New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-07-27
sLAyEHUSTIyG EXTRA.

1t is well known that falling body once put
in notion if left to itself aud the force of gravi-
", cont nues to fall with a rapidly accelerating
swiftness. Nor is this less true in morals than
in physics. Fac,iis descensus Arerni-let mao
once fairly start on the road to tue d., AMI if
unfortunately LETT 10 himself he will soon leave
truth, dectscy ard Justice far out Of sight, and
will keep falling faster and faster till he reaches
the very pit Itself
II was thought that the Congress which under
sla1 ecatcbing influence had passed the Fugitive
Slave Act, and the Judges who, under similar iu-
fuence, had held that act TO be constitutional,
had, in the suppression of the writ of Habeas
Corpus, gone to very great lengths. The Coz
stitution Of the United States had provided That
the privilege of the writ of Habeas Corpus should
not be suspended, except when 10 case of iova-
sion or rebellion the public safety might require
it. Tie Fugitive Slave Act had enacted-and
many Judges have been found to hold that en-
actmeDt TO be cOnstitutiOnal-tbat the privilege
Of the writ Of II IDEAS Corpus should asO be sus-
pended az to every man against whom as fugi-
tive from labor United States Commissioner
might have granted a certificate, OF might even
have issued a warrant
One might have supposed that the savecstch-
ing gently would have been content with thus
spill ing this famous feld-piece of Liberty. Not
so Judge Kane Of the Eostern District of Pean-
syltauia. Enthusiastic and devoted slave
catcher as he is, so far from being cootent with
sp,kiDg this great gun of Freedom, he seeks 10
turn il On TIE enemy, very naturally regarding
as such all those desirous Of communicating to
blscb men, women and children knO Wedge Of
their rights, and so afTordiDg them chance for
liberty if they preferit.
TIE Hsbeas Corpus has hitherto been used as
as cODtrivance tor giving freedom 60 those ilIe-
eaIJy detained Ia bondage. judge KaUe pro-
poses to convert it INTO an instrument for slave
catching Persons supposed to have sympa-
tn zed with the escaping paities, or to have as
sisted them in getting away, are to be called
upon by a writ of Habeas Corpus reproduce the
bodies of the runawsys, AMI in case they returo
to the writ that they have no possession of the
said bodies or power to reproduce them, IN that
case they are to be bound over for peJucS
Ingenious Judge Kane Who can tell which
to applaud most, the soft tenderness of heart
so open to the woes Of shareholders, or a legal
ingenui Outdoing so entirely even the proven
bal scuteness of Philadelphia lawyer
Unfortunately there is one little point as to
" hich this ingenious operation will be likely to
fail. Whot pity, for the sake of the slave
catehers, that Judge Kane is NOT Judge aud Jury
too He would then make short work of 1t.
For every man, woman or child delivered from
Illegal detention as slaves and restored to their
natural Ind lawful liberty, he might clap an
Abolitonist into the penlteutiary on charge of
perjury But before this beautiful contriyance
can be brought INTO operation, 1t will be neces.
sary to pass Il supplement to the Fugitive Slave
Act, abOshiBg as to all persons implicated in
the crime of helping colOred people to t1eir lib
erty, any necessity for calling i'll the assistance
either OF Graud or Petit Juries, leaving these
cases to be adjudicated, as claims for service
now are under the Fugitive Slave Act, with )ut
any such trouble some and impertinen: inteIyen-
ton
TIL some such enactment is Obtained-and Of
the next Congress it can scarcely be expected
we apprehend that this ingenious device of
Judge Kane's for converting the writ Of Habeas
Corpus into continuance for Furnishing Adolf
tiOnists will hardly be available. Having failed
te extort from Mr.. Williamson any information
for the benefit of the slavec.tchers, Judge Kane
has now to manage retreat for himself The
ardor of the pursuit has, we apprehend, carried
him into rather a dangerous position, failing
speedily to withdraw from which the ia ige
himself will be quite as much in danger Of legal
proceedings as the man whom he has been at
tempting to fIighten.
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