New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-11-09
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.
THE MCCORMICK CASE.

S,K. Ibave read with Interest he sts;ement o. ire
Rev. I. q. Mccormick snd your commeots on tie
subject in your paper Of the lst net am - reluc
tan, az yourself 20 encourage the Arrogant ceasnd' OF
slaveholde-s upon the Free North, aud | viii 20 as
far as YOU in condemnation Of Tho point ca course Oh
Gov. Wright; but in THE case Of MCCORMICK tlmA
Won hsveus sded tNe fscts, and mi ired good
cause by b.d Arguments.
The COZ s,i.ulion Il Obligation o. ore >lte 70 leiVc
M fugitive from TIE justice OF smother StAte upon
ceusnd Of tie executive authority OF the state IN
which the crime was committed IS clear and unques
to1 ed and canno' be evsdei CoDst |. 81 ait :,
sec In he case Of Mccormick dem:nd 10 az
form vas made by GOV. Powell upon Gov "nSot Tor
the surreDcer of NJ -oruick .ugive from JGS it"
Ibis demsud was bssed upon sn lnIctmeut lou d ny
q eraI i Jury OF Jnlo1 county, h ntuc&y tof tdO"y
conrqrffd IN that coHr'y. Whe her NcCormicz W -
enilty of the crime charged, or whe her he had
lid from Kentucky, wee quescons Wnch GOV;
Wri. h had ~ Ight 10 try OT prlujge. IL mii we
be nat McCorm.k had rot been IN kentu Ky "j0r
s,rsrdl Years " il may well be toat the indictment
sas 10 INC and the rquisiio, granted uy)n la Sc su
m"Dy but how could GOV NrIgn, In nus exec ''e
caeac:y take coyniZ Of a. iufca'a upon hH'e
facts He was bound 70 give - tHH fGua ant crsan
10 he iu1cisl OceedDgs OF the court IN kenucky as
certified 10 i'm; he bound 10 presu &c tta, the
III hts OF Met lex wOui be pro eSed oy me avs
of Ktn.ucky when he was arralgued AID tret under
them. ANY other presumption would have been IN
violation OF the spirit o; the Constitution, and retu
ssl by Gov. Wright, based on any such presump 1on,
20 surrender Met ormck would have been Nlo Atioh
OF is cath # cfice.
r. th1n the felony or crime charged against McCor
nick were sucn eloey crime tue Constitution OF
the UIitod States contt lates II seems 10 me clear
that upon / fects IrsseLtec 10 Coz. Nngl ne Ta5
bonn To sive him no to The STATE Of Kentucky.
The only question, then, in this case is: Hay the
GOV error of one State the Digit - refuse 70 surender
a tus live charged with crime in another Stae, on
. md b-fb Ia ACT al UOf u
laws of the State TO Shich The fugitive haa 6eclpSd.
I an not s'qpainei with the tacts OF the cas-s re-
tered o by Mr. NJ Cormick and yourself as proce-
d, Its Involving the affirmative OF this qu-s on, but II
Sc. ms 10 ME the principle YOU contend for would BE-
in direct COZ hict with tie letter and spirit OF the Con
stiuion ana would open the door for dangerous Goa
rrOversies between the Slater.
Ii is clear that every man IL )und TO know andooey
the laws OF the State in which he may permarcuty o.
temporarily abiLe. H. therefore, CT zen OF nd2ra
90 Into Kentucky and violate her criminal laws ,nd
return TO llchns there no preense OF re -son Or
Justice upon Which he can claim the protection If his
own Sta'e sgars. the demands o. Justice In kentucky
The question il such is not Have the laws ~ In
diana been violated but, Have the laws OF Kentucky
b. en- yioa'edl II 90, they shold be vndlcated. lu
diana has no right inter the shield OF her SHte
soyen pnty 10 protect wcongcoer; she has no rght
TO nake her territory city Of refuge or bandits her
o,n who may see fit 10 make orays into kentucky or
other STATES and violate their laws. The Imperfect
obga ion of the comfy of nations would de Dand their
surIet der even il the consti'ut ORAL obligation were
wsntiug or less clear and stringent than Il.
Your doctrine will not bear application. suppose
law prevailed in kentucky authorizing the master To
kid bis slave attempting 10 escape; supo cse slave
escapi0g from Kentucky to lnoaua should be Pursu9 81
by bis master ino Indiana, ana the master IN ms at
tempt to Tecapure the ave, should Intentionally XIII
him upon the soil of Indiana and then flee 70 Ken
lucky: The master under the law of Indiana would be
guilty Of a felony Now, would the Governor of Ken
tn KY on the ground that toe III tive hal tod
no CO ue Known 10 the Laws OF Kentucky BE- Jssnhed
oG,..l 10 dor tbn motif Wb
by the Executive of Ibdiana Would he have any
ri ht 70 % behind the indictment IN Indiana for muir
der or other feonv and inquire whether the facts would
ur der the law of Kentucky, make case of murder or
oher felony or not think not Again: Suppose
the adm issen into the Union OF the State of tah
with it's beautiful social institution of polygamy
Suppose man guilty OF bisamy in the state OF New
York to fly to the State of Utah, and to be duly de-
manded by the Governor of New York fugitive
from the justice of that State. Thluk you the poyga-
mist Governor of L. ali would be justified In refusing
10 give up the BIZ aIist on the ground that bigamy and
pol gamy were lawful domestic insiu ions in Utah
| think net. Yet such would be the legitimate conse
Gu, nee Of your doctrine, tina, the surrender OF fuki
rive NAV be refused when the crime alleged is not
reco niZed crime under the laws of the State to
which lie has fed from usti,
There s TO doubt that either view of this question
IT, under many possible cases attended with grea diff
fcuy, but think the true doctrine ia not the one
suned by you. That is the ultra doctrine of State
Rights and II never be stilngenly enforced with
ont collision.
70 my own part am disposed to leave the tu0ect
of Slavery where the Constitution left it. believe
that subject was fully and carefully and calmly
weighed AMI pi divided for by the trainers of the Coo
sttu n rs il ever hss been will be by u.s. aud so
loI the spirit of that nstru neDt IL carried out
there s no danger Of coIhc. between the North and
South The Free States have business with Slavery
in the Sses where II prevails and the Slave n. es
have no ri hit 10 ak for s extension or recognition
bey ond their limits except to the extent tn they
may reclaim their fBgittre slaves. That right ths
Copsti utiOn gives to hem ond IL should be rccoI IL ID
ard enforced 10 accordance with the spirit Of the
Cor stituion but all the machinery for IL enforcement
,hoUd be based upon the great principle that the lar
farors Freedom and not Siarery. Ii these views
were to control dIvjua and legislative and Judicial
action, We would hear no lore in an lnvilious so,
So fsr az our federation is concerned of The North
tie South and the Union would soon become what
the Constitution was desgned to make it, a more
perfect Union" lNDIASA.
Fort Wayne Nov. 5, 1855