The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1860-12-01

Among the reasons which Governor Hicks has
given, in his late letter. for his refusal to call the
Legislature of this State together. we find one of
so extraordinary character that we cannot re-
frain from directing public attention to it second
time. Speaking Of the laws which have been
passed to obstruct the operation of the Fugitive
Slave Act, he pronounces them to be ''stronely
insulting to the Southern States" and Gin the
plainest opposition to the decisions of the high
est Court and the letter of the Constitution"
ouch being the Governors opinion, it might be
supposed that he would resort to all lawful means
to convince the North of its errors and to procure
the repeal of the unjust and obnoxious laws. 1t
might be reasonably presumed, when the very ex-
istence Of the Republic is threatened by q revolu
tonary movement which the enactment of these
identical laws has done so MUCH to provoke. that
the Governor Of Southern State would os,, the
representatives OF the people 10 permit him. in
their NAME to demonstrate against the aggressive
legislation of the North If the repeal of what he
terms the unconstitutional and disgracelul acts of
some Northern Legislatures would tend, in the
remotest degree, to quiet the agitation of the South
ought not Maryland, like other Southern States,
to lift up her voice and urge the North to cancer
the illegal and offensive statutes? Most men would
imagine that the demand of the South would
be the more needed in proportion to the unanimity
with which it was preferred. But extraordinary
as it may seem, Gov. Hicks entertains apparently
the contrary notion He relies on the efforts or
the Union loving men at the North" to accom-
plish, unaded and alone, objects which they have
heretofore failed to effect even when backed by the
union loving men" Of every section. He saws
"these laws do not in my Judgment express the
Opinions of the great conservative masses of the
NORTH $ ''The sooer second thought
"of the masses, which rarely fails to arrive at right
conclusions, will firmly trust, secure the repeal
'of these laws, now that their attention has been
$50 distinctly drawn TO their evil effects Already
I'VE see that propositions for their repeal have
'been made in the Legislatures now in session,
and we are Informed that similar propositions will
''be introduced into all of them when they meet"
AS we remarked on Thursday, the pro-
position-for there was only one-to which
Gov. HICKS refers, was brought forward
solely because of the increasing indgna
ton and excitement at the South This fact is so
obvious that it is hard to understand how the Gov
ernor could overlook it, or could fail to see that
the more united and earnest the South became on
this question, the greater would be the probability
that justice would be granted her. But he ap
pears to have not only ignored the Importance of
concerted action on the part of the South but to
have mistaken altogether the spirit of the North.
and the power Of the conservative cass'' in
that quarter. On the Odd inst, a bill was intro
ducedin the House Of Representatives of Vermont to
repeal the law passed in that State in 1858 for the
purpose OF obstructing the Fugitive Slave Act
The Committee which framed the repeal bill
showed that the law Of 1858 was unconstitutional
and said that while it remained on the statute
book, Vermont was ''estoppcd for very shame
from "rebuking notification or secession in other
States" The House nevertheless refused bv a
vote OF two to one TO repeal theIaw, and the Lee
gisiature adjourned Perhaps Governor Hicks
thinks less highly to day than he did on Tuesday,
OF the will and ability Of the conservative class,
OF the North to do us Justice Perhaps the I,eois
latnre of Vermont thought the border States did
not OBJECT to the law of 1885, as they refrained from
asking Its repeal. We account for the action OF
that body, however, on a very different theory
1t indicates, in Judgment the bitterness of he
antl-sIavery party, and its fndisposition to make
any concession WhatSOever-it convinces us that
our position is even more perilous than q few
weeks ago we were willing to believe-it satisfies
us that the preservation of the Union is impossible
unless the South shall with one voice prefer its de-
mands to the North and unite upon such defen-
slve measures as it may be eventually forced to
adopt.