Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1855-09-14
From the New York Express.

In the PassInore Williamson case, there are some
points to be considered other than those that the
Abolition press present, and we may remark In the
outset, that what Federal judges OF our courts and
State judges of our courts, more especially when
their tenure Of office is above popular clamor pro-
Dounce to be law, is likely TO be law-and, there
fore, to be obeyed as law. The Supreme Court Of
Pennsylvania have decided that they have no right
10 interfere with United States Judge, in case
Of /" contempt" and the pr;ma 5faeic presumption
is--that they are right-and the gentlemen editors
not so right as these law-taught judges of a high
State court
The first point TO be considered s--what sym.
pathy deserves this Mr.. williamson? citizen of
North Carolina, one Of the States of the Union, in
the stress Of travellers necessity alighted for
short time on Philadelphia wharf, in passing to
foreign country, free State, TO which he had
diplomatic mission. Passmore Williamson inn
proved the opportunity to stimulate an assault upon
him by negroes, $50 jury have found us TO the
assault, and TO rob him of his servants. If they
had been free servants--Irish or Germans--and
their master, traveller, had been thus robbed of
their services by assault, everybody would have
said, /" the act was a mean act,a IL not ian out
rage" 1t Is considered the meanest sort of an act
to abduct free servant from one employ 10 an
other, but in this case the servants happened to be
saves-and because they were slaves, sympathy
forgotten that the owner was not taking them TO
a slave country, but TO the free State of New York,
10 carry them to the free State Of Nicaragua, and
that TINS he was in fact leading them from slavery
TO freedom. II does not then seem to us a case
for very large sympathy.
The next point to be considered is, what would
be the effect If a State judge could override and
override federal judge, and thus bring the posse
eon,itatus Of State into conflict with the Federal
III. hat led Kato L
wrong in mpnsoning Williamson for making
false return, as the Judge alleges return that
Williamson can Of his own will make right when
ever he peases---it must be considered what would
be the consequences Of everything, by the State,
the Federal Government, but notification OF pro
cess, and consequent civil war II is not likely
that the United States Marshal, having Passmore
Williamson In charge, would have surrendered
him to the State sherf-the Federal opponents of
the Federal law authorizing the marshal to guard
his person, and hence the sheriff would have sum
moned the State posse comitot,s TO take from the
United States Marshal prisoner guarded by the
Federal posse comitdtus or as the Philadelphia
Pennsylvania says:
But few steps we're necessary TO produce a
bloody collision between the State and the United
Statee forces. The attempted liberation Of VIII
hanson would have ended in the arrest Of the
United States Marshal for noncompliance with the
order Oh the supreme NOufb, as ne WOulu uOuDt-
less have felt IL TO be his duty to refuse. The
Sheriff. who would have had the custody Of the
United States Marshal, could do nothing else than
obey the order Of the Supreme Court, and decline
to liberate his prisoner on habeas corpus, sued
by the United States Circuit Court. The Sheriff
would then be arrested for contempt, and for safe
keeping would probably be placed on board the
receiving ship at the Navy Yard. The State Court
would endeayor to enforce Its order with the whole
power Of the Commonwealth, If necessary, and the
United States Government would resist with all
needfu force This condition of things Is what
the Abolitionists plainly foresaw aud il what they
have been striving to produce, with all the appli.
ances Of craft, money, denunciations, and argu-
ment."
We notice this point az point Of Importance
thus bringing the State into conflict with the Fed
eral observation-disclosures II is where all the Abo-
lition leaders in the Northern States are tending
with their anti-constitutiopal and revolutionary
doctrines. Eve. ything they do tends to this con.
Aict and hence TO that dsunion and civil strife Of
which they make 80 much mockery In their jour
nails. There is no doubt--in this Passmore will
hanson case--thRt the Federal administration, at
MI hazards, and with all the Federal authority,