The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1856-06-20

,aped from the service Of his master or own
n in this Territory, or in any other State or
Territory, the person so offending shall be
guilty Of felony, and punished by impris-
1nment ut hard labor for term OF not less
than two years.
Section 10. If any marshal, or consta-
bic, or the deputy of any such officer, shall,
when required by any person, refuse to aid |
,r assist in the arrest and capture OF any
'laye that may have escaped from the service
,f his master or owner, whether such slave /
shall have escaped from his master or owner
in this Territory, or any State or other Ter
ritory, such officer shall be fined in a sum
Of not less than one hundred nor more than
Eve hundred dollars.
Section IL. lfany person print, write, in |
troduee into, publish or circulate, or cause
10 BE- brought into, printed written. publish
cd or circulated, or shall knowingly aid or
assist in bringing into, printing, publishing
or circulating within this Territory any
book, paper, pamphlet, magazine, hindbill
or circular containing any statement, argu-
ments, opinions, sentiment, doctrine. advice
or inuendo, calculated 10 produce disord-
erly, dangerous or rebe iious diatfaction
among the slaves in this Territory. or to in
duee such slaves to escape from the seryics
OF their masters, or to resist their author
ity, he shall be guilty Of felony, and be pun
ished by imprisonment and hard labor for
term not less than five years.
Section IL. If any free person, By speak
ing or by writing, assert or maintain that
persons have not the right to hold slaves in
this Territory, or shall introduce into this
Territory, print, publish. write, circulate,
or cause to be introduced into this Territory,
written, printed, published or circulated In
this Territory, any book, paper, magazine,
pamphlet or circular containing any denial
of the right of persons to hold slaves in this
Territory, such person. shall be deemed gull
tyof felony and punished by imprisonment
ut hard labor for u term Of not less than
two years.
Section l3. No person who is conscicnt-
iously opposed to holding slaves, or who
does not admit the right to hold slaves in
this Territory, shall sit as juror on the
trial OF any prosecution for any violation Of
any OF the sections of this act.
This act to take effect and be in force from
and after the fifteenth day Of September A.
ID. 1855.
The most extraordinary article in this code
OF terror is that which occupies the least
spacc-the last is the iirst-it is that which
strikes down the right most valued and yen-
Grated, the sole barrier between oppression
and its yictim--the right Of trial by an UNI
BIASED and independent jury. Without this
section, the law, horrible and draconian us
it is, wouli be but fearful shadow thrown
over fair land and q free people, for the
lrries OF Kansas would protect the victim !:
but that there should be no avenue of escape,
no hope for the oppressed, the act provides
that he shall be tried by his enemies. Tn
der other acts, equally nefarious, the entire
administrative power of Kansas is placed,
Tor many years, in the hands of her con-
qucrors. Embittered and sanguinary func-
tiOnaries, like Sheriff Jones, have been plac-
cd in Office over the people, who have been
literally stripped Of all power, and have no
privilege Jeff but to submit or to perish and
the courts and jurieS to whom Is entrusted
the execution of these barbarous laws, are
constituted of the faction of the opprcssors.
The various Constitutions of our States
carefully provide that "thc trial by Jury
shall be as heretofore" and the right thus
stricken down has always been regarded rs
the most inestimable possessed by civilized
society. Good laws administered under the
influence of such iuries rs this provision
must cmbannel, would become the means OF
u mercilcSs persecution: but code so dark
Us this, 81 carried out. must leave the land
u solitude. No conscientious southcrncr, no
upright nOrtherner, no intelligent and hon.
est man Of whatever section or party, can
serve ON u jury in Kansas. Juries must
there BE-, therefore, exclusively constituted
Of the staunch and thoroughgoing of the
parrizans of power, the blacklist and blood.
icst of the ruilians who have flied that beau
tiiul region with oppression and suffering,
crime and horror.
On the law itself, which is to be by such
agents administered, it is unnecessary t.
. comment. Has any man heard or read o
such an enactment in any country, however
beniShted or cnslaycd, within the last tive
CENTURIES? The civilizcd world hesitate,
and doubts as to the inlliction of the death
penalty for any, even the worst tuTpitudC
in crime; but we find here that hanging i,
made public luxury. The statute multi
plies the death penalty with reckless bar.
harity that would have shocked the darkest
period and most savage community. And
Tor what fearful and unnatural crimes arr
these penalties denounced? For those OF:
fences which, matured in the recesses of a
dcmoniac nature, shock humanity by THEN
inhuman war upon life and happiness? On
the contrary, Washington, Jefferson, Madi.
son, Clay, all the humane and justand good
OF all time, would, under this internal code
swing from a gibbct.
Thepurcst, nObleSt, most illustrious citizen
OF Philadelphia, If he were apprchended in
Kansas with copy of the North American
containing this article, or any other publ.
cation that dGredtO proclaim the laws of God
and the rights Of man, would BE- liable, un
der a law so slnguinary with courts so con-
stituted and a jury 50 selected, TO pay the
penalty of his life. To lend to a friend a
paper containing truth in relation to slay-
ery-to give to a casping fugitive drop OF
watcr-to utter truths which all tho world
cherishes--to speak, TO write, or TO act as
every educated Christian man must speak,
write, and act, is. within the dread confines
of Kansas-the circle within which the ma
tional Administration is supreme in its des-
potism-to incur the penalty OF the gallows
or the goal. And lest the minor punish
ment should encourage a hope, the Act
(now, when the ago rebukes all minimum
penal tcrms) makes the least and lowest
term Of penitcntiary Imprisonment, for tho
crime Of an " INUEND0, -" calculated to
produce disorierly disafection, fire years
Is it possible, after all the praise and
glory that we have, as a people, hyished
upon ourselves, that these facts can DO true
mot in relation to Persia or Turkey, Aus
tria or RuSsia-but OF the most enlightened,
humane, and Christian people, the only en-
tirely free nation Of the earth? And IL, as
no man can dOubt, they be true, is there
not grave obligation upon all good men
not only to reflect but to aet?-Pkiiaaelp6ia
Union.
KANSAS CoNvESrIoS.-we hereby invite
all free State Kansas Committees and Aid
Societies, and all other oragnization inter