M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1859-09-08
The Fugitive Law-Why Il is OBJ
jecIiOnabIe 10 Republicans.

1t will be recolected that the Fugitive
slave Law was bitterly denounced by the
Abolition party many years ago-indeed a
long time before it was amended BY the act
of 1850. The Wings and Democrats acqui-
esced in it, ard desired to see it fairly and
faithfully executed, but the case of Prigg VS..
State Of Pennsylvania, in which it was deci-
ded that State officers were not bound to ex =
erute law OF Congress, put an end to their
hopes and proved the necessity Of further
legislation to carry out the following proyis-
ion Of the Constitution:
mo person held TO service or labor in one
Sta!e. under the laws thereof escaping into
another. shall, in consequence OF any law or
regula ton therein. be discharged from such
service or labor, but shall be delivered up, on
claim OF the party 10 whom such service or
labor may be due"
BY the decision above mentioned, fugi-
tives from service or labor could not be 'de-
ivered up unless the State officers designa-
TED by the law Of 1893, chose 10 act, and as
catching runaway negroes was not AL agree
able occupation, the Stale officers generally
refused to act.
Every member oil Congress, sworn to sup.
port the Constitution, as he was, saw that
this recently discovered defect, must be rem
edied; hence, the amendment of 1850, pro-
viding that officers Of the United States, in.
stead OF State officers, should exerute the
law. With this exception there is no mate
rial difference between the act Of 1850 and
that OF 1893, signed and approved by George
Washington. The other slight differences
are all designed to carry out the Constitu,
tionul provision in good faith, and 10 prevent
free persons from being kidnapped. No Of
fense can be committed under the law oil
$50, that would not be an offense under the
law Of '93, and we have The declaration oil
Daniel Webster and Senator Douglas that
the new law is more favorable to the escaped
S lave Than the old.
In 1852 1.-TWO years after the law had
been amended-so confident were the Wings
and Democrats that the statute was just
what ii should be in order to carry into ef-
feet the Constitution, that both parties re-
solved 10 acquesCe in it and maintain it,
No political party, save The cd abolitonists Is,
who are opposed 10 the Constitution, ever
proposed to repeal The law, until the year Of
our Lord 1859. The Republican party Of
Ohio, have now assumed the position of the
abolitonisls, and boldly avUw their deter
minanoG to wipe it off the statute books,
and thus practically nulijy the Constitu-
lion 1t must be the Constitution, and not
the law, to which they are opposed, other
wise they would specify their objections to
The law, and propose amendments. This
they fail to do. We hear nothing from them
save the cry Of "repeal," unconditional re-
peal, Of the Fugitive Law, without any pro.
posal whatever to enact another law 10 car
ry into effect the Constitution. The con-
clusion is irresistible. The Constitution OF
our glorious Union, made by the patriots of
the Revolution, after years OF bloody trial
and indescrbabIe suffering, and left US as
the richest legacy ever wiIled 10 mortal, is
to-day 50 Objectionable to the Republican
party of Ohio, that they propose 10 nuRDyit
by repeating law designed to carry out one
ofits important provisions!
We sincerely wish that slavery had never
existed-that our fathers had not found it
necessary in order to form the Union, 10
adopt the clause Of the Constitution which
we have quoted but SO long as that Union
exists its Constitution ought to be respected
and obey'd, and the people ought not to coun-
Ienance and support any party which plants
itself upon ground hostile to the due observ.
ance of its compac;s.
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