East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1860-12-06

o Under the Fugitive Slave Law.
From the Springfield (dass) Republican.
We have always held the person
liberty laws" and other legal obstruction
thrown in the way Of the rendition
fugitive slaves TO be useless and perm
cious. To present this view now may
misinterprstsd into pusillanimous yislt
ing to southern clamor. But no matte
il 10 magnanimous to confsus and repa
. wrong, and il the free States have bee
wrong in this matter, it will be honorabl
in them to correct the error. We do nc
suppose il will be done under the presen
excitement, because il will look like q
attempt to conciliate the disunionists; bu
there 10 NO harm il looking at fa,ts q
they are, and preparing to act when tn
proper time comes. 1t is very we'll un
derstood that on this point alone il tn
South able to make out prima Jac,e case
either Of violation Of the constitution O.
Of injustice to the slave States on tn,
part Of the North. And here they d,
make it out 1t 10 Of no use to quibbl,
about il, and attempt to force anoths,
construction upon the language of tn,
constitution; there is no shadow Of doub,
that the trainers Of the constitution in
tended to provide and did provide for
the rendition Of slaves, and although the
present fugitive slave law contains provi.
sions rspugnant to all the established
principles Of law, and repulsive to oil the
sentiments Of humane and Christian men,
it is constitutional in its intent and scope,
and 10 30 pronounced by ell competsn mt
Judicial authorities. II is not strange
that law so barbarous in its spirit and
so regardless in some Of it's provisions of
the rights Of the race exposed to its in.
huencs should encounter resistance, and
that men and women everywhere should
use oil the means within their power to
shield and protect the fugitive negroes.
This feeling, so universal in the free
States, will prevent, IS it always has, the
return of any considerable number of
fugitives who have once touched free
soil. The personal liberty laws we're not
needed to mako this fact certain, and
they do not in the slightest degree con
tribute to it. On the contrary, they him
der it, by prompting tho slave owners to
! more obstinate determination to recov-
'r their property, and by enlisting the
moro energstic efforts of the general gov
'rnmcnt Under the most stringent of
hese personal liberty" laws negroes
proved to be slaves are just as inevitably
eturned TO their masters, and the only |
Inference is that they mako the process
more expensive and annoying. These
.orthern rstsliatory laws, therefore while
hey do not prevent the return Of single
'egro to slavery, have tho effect to ex-
sperats tho South, and give her occasion
o complain that We refuse to fulfill an
rticls of the compact most essential to
hem.
We have not touched the moral arpu-
lent that, slavery being wrong, we can
OF assist In the return CT Q slave, or al
w il, il we can prevent il. For an in.
ividusl acting on his own private re.
that mode Of treating the
usstion may suffice. But the State can
Ike no such position with any honor or
If We eaunot stay in the
MON - il is, and fulfill the contract a.
10, then the only honorable course is TO
out Of the Union by revolution, a.
outh Carolina proposes to do. Daniel
Webster said, in speech in 1851, at
apon Springs, Va: G
do not hesitate 10 say and repeat u
at If the northern States refuse williully u
ID deliberately to carry into effect that {
'rt Of the constitution which respects C
Q restoration Of fugitive slaves the 0
'uth would no longer be bound to OBJ 9
rye the compact. A bargain broken Z
one side 10 . bargain broken on oil Il
les" 81
All the New England States, and Now h
'rk, New Jersey, Psnnsylvania, Michi- o
n, Wisconsin, and lows, have laws
signed to embarrass the action Of the "
yitivs slave law, those Of Massac husetts, m
'rmont and New Hampshire being the t'
''t stringent. We suppose none Of p
I'm are 80 drawn - to be in direcs vio- a.
ion Of the constitution of the United OF
ties, and certainly no one of them is so OF
,ningly compsctsd that it will prevent tn
rendition Of negro who 10 proved to IA
. slave. What is the use, then p an
ny should We provoke the other sec. 60
q OF the confsderacy by laws which
an qualification, which are unconsti,u- fu
nal in spirit, while we have not the do
rage to 60 the whole, and nullify the r't
:titution boldly and squarslye 1t is
,ischievous folly, and we believe it has cd
n one of the chief distractions to the 10,
with Of the republican cause, as it is lee
pably the source Of the worst practi. sn
difficulty with which the party has WI
' to contend. II this sort of ssnti- br,
ntsl Legislation were out of the way, yo
South would not have left q solitary yo
und Of complaint that would bear ex- sp,
nation. ;rn
~ IL
We quote from Daniel wsbster's bo,
,ch at Buffalo, New York, May 22. mo
=, flo,
Under the provisions Of the constitu. shs
/, during Wsshington's sdministr.- see
!, in the yeas 1893, there wss passed or
general consent law for the restors. Wi,
OF fugitive slaves. Hardly any one site
'sed il at that period il was thought tin
. necessary in order to carry the con- poy
- -