New-York daily tribune., 1855-08-25
SENATOR SUMNER TO PASSNORE WI
LIAISON
LAKE SUPERIOR, OS BOARD TIE NORTH SFsR !
Saturday. Aug. H. 1855.

LAKE SUPERIOR, Os BOARD THE NORTH STE }
Saturday. Aug. IL, 1855. \
MI DEAR SIR: With sstonshrent and inaigna-
ton have learned the story of your imprisonment;
and now from this defiant retreat where am for the
moment, make haste to send you my sympathy.
From beginning 70 end-from side to side, and IL
every aspect-this transaction can be regarded only
es clear, indubitabe and utterly uomitigated out
rsge. The new-fangIed doctrire, thot ssyemcs'er
can roluntarEy import his alleged save--of course
with ell the revolving incidents OF Slavery-nto the
Free States is not more odious than Is peposierous.
II Is secuted by reason and disowned By universal
iurispruderce You were right in disrcsadng it. In
stepping forward to remind persons claimed es slaves
On this pretext that all such claim is bsseless, YOU
aid good work II was this knowledge which filed
The N with oo1ideree to regain their Godgiven lib-
erty. And for this it appears that you have been
brought before man who, dressed in little brief
authority, has you into prison. This outrage Is
rendered more outrageous by the way in which II vas
dore.
I.was perpetrated through the perversion Of the
great wit Of bs,eas corpus. Tl's writ O. freedom
and deliyerance. which in England has often been
sfyled the palladium Of the Constiiut'on-which is
recognized as distinctive feature cf Constitution
G. ,yerpmeBt-Which finds no place in despo,ism,
and which is tie very maserkey appointed to unlock
pison doors and let the oppressed 20 free-has been
rnsde in your case by hocus pocus without prece-
dent de instrument Of imprisonment and oppression.
Strange and disgraeefal as all thsis it must be con-
sderea ss tie natural fruit of Slavery. Any pc son,
yhosoever be may be-whether simple citizen or
mags,rato-who undertakes TO uphold this wrong
seems forthwith TO lose bis reason. He may be just
humane and decent in other hings, but in the support
OF Slavery he becomes unjust, inhumsn and indie
etnt-ol,en in obvious unconsciousness Of his degra
dation. The blindness which makes him nsensible
10 a wrong so transcendent naturally makes him in
sensible TO the sser wrong by which l. is maintained
What is The writ of hsbeas corpus, the trial by jury
the privilege Of debate your liberty mine, In the
estimation of person who has already screwed hum
self TO tie pitch Of injustice necessary 70. the yndica-
toa of an institution which separates parent aud
ohfd-whioh stamps woman as q ooncubine-which
sbs,s the gates of knowledge, and 8hich snatches
fm the weak all the hardeerned fruits of incessant
tell
But there must be an end TO these things; and as
ehsL Lespeare found Jewel in the toads head, so do
ipd cheering omen even in the injustice which hs,
made ou its victim. There is an old saying handed
down from distant antiquity that Whose the gods
fwish to destroy they first make mad and have
often of late been impressed by IFS trulh Ihe slave
OHearcby is mad and their overiowing madness runs
through every agent and tool In all that they do
especially in the Fugitive Slave bill and its cruel en-
forcenent the Nebraska bill and It's felonous admins
trniion. and now in the imprisonment of an unofend
ing citztr-I rejoice TO believe that there Is unnis
taxable evidence Of that madress which precedes q
fall Verify the day is at hand when returning justice
will once more bear sway then, among The triumph
of Freedom, will be q reckoning with unjust judges
Meanwhile accept my congratulations on the Por
ton of responsibility and dignity which ia yours.
privilege to suffer for truth and envy not the
meenness of that soul which would beeitate to pIeie
your place within the stone walls of prison to the
cushioned bench Of the magistrate by whose irrs;iona
! and iyranIical eoict you have been condemned.
Believe me my dear sir with much regard
Nery thfully yours, CHARLES StNNER
PAssMoRE WILLIAMSON. Esq Moyamensing Pr-n, Phi O.