New-York daily tribune., 1855-08-21
A PREPOsTEROus IDEA.
We find in The National InteHigeneer an art
Gle containing the following paragraphs:

We find in The National ISteHigeHer an art-
Gle containing the following paragraphs:
"The idea that the questions at issue between the
North and the South cannot be brought before the
Supreme Court, and that therefore they may pass
State laws retaaiing upon each other is preposfer
Gus. The Personal Liberty Law Of Massachusetts,
is called is a oirect infraction of law of the
United States, and could not be executed without
bringing the State authorities into conflict with the
National Government Two opposing laws cannot
both be Obeyed in the same community; one must be
paramount But how is 1t TO be determined TO which
Of these laws supreme obedience is duet The indi
yduals engaged in the contest cannot, IN any event
be REGARDED competent to solve the question. The
victory Of one over the other mig ght indeed end the
matter for the time being but would not the defeated
party look TO some third power OF higher authority
than either for redress of grievances real supposed
"In other words, can Massachusetts and South
Carolina in sober esrnesness imagine that the United
States will stand calmly by and see them hurting de-
ant laws agsinst each other, TO be followed perhaps
by deadly missiles, to the disturb of the pub
full extent of the powers of the Consttutonl They
a throwing bombs into the air which will surely
fall back upon themselves as there is truth in the
theory of gravitston."
However preposterous the idea may seem to
Tie httlhgeneer that " the questions at issue
between the North and the South cannot be
L" brought before the Supreme Court" Massa-
cbusetts, years before she passed her Personal
Liberty Law had obtained the most COM
pete and at the same time the most mOrtifying
evidence that such is nevertheless the fact. AS
possibly upon this point the memory of The In
telhgene1 may be little slippery, we beg leave
briefly to recsptulate the facts.
South Carolina, years ago, for reasons sstis-
factory to herself, undertook TO pass and did
pass, law whereby on the arrival Of Massachu-
setts vessels in the hsrbors Of South Carolina,
members Ofthe crew, even though they were cti-
zens and legal voters of Massachusetts,, were liza
bic to be taken out and put in prison till the
vessels were resdy to depart, when, If the cap
tains were willing 70 pay the expenses attending
their arrest and custody, the men were restored
TO the vessels, but otherwise sold into Slavery
to pay their jail fees The IHteligenesr may we'll
suppose that the good people of Massachusetts,
objected to this law as in conflict among other
things, with that clause ofthe Constitution ~hch
secures to citizens of each of the States the
rights of citizenship in all the States-objec
which were sustained by the opinions of many
distinguished Southern jurists.
The attempts of private individuals to bring
this question before the Supreme Court of the
United States having failed, the Commonwealth
of Massachusetts at lAst took the matter in
hand, and sent TO South Carolina the Hon. Sam
uel Hoar, a well known ard distinguished law
yer and citizen, as her agent for this very ex.
press purpose. But as soon as the object of
Mr. Hosrs visit became known, he was waited
upon by select committee Of the citizens Of
Charleston. who escorted him and his daughter
cut Of the city under threats of personal vio-
lence if they dared TO ret1rn; immediately after
which the State Of South Carolina passed an Act
making it highly penal ofense for anybody TO
presume to come into that State for the purpose
Of appealing on the que,tion Of the imprison-
mtnt Of Massachusetts, sea-f1ring citizens, to
the Federal tribunals which Imprisonment goes
on to this day.
This law Of South Carolina has been brought
to tie attention Of Congress, bat without any
result, sId, preposterous as the Idea" may
seem 10 TIL, Lntsigenesr, nevertheless the serious
fact il, that for the eleven years past by reason
Of this action Of South Carolina, this question
"csnDot be brought before the Supreme Court"
Nor does South Carolina stand alone in this
busre,., sirce several other Southern States
have initiated her example. Encouraged it
would seem, by their success in this matter,
those States have gone still further. Not con-
tent with seizing and selling as slaves Massa-
chusetts citizens coming within Il cir own juris-
dctiop, they bave obtained the passage of
recent act OF Congress BY means OF waicA thel