New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-01-31
TIE PERSONAL LIBERTY LAW.
WESBELL PHILLIPS AGliIST ITS REPEAL,



Committee substantially a. follows:
Mr.. CHAIRHAV AID GTSTLEHEN OF THE CoNNiI-
TIE: What is iLe question here ID consider 10
is the ,lGm, request on the part Of some oil me cit
zen. ofibe Commonwealth, aud some inhnence5 ont
ide Of it, that Gcr.ain Riat1'e the siatnt5 book
Lon be repealed. What ia the Of tina, reqne5'
What is he statute Wel in the first place, Sir, = ID
statute 10 fecure-s0 it il named-the personal NJ
civ Of individuals within the Commonwealth. why
do bey ask s repeal Because il is posed % con-
gict With n statute of the United States termed the
Fugitive slave bill. What ia that bill il is bill %
carry ont clause of the Cons,itution OF the United
States witch says that persons Bound 70 service Or m
bor IN ore State shall be freed from that bond by
sapirg TO another State, but shall be delivered up
''Wbat ia he objection to this Fugitive Slave bill,
lint n en- are anxious that s1onli be comervaied
Icsled. curbrd, by the Constitution of the lava Of
Na..acbusftts L. seems 10 there is where our In
| Wlot ia his Foeiliye Slave bill, and why do we
| hate il For am willing to ailo" VT NnlrTtn d.
The outset that value this Per.onal Liberty bii not
opjy for the protection that il gives 10 The free NATIVES
of Massashu ets but for the measure OF proteclloh
that It gives the fugitive slaves within the Common
| wealth. cl'im that, with one quaIlh'a,ioh- "
the Constitution of the United
has n Iiebt 10 protect every human beng WHhin be'
torJeR slave whether he may have been prsvlously'
or rot And with il, therefore, understood, az we
outFet, that il il no objection, IN my moo, .ua: 'i
Peronal Liberty Liberty bill does cover certain laolli-
ties and dangers Of the Fugitive Slave bill Ana again
Mr.. Chairman, with tospeak 20 you, to-day, rs nnd'r
tle ors,ituliCn would address persons sworn 20
surToIt the Constitution Of the UDi'ed States My
vi w. persoray are otherwise; but come TO address
a Legislature bch stands under that law, and, OF
coune, Sc a man. wah to address 10 then aIgl-
ments vii they are competent aud auh91el 70 con
| fider What H. then, the Fugive Slave bill why,
II n a BILL as You knowshotly designlted-thai puts
1 "a nan on trial for something more valuable tnan NE,
not before ndge but before an officer whom aJulge
| auuouts and may remove % morrow.
/ 4. To u1yv ha .rIfi
| know whom, 10 taken nobody knows where, before
nobody knows whom. Noopporlurity TO rfo-se%anine
| that winners, 10 opportunity even TO know whether
tEe etuauUt ndle ~ ho sgns the affidavit Il Judge,
whether the per-on lat makes il il living being, no
means OF crosf-eyamiustion or scrutiny Whatever.
Ard on he faith Of such witness, and, If the Com.
missioner IlCa,es without any further proof even OF
identify nan is 10 be taken from place where he
has lived twenty yeaTsfOr aagh you know where ne
was born and carried away thousand miles or three
| ,borssrd lien The law says yor viii have tml
| ,ouev here, UchaTs, if somebody permits yo1.
W you know Of cJuTfe, II Is not nee eSstry to re-
fer in this .irhtnre, 70 such tmehonored prine-
RE for " rh We have fought fpr conturies for which
he Constitution OF The Uui'ed staies contains 2nar-
arty that a man on trial shall be confronted WIN ms
vin,sges that be hall be ei by due process 81 law
Which eyety legal authority, from Coke down 10 story
says mean. Jury. Beside that witnes' Hancock and
4 ADAM witress ID The arguments a. the hrv"n'mI
ua, hall tried ia the ii uity where he u found,
on ., q iugs heI equal. ray This statute Vioiiye-
all tfo,e provisions. Iuec1 rot 80 into Argument nlon
liz rort II il statute that made the blood OF the
Ma, hu,r,s puts en- her statute book law TO ouj
T. no FAR as 10 siblr. Now the temper II The Com non
| wfplth saws Iako that hE o." We'll. gentlemen,
| do yon know what you nre cnfhing We have hai
| sins eases aud Ba.ra cases, where men, without
tclt AIN OFT INV even the form Of tai, without
nle Fl what could be called evidence haye been car
i.d dawn most public streets, IN defiance OF he
,euiiHc nlp, and-for l call by the name Of law the
| rules Of eyiderce-the laws, the common law OF the
| STATE.
Bot that il not all, gentlemen. That Commissioner
IL, 'h,y, ga ~. sariicste j. final Noboiycln over
hokr II las no appeal Wuen or "v9's, \.
tutis tgDs u ~ pgTer according 10 he statute called
tie FnliiNe Slave I'LL, nobody can look into TIN
arIsnabl,-r Interference. What doc- - mean Il
moan ihfi II \ We hunter may take IL slave
| woman aud DO what vi h them DO You know what
beuay de-, Mr.. CLaiimsnl lie left the City Of Boz.
ton, IN loie c'.ef IN three hour' because he feared
I,o.lr: iut Il is not Necessary 20 leave IN three
| ouI-h, uay stay a reasonable time-twelyo hours
twenty our-ihr tire necessary for the usual arrange
| ntntf 10 omit the State,
What nay he do IN that tine, Sir Let DE tell you
| What le nav 30. The fIizl says--and that is
ne f,uuda'ion # law on this que-ton-the Prgg case
.oys FuCii i've Slave law pits ths rule Of service
OF labor on tie ground aud 10 the same extent
| lease n ak tie Ihrass-on the ground aud to
he same ,I,ut-ns in he state from which the slave
..caIop. That IL he Nrginian case, and when the
ma,r in Boston Iu,s his hand The shoulder OF the
lave, has The same right 10 him that he ba5 in Nir
1 pil H.. That il what Judge Story slys-on the same
/ ", NJ and 10 tie same extent.
Again, the Judge says il may be reasonably said
liz il tie opinion of the Supreme Court-that any
state law whoh intenIpts, limits, delays, plsipone5
81 lht Il tie owner 10 the Immediate possession OF
n ihve ard he immediate command OF his service
~ etatos NJ Gifelarge.
Now, therefore, you recoect that when Mr.. Snltle
takes Aml OHy Burrs when the slave hunter puts
he hand IN The shoulder of Ellen Graft he would have
bad lie hight for hose twelve hours IN the Com
uonwealh # Massachusetts, 20 the same extent as in
| biz own State. Any law that limits the operation of
ilc United States law - void. Suppose he had said 20
| Ellen Gran, ILis smy chamber, clme and occupy
H. VIII You eAy there l. no w in The Commonwealth
of Mas achuretts TIA. can limit or postpone that Geor
| gdn right And yet You 10 say when yOu submit
| 20 that Fugitive Slave ill.
SuIIose he Lad taken Anthony B1rrs in front Of the
Revere House, and Whipped him-so thar i be mod
crate correction which the law Of Virginia allows and
Which, according 10 the decision of th" Pigg case
law 81 Massachusetts, has IA right 10 limit spoe
| DO you submit 10 that May lie pct his hand on man
4 pun SbueIt and on woman Tor degradation and is
lie Commonwealth Of Massachusetts bound 10 submit
You fay he VIII not dare 10 do il. Tie Daiiy diger
user said, 1880, Ia two three successive articles,
| hat Fugitive slave bill can mover b. passed. aud to-
dGy hat DGiy idgeTtScr warns you 20 repeal every
provision Opposed 10 il. TIE old Common w'nlih Of
Mfsfacuses scolt,d the idea that that bill could
| he law, led by DHiy Adrtrt ser; and to-day, the
whole press Of Boston ia submissive il warns you
not Ia touch little or ioa Of that very statute. tell
you If The glave.owner choices to degrade the slave 10
IKE limit oi the masters power over bis slave In the
South, there il no police in Boston TO prevent -hcre
is nOil ing but nigh, il the State to prevent il.
And with you TO understand when we take of from
The statute book be provisions Of tti' act what we
met, and how far we get down on our knees before
he Ella, rover. The Fugitive Slave bin Is in fact
uol ing Ices Than making the slave law of the South
the law Of Massachusetts,.
Wei, Massachusetts, has put upon her statutes thia
ILL., For what purpose Why j. il bill 10 claim ul
sle possibly against that Law She has said, unan
i. -. - . 4.