The Yazoo Democrat., 1860-03-03

reIerS. IL merely preVeHteu JUG pIlnSinS III
slaves to sell or dispose of them.
Mr.. TOOMBS. l will read them all
"An act for the defence Of liberty in this
State" passed in Connecticut, April, 1854.
Mr.. FOSTER 1t is the aet, the title of
which he has just read, to which call his
attention.
Mr.. TO0MBS. You stopped me before
/ got through with the black list. The act
passed in 1854, entitled An act for tie de
fence of liberty in this State" to be found
in your compilation of 1854, page 97S, is
the most artfully coutrived, cuuningly de
vised, the most fraudulent act of any Of those
to which my attention has been drawn
Many acts of your co-eonspirators exceed it
in bOldness; none in sneonness and infamy
l have already described it, aud leave it to
you to defend. 1t does furtively and Gland
estinely what the New York bill did openly.
1t did not require If its supporters to gulp
down wholesale perjury, like the New York
bill, but it did require them to do the same
thing ia a more indirect manner. | have
not the Wisconsin and Iowa laws before me.
am informed they are of the same charac,
ter, purpose and utent | will now show
what was attempted in New York.
Mr.. COLLAMER. If the senator will in
dulge me a moment merely wish to ask
him to give me the dates Of those acts of
Vermont to which he has alluded
Mr.. TO0MBS. | do not wish to be in.
terrupted have referred to them all BY
date. | will attach them to my speech. |
have examined some of them myself, and
have had copies taken from others, under my
direction, by competent person
Mr. COLLAMER. merely asked the
date of Them
MIR. TOOMBS. | will give them to you
with pleasure when have done, but | can,
not so back for that purpose.
Mr.. President, l have charged these acts
of perfidy upon these States-they are all
proved by the records; but must stop here
to do justice to large numbers of patriotic
men in those States who struggled manfuly
to keep their faith with their confederates.
These things were almost wholly done by the
republican party; but few of the Americans,
aud none of the democrats, as far as know,
aided or abetted these iniquities. Whenev.
er the republicans have had power, notwth,
standing their sacred oaths to maintain the
Constitution, they have proved false to it,
and have psrpetrated these crimes. In In
diana and Illinois, in California and Oregon,
they have never had power; and the Cunsti>
tuition, by that fact alone, has been preserved
from desecratlon in those States The same
has been true of Minnesota and Pennsvlva
MIA and New Jersey. Even in the States
where they have not political power, every
man knows, in the sections of such States
where they have the majority, they ACCOM-
plish by violence what they cannot do by
law. Theft aud murder are their ordinary
means of defeating the Constitution where
they are not strong enough to pass laws; and
every man knows that the fugitive slave law
is a dead letter in the non-slavehoding
States, except where the democrats have
power, or are in the majority in the locality
where it is attempted to be enforced. In |
Ohio the Black Republicans passed similar
laws, but the Democrats repealed them; but
l see that the Republican Governor has
recommended their re-enactment.
Mr.. WADE. | have no doubt they will
reinstate them at the first opportunity in
Ohio.
Mr.. TOOMBS 1 have no doubt of it
either They have showed themselves cape
Bile of any violation of the Constitution of
their country, and they have shown that no
oaths can bind them to maintain the COM
pact. do not doubt it. l do not doubt
they will do it in every State where the, /
have the power, and have no doubt they
will treat the Constitution in the same way
if they get the power here and for that
reason | trust they will never get it while
there is drop of blood in true heart from
here to the Rio Graude. 1t is because
know they will do it it is because have
demonstrated that they will do it, that
say we are brou ght face to face with rcvou-
ton in that contingency. In New York
the Republican party, at the last session of
the Legislature, attempted 10 pass Law,
and did pass it through one branch, exceed
ing those of her associates in this Union in
inlquity, in plain, open, shameless and
profgate per6iy, as far as she exceeds them
In population and wealth. | will thank nv
colleague to read for me the several sections
l will indicate.
Mr.. IVERSON read as follows:
"SE1 3. Whenever any person in this State
shall be deprived of liberty arrested or detained,
on the ground that such person owes Service OF
labor to another person not an inhabitant of this
State, either party may claim trial by jury, and
shall have twenty peremptory challenges, and in
addition thereto the other challenges to which A
person indicted in this State is entitled.
'SEo. a. Every person who sha deprive. or
attempt to deprive, any other person of his or her
liberty, contrary to the provisions of the preceding
section of this act, shall be guilty Of felony, and
SHALL on conviction thereof be subjected to a fine
not exceeding five thousand dollars nor less than
one thousand dollars, and by imprisonment in the
state prison for term not exceeding twenty
years nor less than five years: ProOided, that
nothing in said preceding sections hall apply to.
or affec the right, to arrest or imprison for any
contempt Of court
SEC 8. Every person who may have been
hcld as slave who shall come or be brought, or
be IN this State with the consent of his or her al
legged mistre s, or cho shall come or be brouqtt or
be in this STATE sha ! be FREE
''SEc 7. Every person who shall hold, or at
tempt to hold, in this State, in slavery, or as a
slave, any free person in any farm or for anv !