Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1861-01-02
The President of the Chicago Con-
yentiOn on the Repeal of the Per-
sOnaI Liberty Bills.

The President of the Chicago Con-
yenrIon on the Repeal of the Per-
sOnaI Liberty Bills.
The Boston papers contain correspon-
dence between the Hon. ROBERT G. WIZ
rHRoP. and Hon. GEORGE AsHMUN, the Pre-
-dent of the Chicago Convention. Mr.. WIN
rHEoP writes to Mr. AsHMUN, telling him he
is in a position 10 do good deal toward
rescuing our country from its present peri
Ions condition" He speaks of their politi-
cal differences, bears testimony of the con-
Servaiism of Mr.. LINCOLN, and says in refer
ence TO Mr. LINCOLN and the Personal Liber-
ty Laws:
lit seems to me that he himself must de-
sire, as earnestly as any of us, to have these
stumbling blocks removed out of the way"
Mr.. WINTHROP adds:
1.-The matter must be taken hold of at the
right end of the rope, or it will not go
ahead | have been led to think more OF it
from letters received recently from some OF
our old colleagues in Congress from Penn
sylvania and Maryland"
Mr. AsHMUN receives the request and sug-
gestions made by Mr.. WINTHROP with a
| hearty welcome" After passing the usual
| compliments be says:
In my judgment, the enactments of our
Legislature which are intended or calculated
90 impair The force and effect of the fugitive
Slaveacts of Congress, are wholly unconsti-
tulional and void. They should never have
been passed. aud ought not TO be permitted
10 remain on our statute book. l denounced
-
have never failed to express deep regret
hat any OF our people should have been led,
by acts of injustice on the part of any of our
sister States to retaliate by act IF indie
f-nslble wrong on our own part. The per-
sonal liberty act. as it is commonly called.
was first passed over the veto of Gov. Gard
ner in 1855, at time when the Wild surge
OF the Know Nothing tempest was sweeping
Trough all our halls of legislation. Many
| OF its most obnoxious features were stricken
nut at the earnest recommendation OF Gov.
| Banks in 1858. There was an intention OF
| entire repeal manifested in the Legislature
of 1856; and bill for that purpose had
actually passed the trial stage IN the
! House of Representatives. and with every
| prospect of fual success, when the news OF
The assault on SIR. Sumner so moved the pub
| lie Indignation as to arrest for the time every
useful effort in that direction. By this means
4
still remain, and are incorporated into our
| general statutes, and stand as a reproach TO
| the usually Just and conservative character
! of our Stale legislation. No case has arisen
under them. nor is likely to arise, which
would enable our Judiciary to pronounce on
their validity; but have no doubt. if a case
should be presented. that our own highest
/ judicial tribunal would declare them null and
void. so far as they go to defeat or impair
| int and of no aat n
Congress.
While it is true that these enactments have
! never been enforced in our State, unques
Iionablv general public attention has been
| called 10 them, just now, for the reason thai
some of the promoters of disunion have pa
raded them as pretext for the treason which
they propose to commit in the South, an6
undoubtedly they are stumbling block il
the way of the many true friends of the Union
| whose voice is. for the present, almost drown
ed in the general howl which the eonspiratorS
have contriyed to raise. / would not coun
| sci their repeal for the mere purpose of al
| tempting to please the plotters of treason a
the South; nor would | refrain from it tC
crafty fanaticism. which is equally hostile
to the Constitution. in the North. The for
mer class openly declare that they care moth
ing about them, aud that their repeal would
the Senatorial declarations of Iverson, Cling
man aud their compeers, to that effect. And
the mischief makers in the North, of whom
there are 90 many, who desire to keep up al
infllmed condition of public sentiment, will
of Course. oppose repeal. But they should
be repealed because they are wrong; and be
ing wrong, our own good cause is weakened
by their continuance; and the sincere friend,
of the Union in tue South are weakened be
cause there is this single and only vulnera
bile point which they cannot defend. LIE
our own State be eight, and thus be invul
nerable
Let US. in coming before the august tri
banal of public opinion, and asking for the
Just Judgment of the civilized world and O
posterity, strip ourselves of every impedi
ment which may embarrass US in the conflict
Past Records.
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