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

PARTICULAR sWhens it swas known that
if that provision had been inserted it
would have remoYedta great deal of diff
fculty in the northern mind, to which
the bill. as it passed, has given rise?t
That, was. the state, ofithe case. - ~ y
4 sex believe there is hardly a feature
in the bill for whichhI did not vote from
beginning to end. Ny votes are record
ed on the yeas and nays. But did not
vote for the bill on It's final passage, for
the simple reason that 1 would not yield
that point"
The foregoing remarks of General Cass
will sbe found in the g Appendix to the
Congressional Globe, llasF. session, SD
Congress-" pages 1874, 1875. On the
same page { 1887 will be found the re-
ply, not given by the g Detroit Free
Press The debate had arisen on a
proposition offered by Mr.. Sumner, Of
Massachusetts, for the repeal Of the flu
gitive- slave law. ,sa..sl...t.. ST.. ~. ....
Mr.. MASON said :.. r. a.. ..r.
Mr.. President, do not mean at all
to enter into a discussion as to the repeal
of the fugitive-slaYe law. l intend only
to advert to what fell from the sena-
tor from Michigan and TO the senator from
Alabama, lest by; possibility hereafter
there might be some doubt or mlscon-
struction about it. The senator from
Michigan has declared that he refused to
vote for the fugitive-slave law, because it
did not contain provision which had
been reported by the committee of thir-
teen, providing that the claimant Of a flu
gitive from labor should be required to
give bond that he would allow the fugi-
tive to have jury trial in the State to
which he was returned. ... -
Mr.. CAss. A bond without security.
"Mr. Mason. Yes sir, a bond without
security. Now, the history OF that mats
ter was this 1t was an amendment offer
ed IN the committee Of thirteen by IL SEN
ator from Massachusetts, not now Il mem
Der Of this body, Mr.. Webster. That
is my impression. ...
Mr.. CAss. The gentleman is mista-
ken. My colleague wrote it out for me.
Mr.. MANGuM. think the senator
from Michigan presented it. ..-.
Mr.. MASON. That may be SO, was
present in the senate when it was offered :,
hut l was under the impression that it
had been offered by the senator from
Massachusetts, Mr.. Webster ); but that
is immatrrial. 1t was reported by that
committee. The senator from Alabama
is perfectly right SO far as he has gone
1t was objected to on the part of southern
men that it was unnecessary to make that
provision in the law, because in all the
southern States the fugitive could have
that right without this provision being in
the law, but the true OBJ ection-certaln.
ly that which governed me was this {:
The constitution says, the fugitive shall
be delivered up on clTim ; that he shall be
delivered up without any condition whats
socvcr, aud believe that ii the law re-
Quired the master 10 give a bond without
security, it was yielded TO the jurisdiction
of Congress that which would thereafter
prove fatal, because, il Congress had Il
right to exact that bond, it might be ar
gueu that it had an equal right to exact
bond with security. 1t was that rea-
son which operated with me- in resisting
that amendment.
"Mr. CLEMENS. Ispoke OILY ofthe objec-
tons made here in the Senate chamber.
There is no man who knows better than
does the senator from Virginia, the scna-
tor from Louisiana, Mr.. Downs, or my
self, the objections made by southern
men outside l did not ailuIe to them.
| only spoke of those made in the Senate
Our objections in the Senate were that
there was already such n provision.
Mr.. Mason. l think the debate will
show that l argued the objection Of which
spoke.
"Mr. CLEMENS. think MT in the
Senate. but it was argued outside"
And now, to show this same objection
was urged by me, and elaboratcly dcba~
ted in 1850. in the Senate, when the
amendment in question was under cons
sideration in the Senate, refer to the
" Appendix Of the Congressional Globe,
LIST Sess. 3lst Congress, vol. 90, part 9.
page 1910.
In debate on this bill. August 22I. as
there reported. Mr.. Mason said
But the other amendment reported
by The committee Of thirteen, which the
senator from Kentucky also adopts, is Of a
character. which. if it should become a
part of this proposed law for the rccove-
~ of tugitlve~Slaves, valuable as such n
law Is TO inc people represent, lndISPen-
sable as it is to enable them to realize
the benefits to which they are entitled by
the constitution Of the United States,
would render it my duty to vote against
that law. | refer to the amendment
which imposes upon the claimant the
necessity of giving bond conditioned
that after he has taken the fugitive back
he will allow him to present I'm npplica-
ton to the first court within his own
State, in order that the question of free
dom or slavery may be tried. 1t requires
that bond as a condition Of the delivery of
the fugitive. Sir, l repeat, if that be
made " feature of this bill. l must vote
against it. because l conceive that this