New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-02-14
1Ep0RT ON personal LIBERTY

A.'hsr on saturday We gTs below an abstract Of
lie principal points. o...,,. . ,,,n,or.
s,,.,v signed. %ost OF them read as follows
The unSeened cisp' o. .nS s' hunting IN by
10y G iS"s no psrsOn who has been held IS ,asu oe
ys,.d up By sp any Claiming him that he
ss o. sboTS 70 .uch claimant by the laws Of one Of the
say Of the Petitions also contained the following
appeal; =. ,,n... no,,o,.a Nv the |
ourselves be subject his call to chase and catch his
subjected to hnes and mprsOnments for refusing
tAus 70 degrade and dehuinanse ourselyee ,, .,. |
Must our door ,5s sSa aSs p SSso from the
dnsppsr that would drag him back to the woes oil the
help to send back the land Of chains and tor
S9 which ss sS oe wSee via beasts
ShPes through Ve sOS S.aS NE EoS Star guiding
dis despang child to the nearest asylum where the WICKED
sSoSo solemn nomeuou these inquiries What
shs our snwer be Frt win ask the Legislature TO pas
ne Of the slsyehunter BY the Fugitive Slave bill Of
i85O we forbidden 70 shelter OF a tne I1roine
%peBS US IF the hoe
Charities Of our religion hs law o. cOS While yGe hu@sny
And holiness eged into crimes and Heavens En con
S' %e ISe to SeSsye that Lessn by passing Per
sOnai Liberty bin. remedy these fearful wrOngS
The Committee recommend the enactment OF law IN
ACCORDANCE Win INC prayer VI sne P0NI"0As, A"i WV
following reasons, among others:
Because God has explicitly forbidden the rendition OF
fugitive slaves to their masters lie has sald inou
shalt not deliver unto his master the servant whco
"escaped from his master unto thee. lie snail dweh
"with thee even among you in that place which ne
shall choose in one of thy gates where 1t hketh HIM
"best thou shalt not Cypress him.. Deu1' AAln'' To-
Is. :, -
Because protection lie the first duty OF civil govern
ment and the state that does not protect all the rgns
of all human beings within its jurisdiction, toreits us
claim TO the allegiance of human beings dlsoands So
eiety and compels it's citizens to protect themselves
each with his own arms as he best can. And gov"
enment that protect personal liberty can proVec
none of the minor tights that grow out OF It,
Because 30 far from its being true that the enact
eut of an effective Personal Liberty law by the State
of New-York would iniuIe, disafect, and ALLEVIATE
our brethren of the South" the reverse Of this
would be true Of the ten millions of "our brethren
persons Of color, who would hail with delight such
statute. OF the remaining six millions, who are Tree
whites only about onefourth of million are slave
holders or could have any interest 10 the retaining o.
fugitive slaves: while the five and three.fourth mil
lions of non-slavehoding whites could have no desire
for their being sent back among them to compete with
and degrade their free labor. SO that only fourth
OF million among ten millions, proportion of p
TO 200, or y per cent of all our brethren of the
South could have the least objection the stn-
gent Personal Liberty bill that could be enacted by the
Legislature OF New-York. The union and fraternity
tf are yet to be between the citizens of The North and
of the South would be greatly promoted and accel-
Grated by such AN enactment.
The Committee further maintain that
The clause of the Constitution respecting persons
"hed to service and labor, furnishes not the shadow
of pretext for the Fugitive bill OF loO as expounded
and enforced by the Fedora Commissioners in respect
10 fugitive slaves The Constitution speaks OF per-
Sons" Bu according to the code of Slavery, slaves
are not persons but things chattes 1t speaks OF per
sons held to servoe and labor. But slaves not
by the Slave code, "held to service"-hey are only
held as chattes The Constitution speaks OF persons
''held TO service and in one State, under the acs
81 thereof" But there are no State laws holding
slaves to Service" BY the testimony of John G.
Calhoun, Senator Mason Judge Matthews, Judge Por-
Ger, and other prominent statesmen and civilians OF
ihe South holding slaves there are IN the ne slave
ton of Slavery. The Constitution speaks of per-
Sons from whom service or labor is due" But
nothing, by the code of Slavery, can be due from
slave, for he "can make no contract" and incur no
debt. The slave is held property, and nothing can
be due from property to as 0toner. The letter OF
the Constitutional provision, therefore, does not war
rant its application to slaves. Neither does its spirit
There is documentary evidence to the contrary. IL is
record that the Convention refused to adopt pro-
posed clause providing for the rendition OF Iuglaye
existing clause respecting persons that 49, apprent
ices and others from whom labor honestly "due.
There is, therefore, Constitutional obstacle TO the
enactment Of law by the people and State of New
York for securing the blessings of liberty" to all
their inhabitants.
The Committee give in an appendix the substance of
the different Personal Liberty laws in the Free States,
as follows:
In 1850 Vermont led the way Immediately after the
passage of the Fugitive Slave BILL by adopting strin-
gent Personal Liberty law, which has since been made
still more effective.
In 1855 the Legislature of Massachusetts passed one
vet more stringent which violated by Gov. Gard
ner on May q, 1885, and Immediately passed over his
head by 80 to in the Senate, and $50 to 70 in the
House, and it is still tie taw.
Michigan has adopted a similar law.
Wisconsin adopted yet more stringent law after
ward declaring all liens or executions upon Judgments
obtained under the Fugitive Slave law absolutely void
and this law has been enforced.
All these laws secure trial by jury to every fugitive
slave.
Maine has forbidden all State officers from assisting
In capturing holding fugtyes from labor, and has
denied the use of her jals.
These laws will be found in Laws of Massachusetts,,
1855 D. 924 Laws of Michigan, 1855, p. 4l3 Revised
Statutes of Wisconsin, ch 49, p 9l2 Revised Statutes
of Maine, 4S9, 49l; Lave of Vermont, 1850.
In this State the Liberty bill received 81 votes last
Winter against % in the Assembly and failed in the
Senate, the Committee thinks, only from want of
fime-not of votes.
The action Of this State in favor Of Freedom is traced
down from John Jay administration through those Of
TompkiDs and Seward TO the present time The record
is honorable TO the State and the Committee believe it
only wants the enactment Of effective Personal
liberty law 10 make New-York in fact as in name
Free State. No worther monument they say could be
erected to the honor Of Jay, Tompkins Seward and
other champions of Liberty than such statute.
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