Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1856-08-30

D Wc bteat oulWalh OF nelense 10 the personal
rights Of the subject. lis primary provisions
were framed with great care and infinite cost,
by the mas,er-builders Of English liberty. sirug-
/ Cling for centuries against the inroads Of pow
er and prerngative--one buttress or tower cree
ted alter another, as some newly exposed or
deienseless right of the citizen proved II neccs-
sary.
| These parts were brought together, and the
whole made comparatively perfect in our con-
slituiion, whose thery is that the Individual
shall be shielded from the least nfraclion Of his
rights, come from what quarter it may, from
the tyranny Of the few or the violence Of the
many and that wrongs Inflicted shall be re-
dressed. But by these idics Of border ruiiian
Z legislature the very Redan and Malakoff towers
of this constitution are proslraIed, that there
may he no escape To those who are obnoxious
to the slave interest.
! Freedom Of speech, expressly guaranteed By
the constitution, without which the citizen is
tongueless slave, is over,hrown by the act which
makes it felony to assert that men have no
right to hold slaves in the territory.
Freedom Of The press is most efTeciually des-
troyed by that act which makes it a felony TO
print, or circulate, or even possess printed
paper calculated lin the estimate Of sn-ex- -parie
judge and Of packed juries) to produce disorder
among slaves. Speech and press may be free,
except when they conflict with the views OF the
tyranncal usurpers. In other words, these
sacred rights are virtually abolished
The hdboas corpus, that great defense of per-
sonal liberty, is dened to those claimed as fu-
olft L. I.E. z
constitution, bot of an express provision in the
organic law.
The trial by jury, another chief safeguard Of
freedom and sanctuary of rights, is IN effect de-
siroyed, in all cases affecting the interests Of
slavery. The constitution provides for an nn.
partial jury. But the Kansas code will allow
no one to SIT as juror in such cases who does
not admit that slavery riRhlih'y exists in iha,
territory, though even Douglas Ilre no. admit
in the Senate that slavery can be established by
territorial legislature.
The alleged criminal must be tied by pro-
slavery jury, and even that selected by Sheriff
Jones, Who, on former occasion, pointed his
pistol at the head Of free state Judge of cleo
tions, and told him that he had five inmates in
which to resign. with the alternative Of being
sho, down. The system is rounded Of and com
ple,ed with similar provision to The effect tina,
no one can serve as an attorney IN the courts
who does rot take the unconstitutional and un-
lawful test-oaih, Of obedience 10 the fugiiiye
law, that iest-oath, which 50 called forth the
indignant anmadversiops of a senator from
slave state, the Hon John NJ. Clayton.
Thus do We see not only public faith, justice
and law, but the constitution itself, 10 its most
halowed provisions, sacrilegiously laid pros
trate that slavery may be established on the
eeming soil Of a new and great empire in the
west. And no walls are yet standing, Of which
one stone will he left upon another II the same
occasion requires their overthrow. But there
is no need Of this when the breaches are wide
enough now to admit the most unbounded ty-
ranny, with all its engines.
3. Bot we como to survey the apex Of this
pyramid, which crushes down liberty and right
the bloody and alrocious penalties ofthis code
the fangs and claws, the tiger strength and
seIpeniine folds with which these lawless and
unconstitutional statutes are guarded. Death,
in all his array Of terrors, is summoned to en-
force these wicked and monstIous claws"
To raise an insurreciion among slaves, TO as
sist in such rebellion, to persuade to such
volt, each Of these crimes is to be punished with
death. But this may be justified on the plea Of
eTpediency and the example Of the southern
states. We therefore search farther into the
code, and find that
To eniice any slave out OF the territory. in
order to procure his freedom, is grand larceny,
to be punished by DEATH. or imprisonment, a,
ar1 l.kn Ia la.o sAa
To aid in thus enticing slave is similar
oi1ense, 10 be punished by DEATH, or impris-
onment at hard labor, for not less than ten
years.
To en,ice a slave from any other territory
or state into kanzas, is TO be punished by
DEATH, or ten years Imprisonment at hard
labor.
To eniicc slave from his service, or to
harbor one who has so escaped, is punished BY
Imprisonment, al hard labor, for not less than
FIVE YEARS.
To aid or harbor a slave who has escaped
into Kanzas from another state or territory, is
punishable with Imprisonment for not less than
FIVE YEARS.
To entice a slave to escape from the custody
Of an officer is 10 be punished with imprison-
meni a, hard labor for term not less than
TWO YEARS.
To assert, in spoken words, that no one has
a right to hold slaves in the territory, is
felony, TO be punished with imprisonment al
hard labor for term not less than TWO YEARS.
To print, circulate or possess any printed
paper calculated to produce disorder among
slaves lin the opinion of such judges and jur-
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