Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1856-04-25

CONSTRUCTION OF THE FUGITIVE
CLAUSE ABSURD.

Whewell has Justly said obligations i'm
ply rights" But the monstrons ground mas
been taken, that, while slaves are under obi
cations, and owe service beyond what any
other class can owe, they are, in regard &c
rights, mere properly. Heavy demands con
stantly lc against them which they are CON
sidared bound TO discharge without the ugh
Of claiming anything as their due. 10 The
purpose of owing service they ARE the tnlcs'
persons in the world but when you ta'k OF
rights, the personality vanishes and behold q
marketable commodity. Tho notion OF re-
spoons bile property an offspring Of despotisn
and absurdtv, Is that 10 which historca
construction brings its needed support. -
Judge M'Leln says; " Ia proceedings un
der the Fugitive Slave Law, the inquiry Is
not strictly whether the fugitive be slave
or a freeman, bul whether be owe service ia
the claimant This doctrine would annlhl-
late the application Of the Fugitive Law TO
slaves were It not that a court can easily
assume. what no logic can prove nor com
mon sense believe, that slave property owes
the unrequted service cxorted from No. -
Slaves and lreemcn, % seems, can both owe
service under the Fugitive Law What con
fusion Between the slaves owing and thl
freemans owing there IS no manner Of re-
semblance in quality, and, ne 10 quantity, the
slave beats the freeman by vast odds
Slaves owe service to the stakeholder? Yes
lust as they owe prostitution Just as they
owe the Welding up of all that makes a mar
differ from a brute Just as they owe the
rendug OF all the ties Of nature, at the de-
mand OF lust and ayance They owe sim
ply because they are compelled 10 pay
Lob ht rom.
pusion, are the blessings secured by the Fu-
gitlve Clause historically"
Now, any Legitimate application of the
Fugitive Clause 20 the slave would emanci.
pate him, by recognizing him, not as proper
ty, but as person, entitled Of coursc To th'
common privileges Of persons. l. ).
Seizure of q .Ntio York Hessel By the au
M0rifcs Of Prginia. Our readers will re-
member despatch received from Norfolk,
Va, on the 9Th instant, stating that Tho
Captain aud crew of the schooner Maryland
of New York, had been seized and the YES
sci brought from Hampton Roads, for rcins
ting to submit to search for slaves under do,
law recently passed. il turns out that sus'
pclons Of The Virginia authorities were
groundess. The Norfolk Herald, Of the oh
says
"The Schooner Maryland has been
searched but no fugitive found on board. 90
Capt Spaight was brought up To the city on
Monday evening" but as It was thought that
our court here had nc jurisdiction m the mat
ter he was sent back TO Hampton, yesterday,
TO be tried for resisting the authority IN
the meantime the vessel is held in custud,
until bond and security can be gwen for 10,
payment of the penalty Of $500 incurred bl
the Captain 10 consequence OF his refusal "a
allow his vessel 10 be searched.
The schooner Is said 10 belong to a COO
company Ia New York, and we learn they
intend TO test the validity of the hw.n
The city of Norfolk was nearly deciml-
ted, about year ago, by the yellow fever
In the height Of her distress, three or lou
northern cities, and the city of New Yorl
especially, subscribed many thousands %
dolars-wc do not recollecl now precisely
how much--for the relief of the suilern.
city. The first public acknowledgement o
our generosity, by the authorities of tha
port, that we have heard of, is the arrest oi
the captain and crew OF New York schuon.
er, for refusing to allow hls vessel to b,
searched upon the groundiess suspicion o
having slaves concealed on board.
II they should ever again be visited b,
a pestience, we hope that IN the hour o
their distress this proceeding, alike disgrace
iul to the State and City In winch 1t occurred
may not be remembered against them.
The people Of the United States hav,
once taken up arms against the most formda
BILE power IN Europe rather than submit I,
the right of search which the authorities o
Virginia have attempted to exercise upol
this New York company.-.Nep York Ere
ning Post.