True American. [volume] (Steubenville [Ohio]) 1855-1861, 1857-04-29
For The Trne American.


Of honest and patriotic men are in great
doubt, whether duty requires them to
follow the impulses Of their own feelings
and judgments, or distrusting, and there
fore discarding these guides, to yield
themselves up INCREASINGLY to the con-
troll of few men who assume TO them.
selves the authority to dictate popular
opinion, and based upon it, 10 direct po-
pular action. Prominent amongst these
for some years past, and now advanced
so conspicuously to the foreground, as
for the time, to throw into deep shade all
others, is the subject of slavery as one of
the social relations of this country. Its
origin in this country is too well known
10 require recapitulaton here. 1t obtain
ed a footing through the avalice of the
unthinking and the unprincipled, sane
toned by government regardless of ev-
erylhing but self, and against the earnest
remonstrances Of the great body of the
people.
Until very recently the doctrine has, |
think, never been questioned in this coun-
try, that slavery could exist only by force
of express municipal law, and, as car
ollary, that it ceased whenever the sub.
ject of it passed beyond the boundary line
which circumscribed the jurisdiction of
that law. This idea, acknowledged on
all hands TO be incontravertible, led to the
clause in the Constitution of the United
States providing for the recovery of esca-
ped persons who owed service in other
states. Without it, or some similar pro-
vision in the laws of the state to which
The person escaped. the person claiming
TO be the owner would be powerless in
the case. Were he 10 pursue and attempt
to subdue him by force, he would take
his life in his hand, for no law could or
would punish a man for killing his assail-
ant in defence of his liberty.
A forcible attempt TO recover person
so escaped from slave state, in Canada,
would soon test the question, but | ap-
prehend the attempt will never be made.
think | may safely say there is nc
law in any state of this Union, by which
any person, no matter Of what color OF
complexion, once free, can be reduced tC
the condition of slave, except by the
judgment of court, and as punishment
prescribed by luD for some crime .
which he has been fonnd guilty by {
jury.
Delaware has more than $4,000 fret
blacks in her population, Maryland NOR,
than Is, 1000, and not one of them can b.
reduced 10 slavery by any existing law
except perhaps for crime, and an atteDp
10 make them subject by law to SLAYER.
would result in a war of races, The mos
barbarous and ferocious OF all wars.
SO long as this was acknowledged or
all bands to be the law, very little inter.
est and less feeling on the subject was
manifested in the States where it did no
exist, Except on one or two occasions
which soon passed away amongst th'
great body of the people.
A very few abstractionists, heated by
seIf.excited zeal, acting on theory rath
er than on any practicable principles, as
sailed the institution in manner calcula
ted to create great counter cxcitement.-
say calculated, but by no means requi
ring any such thing. The few persons
engaged in propagaling those ideas were
without influence, and without power
and their notions were exactly cf tha
class which, if erroneous, might be safely
tolerated so long as reason was left free L
combat them. They never have been
aud never could be developed in action.
Within few years however, new doc
trines have been advanced, which, if sus
tanned, have practical bearing and worl
an entire revolution in the law on tn
subject. The doctrine that slavery j
restricted TO the jurisdiction of The laws b!
which it was created, is denied, and it i
confidently claimed, for example Il us
this form as most accurately conveyin,
The idea) that Virginian having slave
made his by the laws of Virginia, ma,
carry him TO any State or Territory q
the Union anu hold nm as his slave ther
as long as he may see fit, and if his righ
to detain him is questioned, may voucl
the law of Virginia and the fact that h
once held him as his slave there, as flu,
authority. This doctrine renders nugatC
ry at once the provision of the constitu
ton respecting persons escaping from ser
vice and the fugitive slave laws, so called
based upon it, for if he may voluntarl
carry and hold his slave there, for a sli
stronger reason, he may pursue him ther
when he escapes, by force of the sam
} law. This newly promulgated doctrin
was Instantly met by an earnest and dc
termined opposition. This opposition