be found!
| You have administered mob law TO many of ou
citizens This personal liberty law is but the enact
lcnt Of moblcgisature, reckless OF their oaths u
| SUPPORT the Constitution Of the United States. W.
e.lre not to be learned in such law, or to touch th'
unclean thing. We nbh0r it, But we refer t. II t'
remind YOU OF what You seem to think is to be u,r'
bv YOU alone; To udmonlsh you that with your vi"!e
| zion OF our chartered rights there may nrsc the r.
| collection of our own resources IN the way "i "|
| igl,Du,s, and your citizens at Lone well ms herr
may realize the vulgar adagc thut Two can pm; a.
| tIut game. AIN hn
! p. Sat q future day YOU may hear from ilP
again the subject is lar very far from being exhaust
| ed or even fairly uhiolded.
| CoopER's WELL, Miss. june Il, lSJ3.