New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-02-28

rv.,v man In this country-every mau N Cars
tendon, who knows soythng o. the Pun"I ha1
Of C;oyepuent, Knows thst this Rspabhc has been
thus successful only by reason OF the stAon,.y,
AZ, epgfh and greatness OF the individual States io
are sewing the Union Of tbose State, by s'Ppag AMI
upd trimming the columns which il rests. You re-
NV 10 a. this that there il sly deveo ped peces
tify for this &C. of Federal aggrandizenent. There
!. no such rev necessity whstever. The CoIrss OF
the ,eversl atee have sed their cnncuen'Ji u.
rsdcon over officers and agents of the United States
for period of sixty yeirs, in cases which Involved
life liberty, properly, commerce, peace, ana var
subject to supervision by the supreme tribunal Of the
Ur ion; and while individual rights have been MAN.
tanned, the public peace hss been evsrywneIe pre-.
wound During all thst time there has never
been an saent or spologist Of the Federal
power 90 spprehensive for the public safe
~ as to propose the measure which Is nv
before us. There has never been a time when
sucb proportion would have been received with
favor, There have indeed, been ciscontents bat
they have been local and transient SAch discon,
tents incident to free society every where, and
thew are inevitable here. 1t is through the working
of such oiscon'en's that free communities acting by
constitutional mears and within constitutional re-
tants work out the reformation Of errors, the cor.
rection Of abuses, and the advancement OF society
All that has happened is change CT the scene OF
geographical direction which the action Of the Fed
erai Cove rnmebt takes. Heretofore, the murmurs
of discont.n mt came from the South. No~, the
breeze which bears them sets 10 from the n birth.
When The wind blew from Southern qnsrter, the
rights Of the citizen not fafe without the in
terposi'icp of The State tribnnss. Now, when it
comes from an opposite point Of the compass Sen
ator from Come ctcut lSlr. Touce,) requires Con.
press TO prohibit that interpositon, ana to arm the
Federal Government with new and portentous
power. Mr. President all this trouble arises out Of
the Fugitive Slave Law. The transaction in which
we are engaged is by DO means the fret act OF ne
drama. You began here, in 1898 10 extent into the
1f.l L 81 10
war races-the war Of the master against tn slave
Tie Fugitive Slave Law, which was then passed, be-
cane obsolete. Though no great inconvenience was
sustained the pride Of the slsveholdirg power WAS
Law and coDnec il with measures desispetto ex.
tend the Territorial jurisdiction Of he Uned States
over new regions, without inhbiiiDg Slavery You
were told at that time, a. distinctly as you are told
tonight, that your new la could not be executed,
and would become obsolete for the same re isons ths
The old law bad become obsolete; that the failure OF
the old law had resulted not from its want ct srin
geDcy, but from its too great stiingency You we're
told then, as distinctly as you are Dow told, thtf your
new law With all lis e.ros would fail because like the
old law, and more than the old law it lacked the ee
ments to command the consent and approval of the
consciences, the sympathles and the judgments OF
Free People. The new Law, however, was adopted
in deaI ce Of protest that II was an act OF Fed
ers usurpaton, that it virtually suspended the writ
Of hobeos pus, that it additionally denied
trial by jury, and that it virtually commanded jddg-
meDt q perpetual Slavery 10 be summary rendered.
upon er pa, e evidence which the party accused was
not allowed to refute in The due and ordinary course
of the COMMON law. You adopted new and opprees-
i've penalties, in answer to all these remonstr ances;
and under tire ats and alarms for the safety OF the
UIitp the Fugitive Slave Bill received the sanction
Of the Cor eress tf the United States, and bee sme
law. That wss the secoId act. When murmurs aad
loud complaints arose. aud circumstances came in
from every side, you Iesor'ed to an old and
much abused expeoient. You broush, all the great
POLITICAL parties in the United States into coalition
and lesg ue to mail tain this law and every word and
letter Of it, unmpared, and to perpetual ate It forever
All your other laws although they might be bened-
C, Mt and productive OF human nights aud OF human
Liberty, could be changed, but this one uDconsti-
ltoIal law, Gerogatary from the rights Of human
nature was singled out from among all the rest, and
was TO be- like the laws Of the Modes and Persians
decree forever. This was the third act. Aud where
are you now II is only Eve years since the Fugitive
Slave Law was parsed You havs poured out treasure
like watertO secure it's execution. The public pc.
lice the revenue service, the army and the navy,
have been at your command, and have al been v1y-
orously employ 3D. 10 aid in enforcing It. And still
the Fugitive Slave Law is not e1ecued, and is be-
coming obsolete. You demand further and more
stringent law. The Federal Government must
be armed with new Up ,e s sooyersse Of
ute. TIE bill before US supplies those new
powtrs. This is the fourth act. Ii Ia easy to be
,tn IL at it canIot be the final cDe. Sir look with
sorrow, but with no anxiety, upon these things They
Will nave tutu Gnu UcioIc 'omPictc
lure. ! abide the time. and wait for the event. l
perform my DUTY the only duty which nsios for me
now in protesting against the enactment of this law,
ard in EXPIRE ssing to you my conviction that are
travelling altogether in the wrong direction II you
with TO secure respect to the Federal authorities, to
cultivate harmony between the States, to secure uni:
veIsal peace, ana to create new bonds of perpetual
upiOp there is Only way before you. Instead Of
adding new penalties, employing new agencies, and
inspiring teIrors you must 90 back to the point
where your mistaken policy began, AID conform your
Federal laws to MAGMA CHARTA, to the CoSsfIfC-
TIos ard TO the RIGHTs OF MAN.