The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1860-12-20
a pons Ghratr Asruu sent lora an General uutGoenfe
er and Vail Correspondence.

The Letcher and Vail Correspondence.
The Constitutionality Of the Statutes o
Pennsylvania.
Philadelphia, Nov. 90, 1860. j,
Hon. JOHN LETcHER,
Governor of Virginia
DEAR SIR:-I read with much inter
est, in this mornings paper, your answer
OF the 18th inst, to letter purporting tc
have been written by citizen of tbi,
State. am Democrat--voted against
Mr.. Lincoln, and used all my humble ef
forts to endeavor to prevent his success
But am also Pennsylvania, by birth,
education and feeling--sm proud that
am citizen of this good old State, the
keystone of the Arch, and cannot bear
to hear her misrepresented 10 any way.
| therefore was grieved at reading the
following paragraph in your letter:
"lf | sm not greatly mistaken, Penn
sylvania is one of the eleven non slave.
holding States which have passed statutes,
now in full force and effect. designed to
obstruct tie execution of the fugitive slave
law"
Now, Sir. [ doubt not but that high
minded Virginia gentleman, as you are,
will be pleased to have this mistake cor
reoted. And We cannot blame you aud
other Southern GoScrnors for being thus
mistaken, when larger of this very city,
whose duty 1T vas to have examined the
subject, is reported to have made the
same charge in speech delivered few
nis hts since. But the facts are these:
In ls47. three years before the passage
of the fugitive slave law, the Legislature
Of this State. iu consequence of numerous
outrages committed within her borders,
passed al act entitled IAN Act to pre-
VeDt kidnapping, preserve the public
peace" &c. The only section in this
Act which could in any way be consider
ed obnoxious to the South, viz: section 6,
which forbade the use Of any prison of
the Com monwealth for the detention Of
any person claimed as fugitise from la
hor, Uas repealed in 1852, while Senator
Bigler was Governor.
In the commencement of this year,
three commissioners appointed by the
Governor to consolidate, revise and a
mend the penal laws of this Common
wealth, made a report to the Legislature,
"a copy of which | take the liberty of
sending you by this Dail.) On pages 81
and 50 you will find two sections, and on
page 26 the remarks of the com mission
ers about them. These sections we're a.
dOptod By the Legisl.turo, as you may
see by referring to our pamphlet laws for
1860. pages 400 and 4O7, and these are
all the laws we have on the subject. No
clause in either of these sections deprives
aDy person of the right to enforce the fu
gitive slage law in this State, or throws
any impeGiment in bis way. 1t puuishes
any persons who kldnaps or endeavors to
kiduap any free negro or uulatto from
this State. 1t prohibits any Judge of a.
ny Coart of this Com onwealth, or any
Alderman or Justice of the Peace, from
having jurisdiction or taking eogDizaDce
Of the case of any fugitive from labor -
(The fugitive slave law particularly pro-
vides that the judges of the United States
Courts, and commissioners appointed by
the United States shall have Jurisdiction
1t also Furnishes any person claiming a.
fus itive from labor, who shall violently
and tumultuously y seize upon and carry
to any place, or attempt to seize and car
~ away in a riotous, violent. tumultuous
and unreasonable manner, and 80 as to
disturb and endanger the public peace.
any negro or mulatto within this Com
monwealth, by fine not exceeding one
thousand dollars and Imprisonment for
bot exceeding three months, at the discre
ton OF the Court. Would not Virginia
punish them for like offenceD 1t also
forbids the ssle of fusitives running" a
Or rsctce which | am sure that every Vir
piuia gentleman wishes to have broken
up
These, as | have before said, are all
the laws We have on the subject. And,
sir, is there any thing in them you deem
II so. will you please ad-
OItSS q W 0ut "
who will, am sure. lay it before the
Legislature, which soon meets, and they
doubtless will consider it in a spirit of
and resolution to do full
justice to every part of this great Union.
Is it unfair to request you to point out
q single Southerner who has been injured
by an obnoxious" Pennsylvania lawi-I
If single person cannot be found, is it
not clear proof against our laws being
considered "obnoxIous!"
Within the last two or three years |
can remember three fugitive slave cases
in this city. and | think all the claimants
were from Virginia. In each case there
was a fair heariDg--in one the claiua ant
failed in his proof, and the negro was
the other two were sent
back. An attempt was made by few
ignorant negroes to rescue the last fugi'
tive, but it fsiled--tbey we're promptly
arrested, tried, convicted and punished
by fine and imprisonment. SO you see
we do sustain the United States laws.