Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1833-1861, 1855-03-30

4 &""h yous AShoeo's' ehoe you ohO
saving this Union at fearful cost.
This is Republican Government
the first and only one that has ever
been widely and permanently success
full. Every man in this country, ev-
cry man in Christendom, who knows
anything of the philosophy of Govern
ment knows that this Republic has
been thus successful. only by reason
Of stability, strength and greatness Of
the individual States. You are saw
ing the Union Of those States, by sap
ping and undermining the columns on
which it rests. You reply to all this,
that there is a newly developed neces-
sity for this act of Federal aggran-
dizement. There is no such new ne.
cesity whatever. The Courts of the
several States have exercised their
concurrent jurisdiction over officers
and agents Of the United States, for
period Of sixty years, in cases which
involved life, liberty, property, COM
merce, peace, and war, subject to su-
pervision by the supreme tribunal Of
the Union, and while individual rights
have been maintained, the public has
been everywhere preserved. and the
public safety has never received a
wound. During all that time, there
has never been an agent or apologist
Of the Federal power, SO apreheusive
for,the public safety as to propose the
measure which is now before us. There
has been a time when such a PROPOSE
tion would have been received with
favor. There have indeed been dis
contents, but they have been local and
transient. Such discontents are incl
dent to free and independent society ev-
erywhere, and they are inevitable here.
1t is through the working of such dis
contents that free communities, acting
by constitutional means, and within
constitutional restraints, work out the
reformation of errors, the correction of
abuses, and the advancement of socie-
ty. All that has happened is,a change
of the scene of these great discontents,
resulting from change in the geo.
graphical direction which the action
of the Federal Government takes.
Heretofore the murmurs of discomfort
came from the South. Now, the
breeze which bears them sets in from
the North. When the wind blew from
the Southern quarter, the rights Of
the citizens were not safe without the
interposition of State tribunals. Now,
when It comes from an opposite point
of the compass, senator from Connec-
ticut { Mr.. Toucey) requires Congress
to prohibit that interposition, and 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 no means the first act OF a new
drama. You began here, in 1898, to
extend in the Free States, by the exer
else of the Federal power, the war of
races--the war Of the master against
the slave. The Fugitive Slave Law
which was then passed became obsee
lete. Though no great inconvenience
was sustained, the pride of the slave
holding power was wounded. In 1850
you passed new Fugitive Slave Law,
and connected it with measures de-
signed to extend the territorial juris-
diction Of the United States over new
regions. without inhibiting Slavery.
You were told at that time, as dis
tinctly as you are told tonight, that
your new law could not be executed,
and would become obsolete for the
same reasons that the old law he'd be-
come obsolete: that the failure of the,
old law had resulted, not from its
want of stringency. but from its too
great stringency. You were told then
as distinctly as you are now told. that
your new law, with all its terrors,
would fail, because, like the old law,
and more than the old law, II lacked
the elements 10 command the consent
and approval Of the consciences. the
sympathies and the judgements of n
free people.
The new law, however, was adopted
/ In defiance Of our protest, that II was
an net Of Federal usurpation, that Il
virtually suspended the writ Of habsas
corpus, that Il unconstItutionnlly de.
MED trial by jury, and that IL virtu-
ally commanded ajudgement Of per.
petual slavery 10 be summarily rem.
dered or parfe evidence. which the par.
ty accused was not allowed TO refute
in the due and ordinary course of the
common law.-You adopted new and
oppressive penalties in answer TO all
these remonstrances; and. under threats
and alarm for the safety Of the Union
the Fugitive Slave bill received the
sanction of the Congress Of the United
States, and became alaw. This was
the second act. When murmurs and
loud complaints arose, and rcmonstran-
strances came in from every side. you
resorted to an old and much abused
expedient. You brought all the great
political parties in the United States
into coalition and leage to maintain
this law, and every word and letter OF
it,. unimpaired. and to perpetuate il
forever. All your laws. although
they might be beneiicient. and protec.
tive OF human rights and Of human
liberty. could be changed. but this
one unconstitutional law, so deroga.
tory from the rights of human nature,
was singled out from among all the
rest, and was TO be, like the laws Of
the Medes and Persians. decree for
ever.
This was the third act. And where
are younow? 1t is only Eve years
since the Fugitive Slave law was pass.
ed. You have poured out treasure
like water to secure its execution. The
public police. the revenue service, the
/ army and the navy. have been al
your command, and have all been viz.
r orously employed. to aid in enforcing
: it. And still the Fugitive Slave Law
. is not executed. and is becoming OBJ
{ selete. You demand u further and
0 more stringent law The Federa
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