Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1855-03-09
NEW SERIES, VOL. 8, NO. &c.

see around me men who know how the inter-
ests and affections Of their own homes cluster
and entwine themselves with every fibre Of
their own hearts, and who vet seem to forget
that those interests and affections are the off
spring Of humanity ITSELF and therefore COM
mon to all men. and suppose that it is trea-
son against the country to protest against the
oppression of any one of its many and vari-
Gus masses and races.
| warn you, Senators, that YOU are saving
this Union Mt a fearful cost This is n Re-
publican Government-the first and only one
that has ever heen widely and permanently
successful. Every man in this country. every
man in Christendom. who knows anything Of
the philosophy Of Government, knows that
this Republic has hopn thus successful. only
ny reason Of the stability. strength and great
ness, Of the indiyidual States. You are saw
ing the Union Of those States, by sarping
and undermining the columns on which it
rests You reply to all this. that there isa
newly develoned necessitv for this act of Fod-
eral aggrandizement There is no such now
necessity whatever. The Courts Of the seve-
rnl States have exercised their concurrent iu-
risdiction officers and agents Of the
United tates for period of sixty years, in
cases which involved life. liberty. property,
commerce. peace, and war. subject to super
vision hv the snnreme tribunals of the Union
and while individual rights have been main
tained. the public peace has hcen everywhere
| preserved. and the nuhlic safety has never re-
ceived wound. During all that time. there
| has never heen an agent or npologist of the
Federal power. So aprrehensive for the pub
lie safety as to propose the measure which is
| now before us. There has never heen a time
when snch proposition would have hccn re-
| ceived with favor There have indeed been
| diScontents, hut they have heen local and
| transient. Such discontents are incident to
| free society everywhere, and they are inevita- =
| hlc here. 1t is though the working of such
discontents that free communities, acting by
constitutional means, and within constitu-
! tional restraints, work out the reformation
of errors. the correction of abuses, and the
Advancement Of society. All that has hap
pened is change ofthe scene ofthese discon-
tents, resulting from a 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 ir
from the North. When the wind blew from
Southern quarter, the rights Of the citizen
were not safe without the interposition of the
| State tribunals. Now. when it comes from
an opposite point of the compass, II Senate,
from Connecticut (Mr. Toucey) requires
Congress to prohibit that interposition, anf
to arm the Federal Government with new anC
portentous power.
Mr.. President all this trouble arises GU
OF the Fugitive Slave Law. The Transaction
IN winch we are engaged is by no means th'
hrst act ot new drama. You began here, II
1888 TO extend into the Free States ov th'
exercise OF the Federal power, the war o
races-the war OF the master against TN
save Inc fuSl'lVe oia'e Law wnlcn WA
then m sso1 bppnme ohsnlptp lbpuph n
great lnconvenience was sustained, the prld
OF the slave-holoins power was wounded; II
looo you passed new Fugitive slave La"
and connected it with measures designed {
e4tehu the territorial lurlsulcuon OF IN
ohiteu otltes over new regions without IN
hloilng slavery. fou were told at that time
as distinctly as you are told to-n'Sh,' Una
your new Id" couid not DE- eAecu'eu an
wouiu become ooSoiete ior thc same reason
'na' 'ue oia IA" had become oosoieteI'mna ma
ehe laiiure o, tne ola law nag resulted NJ
lroli i's Wan' VI s'r,nsency' oul iro'ii 'ts "
80 sH.r''eency iou "Grc .oii theh'
10 sou aio nv" 'oiu ',raT youf ne
~ I.'n al isa 'el'ois' Mouio i.ii, oeI"us'
il lacked the elnments 70 commapd tbe cor
sent and annrov,i of rho consc;snces Tho syn,
nnthias and rho ;nd,mon,s ar a iroo ,oo,i,
Tho ne,v law bo,voror ,v,s odontod ~ 4,
fence OF our protest, that il vnsun act :
Federal usnrnntinn tbot II v;rtn''IIy .usnor[
ed tbe ,vr;t nf bo5cas corn,,, tbo, !; ,Inol,s,
tntionnIIv dan;rd n tri,l by ;nrv and tb,t
y;rtnnllv conm,nded ,nd;,.,pan, oe nornot,,'
sl,yarv 70 H.. nv.
eviIence which tho uartv aonHt"d ,,..p pI, -,
aIIn,nJ 70 rarns. II i,la J,a n,,d IL
comrso of ,L, common t',r Va, ,d'" aGar',a
new ond n,nress;yo ,'nn',,.ia" =, - It -
,boeo ro,n,tns,ra,,,aasf n,'J ,,do - -, W M :,
al,rms cnr ,I,a sa Co,u H. - 80; Wy 40 H,' g"
,;"a 81 LII ms?i " tIe .t Onio.: ."o
I-n;,od S,,tns ond hooa, ,rl y. ~ =,
,ha soonnd nn, VIZ, , ."" n W, W.
comnl,ints arose and -emons,r,,noos ,,,ao
from every side. Won resorted to an old an
much abused expedient. You BROUGHT n
the great POLITICAL parties in the Unite
States into a coalition and league to maintni
this law. and every word and letter of i
unimpuired, and TO perpetuatc it forever.
All YOUR other laws. although thew mioht
benefcent. and protectiye Of human r;gb
and of human liberty, could be changed h,
this one unconstitutional law 40 deroyator
from the rights of human nature was sincle
ont from among ali the rest, and was rn b
like the laws Of the Modes and pers;ons
decree forever.
A., III, -. A.,
i''' va ~ ~. e. ""e'p w r. " al
you ~" ~ lS on.y n.o ;'''S W, s,nIe .ne rue
'i.e y, pUii.
9u. Ti 'Li;, III, ~. r.ro,,o 1870 ~
49,. ~ -, bora hoaro - 49,
TO ana IN enforcing II, an" sun !nc rusltr
, / ~ u.