Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1859-08-19
FRIDAY. AUeUsr 10. 1859.
HOW TO TREAT SLAVE cATCHERs,

How Joshua r. Gliding, in his characters
tic letter to Hon. Thomas Corwin, took no
pains whatever ts hide his scorn,of the fugitive
slave bill. in fact, he spoke of tbstbill as men
are apt to speak of piracy, murder, and other
internal things; and he said some things that
have caused certain prc-slavery democrats to
affect pious horror, and make known to the
world that they consider it an awful thing to
speak well of such an old incendiary. For
instance, he fails entirely of being polite and
friendly to slave hunters and kidnappers, and
says in so many words 81 would STAY any
slaye-catcher who should pollute my residence
to re-capture fugitive ;" and he is the man to
do precisely what he says. 1t is nowise likely
that a gang of slave-catchers would get into
his house without battle. In one thing how
ever the pro-slavery Democrats are mistaken.
They talk of Mr.. Giddings' fierce speeches as
if they were planks in the Republican platform.
There are many Republicans who feel and talk
as he does but the party is more moderate,
quiet, and conservative, and much more in
clined to modest words and aims than to
violence and blood
We notice that the Providence Post has cat
echised its neighbor, the Journal on the SUBJ
ject. The Post wishes to know if the journal
accepts Mr.. Giddings' doctrine and policy in 4
regard to the fugitive slave bill. The journal !
replies
1--WE take great pleasure in remgss'sSyvine the
apprehensions of the Post do not agree
with Mr.. Giddinsssslr on this point; we would
mol thinK on ssuch . thing as to imbrue our
N Democratic blood, except in the fig
urativeway of beating them horse, foot, and
dragoon,' in the election We would rather, in
the case indicated invite the save-catcher to
sit down and make himself comfortable, and
would at the same time intimate to our color
ed brother the decided personal advantage of
his making himself scarce by means of the
back door,"
This is not a bad method. 1t generally
works well, as all the managers of the "un-
derground railroad can testify; and it is far
more common than any other. Now aud
then good Democrat is found who never
fails to violate the fugitive slave bill in this
way; and we doubt whether the editor of the
Providence Post could under all supposable
circumstances abstain from trampling it under
foot In sly and secret way he would
spit upon it, and curse it, and stone it; and
then after the fugitive had been placed beyond
reach of the pursuers, he might return to his
Office and write tremendous editorial against
the traitors who believe in a ''hgher
law" His honest human nature does not
appear to be as badly spoiled as is posi-
bic; therefore we counsel all slaye-catch-
ers and kidnappers not TO trust him
too implicitly. Moreover, we have noticed
that when political conservative" gets
reused against the fugitive slave act, he is apt
to make thorough work of it; and if caught
in the act while his blood is up, he is liable to
become dangerous,-al as dangerous as
Mr.. Giddings himself.
The Providence Journals mode of violating
the fugitive slave act has but one draw back
Shareholders and kidnappers are not pre-
sentable persons They are not whole
some. Their blood-hounds are more re-
spectacle, To introduce them into ones
ments, is most disgusting operation. 1t
would be quite as pleasant to entertain the
Five Points, or crew of pirates, or band of
''plug-uglies" 1t is not manly, however, to
shrink from unpleasant duties Therefore,
when those mean creatures come among u.s.
whom southern gentlemen scorn as baser than
dogs, instead of killing them as Mr.. Giddings
threatens, it is doubtless better, all things con-
sidered, to endure them patiently until the fugi-
tive makes good his escape through the back
door