Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1860-04-07
SALEM. ONO, APRIL, /, 1860.
THE PERSONAL LIBERTY ELL.

SALEM, OHIO, APRIL, Z, lctO.
THE PERSONAL LIBERTY BILL.
Our readers are aware that petitions have been
more or less circulated in Ohio dirjns Inc past
winter, asking for the enactment Of a Personal
Liberty Bill. We are inclined to believe that feN
of these PETITIONS have been presented. Iiappenrs,
however, they effected a ~lolgment in the House,
and the following report was made upon the sub
ject.
REPORT OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE on FEDERAL
RELATIONS.
The standing committee on Federal r 'laiions, to
whom was referred the petition OF j. W. Garfield
and fifty five others, praying this General Assem-
bly, "to enact that no person who has been held as
a slave shall be delivered up by any officer or
court, State or Federal within tits co~mmonwealth
to any one claiming him on the ground that be
owes service or labor to such claimant, by the
laws of one of the slave Suites of this Union"
have had the same under consideration, and
now
REPORT,
First. The Federal Constitution provides that
Eugitives from service shall be deferred up on
claim of the party to whom such service or labor
is due.
Second. This memorial pfays that such per
sons shall not be delire,ed up on claim Of such
party.
Third. The members of this General Assem-.
bly, have all taken an oath to support the c~onstitu-
ton of the United States.
Fourth. Article 6 OF that constitution provides
that it shall be the supreme law Of the land, and
that the judges IN every state shall be bound
thereby, anything in the constitution or laws of
any State to the contrary Notwithstanding. There
fore, the prayer Of this petition is, in effect, that
we shall, in violation of our official oaths-as we
believe-pass q law that would be, ab Iastio, null
and void, because the Judge, of our State courts
would be bound to decide it contrary to the consti-
tuition of the United States. Your committee ask
to be discharged from the farther consideration of
this memorial. E. PARRoTT,
\. HARLAN,
r. IltTcHEsoN,
JAMES GAMBLE,
j. W. HAMILTON,
WV. SrEDM.N.
The Ohio Statesman calls this "a sensible re-
port" and boxing at the matter from the stand
pOIuI u tudt pdpeFs VIZ ~ IhCIihcu ~ Hg'ce WIN
it. Petitions or memorials asking for the enact
ment Of a law as above described, can lie made
efficient agencies for agitation, and then they re-
ally ask no more than every Democratic and
Christian Legislator is bound to do but as our
Legislators are teither Democrats nor Christians,
it is too much to expect them to perform such
work. Some of the abolitionists in this and in
other States have labored to procure the enactment
Of a Personal liberty Bill, with the belief that the
measure would, ere long DO secured. If their
faith is well founded, we should be glad to share
it but all that we have done in this matter has
been simply with u view to %agitate, and 10y that
agitation to prepare the minds Of The people Cor a
measure that will obviate all necessity fur the en-
actment Of such Bills.
From the very nature of the case we do not be-
lieve it possible 10 have an effective Personal Lii!
erty Bill in any one of the United States. Should
the Bill be correct in theory, as may be urged ia
relation to that of Vermont, it is Ineffective, be-
cause necessarily imperative. No fugitive slaves
are captured in Vermont and although the law
is valuable as a written expression Of feeling Oh
the part of the people, it is not because of the
lao that no slaves ere captured there, but because
there are no ~fugitives to capture or if one occa-
siOnally escapes to the Green Mountains, distance
and other circumstance operate more powerfully
10 protect him than the law. In a State like Ohio
or Pennsylvania where slaves are contihhally be-
ing recaptured, no law will be enacted to prevent
it or if accidenlly enacted during a spasm Of hu.
man;ty, it would be put aside by the Courts, and
the rendition of fugitive slaves would be recognis-
ed as now, as one of the compromises indespen-
sible to the perpotuity of the Union, and there.
fore Lf more importance than any law Of justice
or humanity.
The Report Of the Committee of the Ohio Legis-
~lature presents the matter in a nut shell. A Per,
sonal Liberty Bill which will protect the fugitive
slave against his master; is clearly a violation of
the United States Con s%titutioh, and virtually a DIS
solution of the Federal Union. For if the pro-
visions of such a law should be main aimed ID op.
position to the Judicial decisions and Executive
power of the Federal Government-and if main.
tanned at all, it would have TO DO thus done-that
Government would cease to be, so far as that par.
ticular State was concerned. Now we have nc
faith that d single State in the confederacy is Iea
dy to meet these results, and maintain State Sow
ereiguty at the sacrifice of Federal Union. W.
should be glad to be convinced of our mistake, i
it be one. and shall net be sorry to see a collision
between State and Federal authority so potent tina