Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1855-08-31
Senator Sumner to Passmore
Williamson.

Lake Superior, on board the North Star, !
saturday, Aug. II. lc55.
My Dear Sir: With asionlshneni and
indignation have learned the story of your
imprisonment; aud now. from thus distant
retreat, where am for the moment, make
haste TO send you my sympathy,
From beginning to end-from side To side,
aud IN every aspect--thls transaction can be-
regarded only AS clear, lndubltabe aud ut
terly unnltlgatcd outrage. The w-iangled
As.,t r,n.. thai z slayenGsi g -" voluntary
import his a1t scd sfase -Of course with all
the revouug incidents of savery--inio the
Free States, Is not more odinus than It is pre-
posterous. 1t Is secuted By reason and dis
owned by universal Jurisprudence. You
were right 10 disregurdng 1t.
In stepping forward to remind persons.
claimed as slaves on this prrtcxt, that nil
such Claim ID baseless, YOU did a good work.
II was this knowledge which filed them
with confidence 70 regain their GoI-glven
liberty. And for this II appears that YOU have
been brought before a man who, " dressed IN
a little bret authority has cast von INTO
prison. TINS outrage Is rendered ,nure Jul
rsgeous by the way in which It was done.
II was perpetrated through the peryersion
OF the great writ Of haOes corpus. This
writ of freedom and dellverance, which IN
England has often been STYLED the palladium
OF the Constl'uiion-which IS recognised as
distinctive feature OF constitutional govern.
ment-Thlch tiuds no place m a despousm,
and which Is the very mastef-key appointed
to unlock prisun-dOors and let the oppressed
60 free has been made IN your case, by a
hocus Pocu5 without precedent, the nnsLru-
ment OF imprisonment and oppression.
Strange and dlsgracfu as all this is, il
must be considered as the natural fruit of
slavery. Any person, whoever he may be-
whether simple citz n or nagislra.e-who
undertakes 10 uphold this wrong. seems
forthwith p lose his reason. lie NAV be
just, humane and decent in other things. but
IN the support Of slavery he becomes I'M
Just, lnhuman and Indecent-ofirn IN obvl-
Gus unconsclousness OF his degradation, 90
the blindness which makes hun lnsensible
10 the lesser wrong by which 1t is main am
ed. What Is the writ of habeas corpus.
the trial by jury, the privilege OF debate. or
your liberty or unne, IN thr estimation Of
person who has already screwed himself to
the pitch of injustice necessary for the vim
dlcation OF an insll u,ion which separates
parent and child which stamps woman as
concublne-whlch shuts the gates of knowl-
edge, and which snatches from the weak all
the hard-earned fruits of lncessant toll I?
Bul there must be an end to these things;
and as shakespeare found a Jewel in the
toad's head, SO do | lind cheering omen
even in the injustice which has made you It's
victim. There Is an old saying handed
down from distant antiquity, that Whose
the gods wish 10 destroy they first make
mad and have often of late been impress
sed oy It's tniih. Th. -i--- vlisa.uhy Is
mad" and their OVERLOOKING madness runs
through every agent and tool. la all that
they do--especlally IN the fugitive slave bill
aud Its cruel enforcement, the Nebraska ball
and its felOnlous administration, and now IN
the Imprisonment of an unotiendlng citizen
Il rejoice to believe that there Is unms.
taxable evidence of that madness which
precedes fall. Verify the day Is at hand
when returning justice wlll once more bear
sway then, aniong the trlunphs of free
dom, will be a reckoning with unjust Judges.
Meanwhile accept my congratulations on
the portion of responsibility and dignity
which Is yours. Ii Is privilege to suffer
for truth and envy not the meanness OF
that soul which would hesitate to prefer your
place within the stone walls of prison TO
The cushioned bench OF the magistrate by
whose irrational and tyrannical edct you
have been condemned.
Believe me, my dear sir, with much re-
gard, -
Very faithfully yours,
CHARLES SUMNER.
Psssrnore Williamson, Esq, Muya,lenslna
Prison, Philadelphia.