Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1855-06-27

bond, and security? They could not
give it in nine cases but of ten in the
States into which the fugitiyelhad escaped.
and, to require it of them would be5utterly
to defeat all attempts to reclaim these flu
gitivcs. But there is another objection.
lis imposing a restraint on the rights
belonging to the owner. The constitu-
ton Of the United States recognising the
property of the owner in his, slave where
ever he is 10 be found, the same property
is to be enjoyed in the same unqualified
manner wherever found that the owner
enjoys it when at home; and if you can
assume right to require of him3 before
he can come into the enjoyment of that
property, that he shall give bond to
obey any .requisition, 1 care not what,
why you restrain, qualify, and impair his
right Of property tO1that extent."g
Aud again. { page 1879 Mr.. Mason
said 70 7- sr...- z.a a.. a.bt.aa..w
will tresspass on the time Of the
Senator no further than Ito say that
if the right can be made to require
bond, it must be as condition of
delivery Now, l put it to the Senator
10 show wherein the constitution, when
you are req uired 10 deliver up the fugi~
tive upon the claim Ofthe party to whom
service is due, you can interpose anything
to that claim. But what is that claim ?
1t is that the fugitive was held to service.
| That is all the constitution requires
should be proved, nothing more You
are requirGdto show that fact out OF which
the claim arises in order to allow of his
being carried back. And if the proof is
confined to that, ask upon what authors
| ity the gentleman from Kentucky supQo-
SEES they may deliver upon condition If
they can deliver on one condition, they
may on any condition. and they may con
strain the plenary right of the property
which is alleged to exist Ihave said l.,
and l repeat, in no ctfensiVe sense at ali,
but as a matter Of duty to my constitu-
ents, that insist on the right, as 1 I'M
understand it, which belongs to them, to
recover their fugitive servants. shall,
Therefore,, vote against any proposition
which acknowledges power in Congress
to authorize this right to- be tried in any
Of the free States, and shall resist it.
l say again, the constitution does not
warrant the exercise of that power
on the part Of Congress and il it did, it
would etiectuaIly defeat any law which
might be passed on the subject
The foregoing extracts from the debate
will fully show the whole ground on
which this amendment was resisted and
it is cheerIully left to the country to de-
| eide whether, had the amendment been
| adopted, the concession would not have
rendered the clause in the constitution
providing for the surrender of fugitive
slaves valuelcss to the South.
lt may be remarked further, that this
amendment, though reported from the
committee of thirteen, was never offered
in the Senate as substantive PROPOSE
ton.
The only vote taken upon it was as a
part Of a substitute for the whole bill,
which had been offered by Mr.. Under
wood, Of kentucky, and then General
Cass voted against it,
Appendix to Congressional Globe
LIST Ses5., 3lst Cong, vol. 22. part 3D.,
page 1926.
ReSpecttully,yours,
j. NJ. MASON.
SELMA, Frederick county, Va, une /.