Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1859-01-21
From the Sprinpfcld Rcnuhl;cnr

a PREDICTION AND ITS FuLrILLMENr-
Genius and moral and religious enthusiasm
Seem to have an unconscious presciencc
These qualities admit men into such intimate
connection with the secret influences of
nature and the controlling principles of hu-
man conduct, that they ioresee the future
with almost the accuracy of prophetic vision.
We are reminded of a striking illustration of
this in the case of our disabled senator, Mr.
sumner In his great speech which brought
upon his head the terrible vengeance Of the
slave power, he gave full account in detail
Of the interest felt and the effort displayed by
the general government in the rendition of
the fugitive slave, Anthony Burns, from
Boston. Such historical accuracy and COM
plctcncss as to this matter did not appear to
be necessary to the scope and purpose of his
speech, and one of his friends asked him why
he laborcd that part of his speech so thor
oughly. "Bccause," :" said Mr.. Sumner, 81
wanted to have that affair put on record and
printed in the Congressional Globe, so that
| frc years hence when an effort shall be made
to renew the foreign slave trade, we may be
able to co ntrast the action of the govern
| mcnt in tho two cascs." Not half OF the
| five years have yet elapsed, and the slave
trade is re-opencd-and the country has the
| opportunity to make the contrast for which
Mr.. Sumner provided.
| We need not repeat the story of the Burns
rendition. Every body knows with what
| promptness and extraordinary energy the
Government managed that affair. No admin
istration for the last twenty years has ever
thrown itself with such passionate earnest
ness into any affair of foreign or domestic
interest 1t brought all its power to bear on
the case, and for the time being, deferred all
| other affairs to the momentous endeavor to
| prove that il could and would send back an
escaped slave from the city of the Puritans.
| And it succeeded, as it can always succeed,
| with its tremendous power, in all that it sin
cercy undertakes.
| How is it with the slave trade revived? A
| cargo of raw Africans is landed in Georgia
and distributed by steamboat and railroad
over that and the neghboring States. There
| is very little effort at concealmcnt: crowds
| throng TO the depots and steamboat landings
| to get sight of the native Africans, imported
and bought and sold in defiance of the law
that makes the trade piracy-a higher crime
even in the sight of the law than helping Il
run. way man to his freedom-and what las
| the Government done, or undertaken to do :?
| 1t does not require Il single word to answer
| the question, No long sessions OF the cabinet
| have held grave consultation over the matter;
no solemn threats have been made that the
law shall be enforced if it requires the entire
army and navy to it, no pathetic warnings
| have been uttered in the Government papers
of the perils attending defiance Of the laws,
and not a single intimation has been thrown
out that failure to punish this piracy in
Georgia will put in jeopardy the national
union. On the contrary, the public declara-
ton of the Government organ is, that the
law against piracy cannot be enforced, and,
therefore the administration is not bound to
enforce it. SO the marshas catch a wild negro
or two, only to let them run again, and that
is the end OF it, Mr.. Buchanan has completed
the contrast begun in Mr.. Summers speech
Let all the people look at it, and understand
how much it imports.