The North-Carolinian., 1855-05-26
DoLLAR III


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Legitimate effectiveness ~e do not believe there
can be any insuperable obstacle to fair and
right adjustment.
We know that some honest and enlightened
y Ekatrots of the South think that the law might
IL eome things vert properly have been made
less offensive to the public sentiment of the
NQrthzethan it is Two or three months after
the Coneressi onaI, session during which this
and the rest of the compromise measures were
adopted, WI had a long conversation upon the
subject with Mr Clay, on his return from Cuba,
at the house OF his relative Mr. Thomas Smith
in this city. Upon that occasion Mr. Clay ex-
pressed much ernsat the dlscontent OF the
North account Of tke fugitive slave law, and
Washington and acted npon the committee by
| which the bill was reported to the Senate, he
could, he fully believed, have caused it to be
| reported and passed in form far less offensive
to the North and perhaps entirely satisfactory
to both North and South, but that after his
departure for Boston account OF il-health,
an influential member of the Committee, who
was opposed to the whole system of compro-
mise measures proposed and carried provisions
apparently designed to make it obnoxious.
We asked Mr. Clay what he himself would have
proposed if he had stayed and acted on the
committee. He replied, that he would have
proposed provision that person claimed as
fugitive slave should, on being remanded to
. the place whence he escaped, have jury trial
there to test his right to freedom, if he desired
it. We suggested that the fugitive could have
this under the law as it passed. Yes, said M
Clay, but the people of the North suppose, ?'u
it is to great extent true, that negro 'ailn
ed and held slave, does not as genefa.
rule, understand his legal rights; thai either py
: his own ignorance, or by his masters s authoi.Vy
or management, he is prevented from taA'he
the necessary steps for obtaining legal redtess
+ Or. oE that he s sussisd oft "a sel w.
ghs = s s6f ef the. egAoB g.
! would have proposed that provision should &c
made in the law Tor the slaves being taken
back to the very neighborhood whence he should
be alleged to have escaped, and for ascertain
ing whether he actually claimed a right to free.
, dom, and, if he did claim it, for having the
question of his right brought Immediately be-
/ fore a jury of the vicinage without any active
agency of his own. And the old patriot added
that many of the people of the North under
, stood, and the rest could easily be made to
t understand, that the rights of a colored person
: would be in no danger from such jury, there
being nothing in the human shape that the
people Of the South more abhor than kidnnp-
per, or man who claims free person as his
: slave"
We are sorry to be obliged to express our
: belief that the opposition to the Fugitive Slave
t Law at the North would not be materially
r abated by any notifications of the present Law,
r whatever they might be, which should leave it
t sufficient for the surrender OF fugitive slaves,
e as demanded by the Constitution. The real
d oppositicn,-so far it is honest, and not a
). mere political game,-is not against the mode.
g but the thing. 1t is not q mere trial by Jury
II ents Of the Fugitive SlSse Law, but q trial by
If jury IN the Stale scAerc the fugitre should chance
!; to be arrested. And why? Because they know
l. that fugitive slaves would generally be found
l. in the hot-bcds Of Aboltionism, and that :
d Jury cOllUctedafn such place, or in almost an,
J. place .at the North, would be likely to includ
s. one or more abotionists, whose conscience
y would be less disturbed by false oath than b.
snrrendering the slave; and that consequently
ins Al 1sueh cases, the jury would be unable t.
e la9ee. IN. Y. .Jour. Conn.
MI
"a A BIG LuMP-Wc saw in the hands c
! Thomas A. Hendrix the other day, the larges
s lump of native gold which we have ever seel
lie It picked up by little boy. between tn
Of Boss and Emnons mines, in the lower edge O
S Davidson county, within some two miles of tn
= Randolph line. The lump weighed 1913 penn.
heights, being worth about one hundred all
nenty dollars. The avoirdupos weight
sd Aething over six ounces. 1t is rough al
~ I j2 "a in appearance, and bears the appearan
bi- 81 Rbrasion by wagon wheels, (haying bee