, 1860-01-24

LCrlEs G. CARTER, OF New York, in his mas
terly speech i'll the House Of Representatives,
oa Wednesday last, relative to the recapt,1rc
ot fugitive slavcs, is essentially rev. We give
it iu Mr. Carriers clear and co.lciso language
No slave can be reclaimed under, or BY force
"of, the fugitive slaye law, uulcss such slave
has violotea the sovereign 1a,o ej State ~
'rhicA he.is held in bonda9e. II the master
lakes his slave out Of a slavcholding Satc
Into a free State and tic slave leaves lis
<tnaster; he canaot reclaim him. -Cou!d1e not
"rcelaim any other kind Of property? But il
the slave escapes, and goes out Of the State
''asa'nst LIS masters consent, aud thus yio-
'latcs the sovereign law Of suc1, State, Ar
must be returned, because the General Goy-
''eFau'cnt is bosnd 10 protect every State in its
"sovcreignty; n"t 1scttn,s 1t acknowledges
slarcs as property ty-much less less us common
"oropeny-but because it is bound to protect
.'tlc Sovereignty ii tic Stale in al its insti,u-
''tious within the Stale limits Iu other
words slaves are 1'efs"ias, not things, aud must
therefore tc treated il all respects, wherever
tie Constitution and laws Of Tic United Sutts
are applied to them. as men, and not as brute
blusts. Hence, when II Stare escapes from
Missouri 10 nlinuis, lie is pursued not as ft'gi-
tive property, Tut as person who has violated
Il Law Of Missouri.
We repeat tllat, notwithstanding lis SIM
ricity and dircctucss, this idea seems new to u.s.
The Lovrlty docs not consist iu tic asse rtion
that slaves are nowhere recognized as proper
~ ty Tie Constitution, uor in the recital u1
the plain language Of 1l,e fugitive slave clause
i'll the Constitutions person held to scr-
"'vico OF labor in unc State under TIC ldarx
shsreof' But i: consists in the plain drawing
n( the coz"llury, that it is solely hy reason of
his being person and not property, that tho
evil power is invoked 10 reclaim him. When
q mau's horse runs away no bailibs are rcqAir-
ed to run after lin; no posse is summoned to
the cllase, under pains and penalties; no pres
ecu.ions grow oft Of the simple process Of rc-
capture. The lawful owner is allowed to 20
aud 1ind him aud To summon rs many assist
ants us l'e can induce to accompany him, but
., ,.:-",'- "r t1'c law~.locs ,unt rnnee tn his
;nd, unless Ae CAN show evidence that tue
horse has been stol3n-ttt:lt I'LL infraction
Of: Law has been committed. IN other
words, tic law is framed to regulate the vio.
la'oEs u: law: it does not rccogaizc in the
horse, which is property, the capacity 10 vio-
late Law, hut it does recognize such capacity
in the save ',y reason Of those personal at
tributes which distinguish lin from property.
Mr. Carter, wo would remind our readers, is
IN old line Whis from Flushing, \. T., elected
hy a ,:uion Of Republicans and Americans in
the Long Island district. lie las never acted
with the Republican party until the present
winter. In opposition to his 1lain, statc:-
1uanlke definition Of the ricw which the Con-
stitutiou takes Of siaycs, wo place that Of
Stephen A. Douglas, as reiterated hundred
times within the past ten years. Ne quote
from l,is New 0rlenns speech.
c~i, m q T.: Ss q n: @ y ,1s M ,es e
f" III: ,% ~ s,.v 1y .I' 4: ... s, Or a. a*;.y I q %
I'd I'd ..:;s Il. :; r. s, r '"as % y;fs*
Ne will add merely, that in the debate Of
Wednesday Nj. Carter grayclcd Cor. McRac
Of Mississippi, who was put forward Us the
champion Of the liEe-eatera. and who took sub-
staut'ally Douglas position in reference to
slave property, very handsomely.