The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1860-03-23
Is rag sourH waoSGED :

Union at all hazards" How has the |
North ever injured the South I" If we
were to hunt up the political wrongs
that our section has suffered, We might
get Up considerable catalogue, but Il
our readers will reflect one instant, they /
will see thai, in a pecuniary point of
view, we are every year suffering great
wrong and injury, for which we have no
remedy. There are now in the free
States, we suppose, twenty or thirty
thousand negroes, who have been stolen
from their owners 10 Southern States.
or have run away from their masters
aad have been protected by abolltionists.
These negroes, at fair valuation would
be worth twenty or thirty millions OF
dollars. Taking the lowest estimate
! the abolitionists now have within their
possession property of ours to the
amount of score of millions of dollars,
| for which we have never received cent.
| Now, can any sane man for moment
suppose that, if our people should steal
this amount of property from the North
eru men, that we would be allow TO re-
tain i'll Certainly not. If man al
] the South steals a horse from an aboii-
ZIONIST be is demanded By the Governor
{ Of the State from whence the horse
j was stolen, and if not given up, th'
whole machinery of the Federal Gov
:, eminent would be put into operatior
to get possession of the thief. Thi
would be right in principle, becaus
eyerp thief should be punished, but thi
I law should should be reciprocal, an
r should be made to work to our benefi
l. as well as to that of our Norther
brethren. Why should not We be pre-
tected in our rights, as well as they
~ Slaves are property, as well as horse
4 and it it is just as fair for US to ste'
their horses and keep, as for them
keep our slaves.
But We are told that We have F
- gitiye Slave Law, for the recovery
= !, our runaway negroes True, We ha'
such alaw upon our statute books, b
! isis virtually a dead letter. Ithas be-
legally nulifed in some States, and pra
tically in others. Ii costs the Unit,
" States Government soma forty tho
hn sand dollars TO recover the fugitive sla
Sc Burns, from Boston, and we do not kne
ess how much it cost the bis master. The
Mt is no doubt, however, but that it Won
cost far more TO recover runaway \
), gro from Ohio than he would be Wort
h. What good. then, does the la~ do
j, in practices None in the world. 1t
a, a nullity, and had as well BE- exp n
M ed from our books, as to remain the
err Is not this a very material injury a
wrong to Us, peeuniarily ! If our T
gro runs away and goes to Ohio,
- instance, we are damaged the full val
thereof, for there is no process BY viii
we can recover him, nor are we allo
cd to make reprisals. If all Southe
States would pass laws By which
abolitionists should be deprived Of |
~ use of our courts to collect debts FRI
!, Southern men, we might stand sol
- chance to get even with them, but th
!; Is little probability of such an eve
!; we verify believe it would be a go
=. law Let each State pass laws p
A. hibiting an abolitionist from sueing
!, any Of our courts, and it would don
i, less bring about reaction in our fay
And, as far as free States are concern
we would be very wiling that a
property stolen from an abolition
leo by Southern man should be con6s'
on ted, and applied to our own use.
on course such course would be dishc
les erabie, and we would not advocate
sfa principle of it, for that reason, but
l0f would not punish the thief because
''S had any respect for the person losi
nan the property, but because he deser,
:" it. All the respect that we have
uD~ a III 4