New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1859-07-16
THE PRINCIPLE 81 RIrR1sALs.

The legislative authorities representing the people
OF Michigan, exercising the sovereignty Of States
rights passed act which constitutes the bringing
Of slave within their borders criminal offence and
makes the owner, or person SO venturing into that
commonwealth, liable to ten years Imprisonment In
the penitentiary in the agreeable and improving soc
ETY. OF felons under the common law. This is an un
common law, and would be found very grievous
one il any slave owner who travels with servant
should accidentally, or by necessity find himself, or
herself, on the interdcted territory-as lady who
was travelling with two negro girls did not long since,
for Of them taken from her by force, against
| her own will and In defiance of her struggles and
shrieks the other one broke away and locked herself
| In stateroom, and the lady herself only escaped
arrest under the above law by the fortunate depart
ure Of the boat from the docks Of Detroit before an
officer could get aboard of her with q warrant.
We rather wish that she had not escaped the
clutches of the doors of the will of the enlightened
citizens OF Michigan, but that they had seized her
in violation Of every sanctity of humanity and
every right and privilege of felow.citzenship we
wish that they had dragged to dungeon this un-
protected lady Of Kentucky as ives their gallant and
chivalrous design, for had they done so the outrage
might have quickened little wise exercise of the
State sovereignty which Southern States have it in
their power, also, to assert it might have hcsened
the passage Of an act which should have been re-
corded on the statute book of every Southern State
as soon as possible after the adoption of the Michi
gan act, and which Southern act should authorize the
seizure of every Michgander who should be found in
their borders in possession of boots trowsers shit
or hat, and when caught, said Mchigander should
be imprisoned ten years in penitentiary, for bring.
ing such property belonging to himself into the State
in contravention Of its high act. This prescription
of hat, boot, trowser and shirt property would ex.
clude the Michigeese from amenability to the act,
while it would be certain to bear on the Michigan
ders, who can hardly be supposed to travel without
those articles, even though they have done what is
as absurd and preposterous, in making the law under
which the attempt was made to seize the Southern
lady We would shame them, too, if they have any
sensbilities on which shame can act by sparing f.
males besides putting to some Of that South.
ern chiyalry" which we seem to think is so abund.
antly able to take of when an emergency &C.
ours that we need exercise forehought or prepa.
ration, but trust to luck spunk and chvalry to carry
us through any issue triumphantly.
But seriously, think it is quite time that some
mild retaliatory regime should be adopted; that
Southern legislators should enter into the study of
political equations, and learn to make laws which
will act as compromising balance when Northern
States come down little too heavy on their end of
the lever and threaten to hoist and destroy the
equilibrium Of rights and immunities which should
maintain between different parts of the same country
The various States were created free and equal COM
monwealths under the Constitution and were left to
maintain their equality outside Of that instrument
to do this they must keep pace and not let one get
ahead of another; if one does wrong as regards
mutual relations then another is necessitated to COM
nit compromising wrong to keep even and hence
we would urge Southern States to levy on Michigan
ders property, and hold their bodies in durance by
way of wholesome reprisals for their abomnable
statute for our injury.