Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1860-12-01
Personal Liberty Laws.

y
Among the grievances of which the South |
makes complaint is one which certainly has
some Foundation in truth and soberness
We allude to the distractions to the exc
cution of the fugitive slave law, which have
been created by the legislation of several
of the Northern States. We have had but
one opinion concerning the fugitive slave
law and the State legislation to which it
has given occasion. The law is practically
imperative from its very stringency, and
the legislation to nullify it is therefore not
only entirely useless, but establishes fer
tile source of irritation and sectional ani>
mostly. The legislation arrays the State
against the Federal Government, and fur
nishes ready excuse for Southern nulli-
fcation. Personal liberty laws may not
infringe upon the letter of the Constitution,
but they certainly violate its spirit just as
much as those bills do which have been
introduced into Southern Legislatures for
the taxation of Northern products. All
such legislation is designed, with more
ingenuity than honesty or patriotism, to
evade provisions in the Constitution which
are of the most binding force. South Car
olina set the example of unconstitutional
legislation, years ago, in her laws for the
imprisonment of colored seamen; but it
was an example which affords no iustifca-
ton for like breach of faith on the part
of other States.
1t may be true that it is not an auspic
ious moment to urge the repeal of the per-
sonal liberty law of Massachusetts,. The
motives for the repeal would perhaps be
liable to misconstruction and misrepresen-
tation. Such an act might be regarded as
concession to monaccs which really ex-
cite no alarm. But the subject is one
which may well enlist the public attention,
and we should not be prevented by the fear
of Misrepresentation from doing an act of
justice and fulfilling our constitutional OBJ
legations. The free States have now, for
the first time, their rightful predcminance
in the federal government, and as the first
step toward insisting on an exact performs
ance of their constitutional obligations by
the slave States, they should fulfill the
spirit and the letter of their own contract.
Unless they do this they are not in posi-
ton to protest against the taxation Of North
ern products in violation of the Constitu-
ton, or to insist with all the neral power
of conscious right and justice that South
Carolina shall abide by the federal COM
pact.
We cut the foregoing article from the
Boston Evening Journal, a most intense
"nigger" loving sheet; of the date of No
vember Goth. Is it not amazing that these
Black Republican editors have only just
now discovered the unconstitutionality of
those "Personal Liberty Laws" against
which Democrats have been talking for
years! When that "white livered rene
gade" JOHN HICKMAN, was boasting in
Congress of the eighteen millions North
who would fog into subjection, the South
we knew and said that with their proclaim-
ed principles the Republicans could never
carry on this government.
Dreading the explosion of the gun they
themselves loaded with treason, they now
recommend the REPEAL of the uncon-
stitutional laws they had passed and for
years defended.
We are glad to see them coming to their
senses, we congratulate them upon assu-
ming high democratic ground upon this
question, we hail the repeal of these most
reasonable acts as the harbinger of better
days. But
Let US hear no more of taunts on the
courage of the South-the veriest cra-
vens we know of, are those who dare not
practice what hey preach; and we daily
see these blatant Black Republicans beg
ging their own party to repeal their OBJ
noxious enactments. Mild as milk are
their preachments, and Rifle BEEcHER and
Cheating CnEEvER and Universalist Cha
PIN are discussing constitutional obligations
in their pulpits!