The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1860-12-14

Peace measure. No New England Senator
however dared 20 insult his constituency by
supporting proposition 80 odh US, anu MI.
Webster. though in an excessively comproms.
ing mood at that time. insisted IN all the pre-,
lininsry discussions Of the bill, that II should
OF right contain q clause requiring that the fact
Of property in fugitive Human Chattel should
be tested by a Jury. and hat he should not be
denied the privileges Of the writ Of Hs6sdi
Corpus-the very basis Of Anglo-Saxon liberty.
That law recognizes the value Of q slave 10 be
One thousand Dollars, when his master sues
for the recovery Of his property; and Mr..
Webster justly insisted that the Constitution Of
the United States secured to the party claimed
as slave To the right Of trial by Jury, to
test the fact whether he was or was not slave.
or rather legally "a person held to labor IN
another State. The words of the Constitution
are, that no person "shall be deprived Of life,
liberty or property, without due process oil
Law"
Again, lin suits at common law when the
value in controversy, shall exceed twenty dol
lars, hs right Of trial by jury shall beprss-
erred"
And again, {" the privilege Of Habsa, corpus.
shall not be suspended, unless when in cases OF
reteiiioa or iRrGsion, the public safety may
require it."
The Law of 1880 did not stop with trampling
tntst VI
Liberty rs embodied in the constitution Of the
United States. Not satisfied with placing the
freedom or bondage Of human being, subject
to the hasty decision Of single commissioner,
il went further and required all citizens at the
beck and bid ola Federal Marshall TO become
slayecatchers and 10 join in the chase after the
fugitive, seeking only his natural right to be
free. II went still further, and imposed heavy
penalties aud ignominious punishment on any
one who should SO far respect his manhood and
act out his humanity rs to give food and shell
ter Ia one fleeing from a hated seryitudc. The
law was in fact made 30 odi0us and atrocous
in every respect that those Southern Senators,
who were ayerse 10 any adjustment OF the slay.
cry question, boastingly said" You have got
your compromise measures but we have rem
dered the Fugitive Slave Law 80 obnoxious to
yonr pc pie that 1t cannot be executed, and the
end is not YETI
Now for Names position on tins
| Question. At the time of the Prigg decision,
recognising the full right Of each State to for
bid its own officers to aid in executing the Fu-
gitiye Law, the Democracy Of Pennsylvania,
then in undisputed control Of that State, enact
ell n" Personal Liberty Law" In accordance
with the principles Of the Supreme Court de-
cision. Maine horsrsr did not Jollor the sr-
ample. In 1880 when the South obtained such
an insulting triumph over the manhood OF the
North in the enactment of the law to whose
outrageous provisions we have just adyerted, a
large number Of the free States enacted Person
al Liberty Laws of various degrees OF stringen-
cy. Maine horsrsr did not fOIioW the example.
Conservative always, and resolved TO bear and
fOrbear for the Union. she entered no fol- NAL
protest against the oppressive legislation OF the
Fillmore regime. In 1854 the South renewed
the agitation ofthe slavery question, and with
the aid of such men as Douglas and his CO. Ia
bourers in the North, succeeded in abrogating
the most respected and reyered OF all the COM
promises that have been made since the Feder-
al Constitution was adopted. Then 1t was that
the indignation Of Maine was arousel. The
pledge Ut the South proved TO be but Punica
Fiiss, and under these repeated violations Of
faith and this deepened sense of wrong, Maine
formally recorded her s5horrence ofthe tyran
meal spirit which was 50 ruthlessly exhibited.
Maine proceeded however strictly according
to the Constitution. She did not essay TO null
ify Federal Statute. She did not seek even to
thwart or obstruct the execution Of any law Of
Congress by the officer of the Federal Govern
ment but doing as she h,d perfect right to
do under the decision ofths Supreme Court Of
the United States, she declared that no officer
of hers, should aid in executing law which
did violence 10 the conscience and convictions
OF her people. Accordingly in 1885 she enact
ep the following statute