The national Republican., 1861-03-25
A VOICE FROM VIRGINIA.

| send you b few extracts from letter Of
Joseph SeEar, Esq, member of the Legisla.
ture of Virginia, addressed to his constituents
on the subject of the crisis, which, for practical
good sense aud patriotic sentiment, are most
refreshing at these times of disorder and revo.
luton. Would that they could have their just
weight with his countrymen OF the South
In regard to the escape offagtive slaves and
the personal liberty laws, he thus reasons:
"On another point these personal liberty
laws are greatly misunderstood. Most Of them
do not interfere with the execution of the fugi
tive slave law. They forbid the State officers
to aid in its execution, but they do not at all
obstruct the enforcement of the law by the Fed
cral authorities. There is nothing in them to
restrain the Federal Judge from issuing his
warrant Of arrest or his remanding order, or to
prevent the Federal marshal from executing
the warrant OF arrest or summoning the posse
cOmitatuS to aid in arrests, and to prevent
rescues BY the mob. But four oil the free States
have actually nulifed the fugitive slave law,
and the nullfying laws of these are confessedly
unconstitutional, and therefore null and void,
and of no account certainly not of sufficient
moment to justify disruption Of this great
Union.
"Another fact in regard to these personal
liberty and nulliyng statutes should be known.
Not u single proceeding has taken place under
any one Of them, and not one Stdce has erer
been lost IN consequence of them. 1t was so
stated by several Senators of the United States
in late debate, and the statement was not
controverted. They are, therefore, of no sort
of practical import-are dead statutes ON the
statute book--nether harm anybody, nor help
anybody, except the small politician who ex-
poets to be made member of assembly, or q
justice Of the peace, by appealing to Northern
sensitiveness on the subject of slavery.
"The question, then, comes up, (which l
have well weighed and considered is there
enough Of grievance and of wrong in these
personal liberty bills to induce disruption?
Ought we, can we, for these dead statutes FORE
go the priceless, incalculable benefits of a
Union which was the hsndiwork of Washing
ton, and Franklin, and Madison, and Gerry,
and Robert Morris, and Gouverneur Norris and
Laurens, and Pinckney, and Hamilton, and
which has made the people of the United States
the freest, the happiest, aud the greatest nation
on the globe? If we do, the madness and the
folly of the deed will be without parallel in
the annals of human weakness.
"But the great, practical inquiry for the
Southern stakeholder is, ,oiU secession remedy or
aiieciate this erH Of the escape Of his slares ?
No; it will aggravate the grievance a thousand
luton the fugitive slave law gone the obliga
ton for the surrender of fugitive slaves can
celled with more than million and half of
friends turned into foes with the fierce ami
mosites and implacable enmities which have
ever attended the disruption of once friendly
and contederated States with none, either in
law or friendship, to intercept the fugitive in
his flight TO his great asylum in Canada with
Canada brought down to the very border line
of the border slave States so that the under
ground railroad will no longer be needed, and
slaves have but to cross boundary to be free.
say, in this state Of things, under the mistaken
policy of secession, we shall lose one hundred,
perhaps one thousand slaves, where we now
lose one our slave property will be worthless;
and the border slave States, however reluctant
ly, will be driven, dragged to general eman-
cipaton, or to a runous sacrifice of their slave
property. What will slave be worth in Vir.
ginia, or Maryland, or Kentucky, or Missouri,
when, to obtain his freedom, he has but to cross
a river or line?
"Then, if we value our slave property, and
would hinder the escape of our slaves into the
free States, we had better adhere to the Union.
In that Union, and there only, lies the safety
Of the Southern stakeholder !"
The following are his conclusive views of the
territorial question in connection with the sub.
ject of slavery:
"Fourthly, the territorial question. That
must be settled, it is urged, SO that the citizens
of all the States may 60 into the common Ter.
ritories with their slaves whenever they list.
"This question, it seems to me, has been
settled, and settled by the highest authority
the Supreme Court of the United States in the
Dred Scott decision. Under that decision, any
citizen of u slave State may 90 into the Terrific
ries with his slaves, and if his rights are in.
vaded, the courts-a far safer tribunal than
Congress-are open for his relief.
"lf, as some allege, the Dred Scott case does
not cover the point, it is perfectly manifest that
whenever case shall arise in the Supreme
Court fully presenting the point, the decision
will be in favor of the South, for the reasoning
of the court in the bred Scott case cannot pos.
sibly lead to any other result.
Now there are two cases shortly to come
before the Supreme Court, which will set lie,
once and forever, this whole territorial ques-
'tion one from Kentucky and Ohio which will
bring up the question whether there can be
property in slaves the other from Kansas,
which will involve the power of territorial egis.
lation over the sub ject Of slavery. Had we not
better postpone disunon until these vexed
questions shall be settled in our favor by the
safest, calmest, most impartial, and most au-
thori'ative tribunal, the Supreme Judiciary of
the land? Why dissolve the Union, when we
are on the verge of obtaining all that VIC can
ask, and all that we are entitled to, In regard
to the Territories
" As to existing territory, it is of no practical
concern, either to the North or to the South
The North need not desire laws for the ex.
clusion of slavery from it; for God and nature
have, by the laws of climate and soil, forever
decreed that exclusion. And the South need
not have concern about the right to carry slaves
into it; for slavery cannot be proftaby trans.
planted in any portion of it. In proof of this,
it need only be stated, that, according to the
late census, there are, in all New Mexico, EN-.
bracng an area i've times that of the State of
New York, Jut hcentythree Slares, though sla.
very is allowed by the territorial law. These
twenty three are the body servants of officers
Of tho Id Of ilo iarrita...al