Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1856-11-07
VOL. L, NO. 5o....wHoLE NO. 2e12.

him back into the Hell Of Slavery? Never
The people, whose hearts beat warmly for
freedom, would have nooked around him and
rescued him from the cotton lords OF the
North and South, and we should have been
spared the spectacle Of great, proud demo-
cratic W nation crushing one poor black man.
al on expense Of more than S5O.0O0l can
not, Mr.. President, but cry out in the fillness
OF my soul, shame, shame on this Repubh-
can Government for permitting such decd
OF iniamy History will record ne az ma
ton Of hypocrites, false TO humanity, our
country, and our God
But, Ia the Senator's argument a valid one
Was not the imprsoning Of the fugitive
Burns the very thing that the South wanted
ana the very thing that led to his re>enslave-
mentY Certainly it was. Those friends,
that the gentleman says, could have had &C.
cess to hun, were denied that privilege, and
the cannon and bayonets Of Boston prevented
the friends Of liberty from assisting hun
from asserting his manhood, and declaring
IN the face Of the universe, q also am a
man"
The honorable Senator objects to the bill,
because VIC have never had an opportunity
OF showing our iealty to the Slave Act, and
perhaps never may have. Docs the gentle
'nsn remember the passage from Shakes
peare,
ITO be ioreAfmsd :. 10 BE- fofewatned.,
Ere this days sun goes down, we may have
the Slave Power AZ our heels, demanding
obedience TO their heaven-daring and infs-
nous negro.catchng law. Let US say to
them in strong and emphatic language, we
recognize IN the poor panung fugitive a
chhd OF God, having rights that no earthly
power onn justly deprive him of. Should he
come within our borders, vending his way
North for the land Of the free, in Queen
Vlctoria's domInions, he shall not be OBJ
structed IN his passage. Tie shall have our
prayers for his escape, not our jails for his
Imprisonment. This would be manly, patri.
otto, and christian
Mr.. President, was somewhat pleased
with the honorable Senator's remarks from
Ch'itenden, Mr. Underwood.l He reads to
us the present law against using our jails to
secure Fugitive Slaves, which he declares
Is stronger aud broader than the present
oil, and declares that if we pass this bill il
viii kick up muss generally Now |
cannot see through this logic It may be
good reasoning, but my intellect is too dull
to see the force of such an argument. |
ask, has our hdbeds corpus act created any
D
] remember when the venera Bile and learned
Gov. Williams signed this Act, il made the
South growl and show their teeth somewhat,
but as they always growl and never bite, we
have survived il and think we can con-
tlnue to get along again without much in
Jury IT we refuse them the use Of cur as.
Mr.. President, | am not lawyer, nor the
son OF lawyer, but then | can read and
/ nf ~ CHI III
the Senator's broad and strong provisions
against the use of jails to detain and i'm
prison Fugitive Slaves, upset by few lines
of plain English. 1t reads as follows "Tbs
Act u to 81 shall not be construed to extend
to any citizen of this state acting as Judge
OF the circuit or district court of the United
States, or as marshal or deputy marshal Of
the district OF Vermont, or to any per-
sons acting under the command or authori-
ty Of said courts or marshal"
This bill, Mr.. President, goes step furth-
er than our hdbeds corpus act, and declares
that no person shall be imprisoned charged
with, or convicted OF obs.ructing, hindering,
or IN any was preventing the seizure or re-
moval of any person from this State, so
claimed as FngltiveSlaye." This consider
very important item in the bill. How many
good citizens have been arrested in Mas
sachusetts and Pennsylvania, for giving
"ald and comfort to the oppressed ones
who were struggling for their freedom, sub
lccted TO prosecutions and harrusscd, as m
the case of Passmore Williamson, who
was imprisoned. The common dictates of
humanity, saying nothing Of our christianity,
would prompt us to lend helping hand, aye,
furnish the horse that the Senator from
| Franklin lMr Royce) eloquently alluded to,
aud AID the fugitive to escape. What are
VIC denied this poor privilege in tho Green
Mountain State? Win Senators on this
floor vote against this bill, and virtually
give the Slave Power an opportunity to i'm.
prison our citizens for performing a poor
deed Of charliy-men who feel as Luther
did, when he nailed the articles of faith TO
the door Of the church at Wittenberg, and
when called upon TO retrace, declared, "I
cannot do otherwise, so help me God y
| Then have we fallen on evil times Then
may our own eloquent Roberts be seized
and imprisoned for aiding the escape Of
| fugitive into Canada but recently, so declared
/ in this House, and approved by every good
man. When that girl in boys costume
stepped up to him and modesty asked him
If sne might be allowed to carry his carpet
bag, that she might be considered servant,
instead OF fugitive, was IL wrong in him to
allow her that priviege-that common boon?
And shall we refuse TO pass law exempting
him from seizure and imprisonment, for thus
doing what you and would do for doing
his duty ! cannot believe that this honor
able Senate will vote down this bill. | will
not so believe it
The ProUiso will be found very conven-
lent, TO make place of security, a place Of
refuge as IN olden time, where a fugitive
mi sht flee and be protected from the slave
hunter, until the States Attorney could have
| time to do his duty in the matter. | shall,
/ therefore, vote for the whole bill.
Mr.. President, perhaps an apology is due
| for the warmth have displayed in this short
and very imperfect speech. For some fifteen
years have been laboring with considerable
zeal to spread anti-slsvery truth, and help
bring our country to repentance for the
wrongs they have committed upon the mill
ions OF bondmen in our land. have lived
| to see these sentiments declared by that good
old Democrat, Thomas Jefferson, "That all
men are born equal" prevail wonderfully in
the Free States, and am desirous of wipng
out the last remnant Of hunkersm in Ver-
mont. To successfully do this, we must pro-
tect all men in their rights "to life, liberty,
aud The pursuit Of happiness
Whatever may be the fate Of this bill,
shall feel that have done my duty. wish
to present as clean a record against Slavery,
as the Richmond Enquirer" declares James
Buchanan can in favor Of il. am willing
to record my name in favor of the bill, Lot
there be over my head troubled or serene
sky,-remembering that
HuBaaily sweeps onward
Where o-daY the martyr stands,
On tho morrow cfouehes Judas,
] With tho silver 10 his hands;
! While the hOoting mob /, yesterday,
! 10 silent awe IetuTn,
! To CLEAN up tha scattered ashes
Into histoy's golden ufn."