The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1855-03-17


by reason 0: the Stabilize >trcnmi.,. and ureai-
ness, "t The individual STATE You are 81
wing the non 81 those States, lv sappiny
and undermining III" column oH which it
rests. Your reply to all this, that there is a
newly Developed necessity for this act Of Fed
cral ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. There is no >urh new
necessity whatever. Tl.. Courts of the sew
cral States have exercised their concurrent
jurisdiction over officers and agents of the
| nIted States for period Of sixty wears. in
cases which involved life, liberty. property.
commerce. peace. and war; subject to snper-
vision |v the supreme tribunals OF the Union.
and while inl, i'.ual rights have been main
tanned, the public peace has been everywhere
preserved. and the public safety has never
received 4 wound. During all that time.
there has never been an az ut or apologist Of
the Federal power. So apprchcn>ive for the
public safety Is to propose the measure which
is now before us. There has never been a
time when su':!i a proportion would have been
received with favor. There have indeed
been siiscon'cn;S. lu: they have been local
and transient. Such ll>contcnts are incident
TO free society everywhere and they are in
eyitallc here. |; is through the working Of
such discOn.ntS that free communities. acting
by constitutional means. and within cOnsti:u-
tiOnal restraints, work out the reformation Of
errors, the correction OF abuses, and the a'.-
vanctEe,t y: ,u,. civ vi tia. his happen
ed is a change Of i.c scene Of these great
dscontcnt>, resulting from Change in the
yco"ral .!.ical direction which the action O! tie
Federal Government takes. Heretofore Tie
murinurS Of ,l!S; on'cnt came from the South
Now. the breeze which bears them sets in
from the North. Wien tie wind blew from,
a Southern quarter. IT,: RIGHTS OF the citizen
were NOT safe wihoui the intcrposition Of the
State tribunals. Now, when il comes from,
an opposite point Of the compass, Senate.
from Connecticut Mr.. Toucry requires Com
grrss TO rrolil i; that in'crro>;'ion. and to
arm the Fedora! Government with new and
ror.cntous power,
Mr.. President. al this trouble arises out of
the Fugitive Save Law. The transaction in
which we are engaged is hv no means the
first act of a new drama. You began here,
in 1893. to cxtcrd in TIE Free States. hv the
exercise of the Federal power, the war of
rarcs-thc war Of The master against the
slave. The Fugitive Save Law which was
then passed became obsoatc. Though no
great Inconvenience was sustained, the pride
Of the slavc-hoIlinr power was wounded
In 1850 YOU pa>>r,! a new Fugitive slave
Law, and con:cct;d it with measures dcsiyn-
cd to extend The territorial jurisdiction of the
! nitcd States over pew regions. without in
hibiting Slavery. You were tol! at that
time, as distinctly as Won are told tonight.
that your new law could not be executed, and
would become obsolete for the same reason that
theo'd ha! btror:r o!,>o!atp: that the failure
ct the old law Eld resulted not from its want
Of stringrnry. ba from lis to, g,r,t >,rinccn-
cv. lon were to'i then. rs distinctly as Won
are now told. that yGur new law with all its
terrorS, would fail. brcausc. like The Oh law,
and more than the o!,i law. it lacked the e.
emcnts to command the consent and ar,rova!
OF the conscience, the svmIathics and the
Judgments OF a free p.olr.
The new law, however, was a,lop.cd il
defiance OF our protest. that it was an act Of
Federal uSurpation. that it virtually suspcn-
died. the wr: Of hobe'is co,puS. that it uncon-
additionally dc;icd a trial by jury, and that
1t virtually commanded a Judgment of PERFECT
"al slavery to te summariiy rendered upon tr
fHirte evidence, which the party accused was
rot allowed to rctute in The due and ordinary
course Of the common law You adopted
new and oppressive penalties in answer to
all these "Reminiscences; and, under threats
and alarms for the safety Of the Union. the
Fugitive Slave I'LL perceived The sanction of
the Congress Of the United States, ard be-
came law. That was the second act
When mnrmurs ard loul complaints arose
anu circumstances came in from every side.
YOU resor;.I to an o!i anl much abused cx-
rc'!'cnt Icu l-ou.'.t I'll the crca, political
parties in the United States into a coalition
and league to maintain This law. and every
word and letter oi it. Unimparcd. and ~ per
petua'c 1t forever All vour other law, al
though they mioht he hrnrf;crnt. ard pro.cr-
tive OF human rights and Of human liberty,
could hc changed, bat this one uncnnS,i.u-
tlona: law, 50 'lcro-atorv from the rish.s of
human nature, was singled out from amooc
all the rest. and was like to be. like TIE laws
OF the Me!cs and Pcrs;ans, a decree forever.
This was the Thrill act And where are
You now Il Is only five years since the iu-
gitive Slave law was passed You have pour
gu out treasure like water to secure its exc
cntion. The public police, the revenue SER
vice, the army and the navy. have been at
your command, and have al! been vigorously
employed, to aid in enforcing it, And still
the Fugitive Slave law is not executed, and
Is Cccouii':s obsolete. You demand further
and more s:ringrny law. The Federal
Government must be armed with rev bow
ers, subvcrsivt OF public liberty. to enforce
the obnoxious st.:uic. The bill! before us
supplies those Rev powers. This is the fourth
at. 1t is easy to be seen that it cannot be
the final ore.
Sir, look with sorrow. but with no anx.
'cty' upon these things. They will have their
emi. before lons, in complete d>coIn!iturc.-
ablic tie time, and wait for the event. /
perform my duty, the only duty which re-
mains Tor me now. in protesting against the
enactment Of til, law. aud in cyprc>sioo TO
you my convictions that ycn are travelling
Altogether III the wrong direction. II vo.
WISH 10 secure respect to the Federal author
Eies, to cultivate harmony between the
States. to secnr" universal peace, there i,
only one way before Won Instead of a,!diuo
ne" penalties, employing new agencies, AID
'nsi'r'h! new ierrorr. You must 90 back to
me point wii"re :"rr mistaken policy began,
and conform your Federal laws TO MAGMA
tHAEIA, to 'ha CONSTITUTIONS. ard TO RI.
Rights OF MAN
RrM V ENrrrAr. >.-At \ social moot