Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1855-03-08
ANOTHER BLOW An STATE RIGHTS AND
STATE SOVEREIGNTY.

STATE SOVEREIGNTY.
We do not see how any person of ordinary re-
Hecticn, and especially any person laying claim
to one spark Of true Democracy, can look upon
the passage Of the bill to protect United States
officers in the execution of the Fugitive Slave
Law, which was recently forced through the
SENATE BY q night soseien, without astoni5hu,eut
and alarm This bill, (which takes away all ju-
risdiction from our State Courts, in civil actions
commenced against any officer of the United
States, or ether person, for any act done under
law, or celor of law, of the United States, will
be seen to be, when its character is closely scan
ned, and its inevitable tendencies clearly coRl-
pretended, more insidious and deadly blow to
the rights and sovereignty of tho States, than
even the black Fugitive Slave Law ITSELF Sup
pose, reader, one of these detestabe negro catch
ing Marshals, on the warrant which one of the
still more destestable negro catching Commits
sioners are ever ready to issue at the beck of a
slave hunter, should seize, and thus, under " col
Or Of law" be making off with one Of your free
children, where would be your remedy, and how
would yoastop him, till your child was clanking
his chains on a Southern plantation And
again, suppose one of these officers, or their
ruffian posse, should under this same color Of
law" and under pretence of searching for flu
gitive slave, break into your house, hitherto
your sacred castle of refuge, deface your furni-
ture, and insult your wife OF daughter, where
would be your redress short of a United States
Court, whose well known expense and delays
would deter all persons Of ordinary means from
ever attempting to obanit! You would have none
Your State: Courts have been made powerless-
the Habeas Corpus, your great Egis of protec-
ton, has been swept away, and your only re-
source is to set down, like slave, and pocket
your wrongs, Or, at the best, if you had the
means, to so for justice to those Federal Tribu-
nails who have shown that they will sustain any
thing and every thing purporting to be done for
the interests of Slavery.
Has it indeed come to this, that Federal
Government, which is q creature of the States,
and has no power but whatit derived from them,
is to be sufcred to become greater than. the
powers that created it, to break down and over
ride those sovereignties, and assume, unchecked,
supreme control over the land Why not abol-
ish'all State Sovereignties at once, and estab-
lisl, in their stead great Consolidated Govern
inent in which the present State lines should be
nsed only for geographical distinction! Where
would be the sacrifce-if these giant strides to-
wards consolidation are not arrested, where
would be the political sacrfce-what the differ
ence! We can see none. 1t is impossible for
rational men not to see where we are drifting.
And yet we have party among US, and that
claiming to be Democratic too, who are found
singing loud peans to on Administration which
is the very head and Eonto this offending Ten
years ago, and not one Of the successive viola
tons Of the cardinal principles cf.Democracy Of
which the Pierce Democracy have been so pal
pably guilty, could have taken place without
calling from the Democratic press one genera
burst of indignation. Now every one of these
outrages is sustained, and even Landed by the
everywhere paid and pensioned Administration
presses. And we are by no means sure but
that if Gen. Pierce should, like Louis Napoleon
seize the Government by coup d'etat, and pro-
claim himself the only source Of pewer-we are
by no means sure, but such organs as the Wash
ington Union, its echo, the Patriot in New
Hampshire, and its second echo in Vermont
would all be found singing political hallelujahl
to the achievement.
Oh, Democracy! what outrages are committed
in thy name!