The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1871-05-20
traordinary powers upon these commissioners

Of tie United States IN their respectioe cir
nifs and districts aoithin the screral States and
ne Judges of the superior Of the Territories
ereraay and collectively, IN term time and vaca-
ION, and shall grant certificates to such claimants
ipon satisfactory proof being made, with author
ty to take and remove such fugitiyes from service
,r labor to the State or Territory from which |
iuch person may have escaped or fed"
Section Eve preseribes the duties of marshals,
who may have any numbers of deputies, and pre-
scribes penalties should they refuse to obey or
execute all warrants or prvcepts issued under the /
provisions of this act when TO them directed ! i
makes them liable to the full value of any slave /
after arrest, and, in Language which will give as
it appears in the section, con.ers still more re-
markablc powers upon the commissioners. |
quote from the section:
ssAnd the better to enable the said comniission-
ers when thus appointed, to execute their duties
faithfully and efficiently, in conformity with the
requirements of the Constitution of the United
States and of this act they hereby authorized
and empowered, within their counties respectively
to appoint, in writing under their hands, any one
suitable persons, from time to time, to
execute all such warrants and other process as
may be issued by them in the lawful performance
of their respective duties, with authority to such
the persons to be appointed by
them, to execute process aforesaid, to summon
and cali to their aid the by-stapders posse
itatas of the proper county when accessory, to
insure faithful observance of the provisions OF
this act and all good citizens are hereby com
manded to aid and assist in the prompt and
efficient execution of this law whenever their
services may be required, as aforesaid for that
purpose, and said warrants shall run and be exc
cuted by said officers anywhere in the State with
in which they issued
Section imposes fine and Imprisonment
any person who willingly hinders the arrest of
fugitive shall attempt to rescue one from Gus
todys or harbo or aid to escape any fugitive from
slavery.
Section provides that when the claimant or
his agent apprehend rescue, the officer making
the arrest is TO remove the fugitive to the State
from whence he fed, and to employ many
persons in doing SO as he may consider necessary;
all the expenses to be paid by the United States.
Now sir, having quoted as much of this as
consider necessary to my purpose, let US see how
easily it can be adapted to the present condition
of affairs and meet the requirements of the loyal
men of the South, simply by SO altering the text
as to make its provisions apply to the prevention
of outrages against life aud property instead of
to the catching and rendering mp of fugitive
slsxes.
Under its provisions, the United States circuit
courts could appoint many commissioners as
they pleased to appoint in every county in their
respective districts, and these commissioners
could in turn commission many men as they
deemed necessary to execute their warrants;
would have all the powers of the circuit Or dis
trict judges in term time vacation; could issue
their warrant for the arrest of any citizen, and
the warrants would be good in any portion of the
State; could summon every man in the county to
assist in serving their processes, and if any refused
| to obey their mandate, could fine and imprison
| them for doing could include in that posse
| coRtitatus such portion of the United States
| forces, the army and navy of the United States
as might be within the territory which they
exercised jurisdiction, and would possess powers
more than ample to secure peace, and the most
perfect protection to life, liberty and property in
every State in the Union; and the constitutional
power of Congress to confer these powers cannot
| be doubted, for has not the party whose represen
tatiyes this floor have often assured us of
their devotion to the Constitution, stamped the
seal of approval upon all irs provisions, enacted
into law all its principles, and enforced and main
lou all thar NJ he
ernment? And the Democratic parry, having
enacted this law and sustained its stitutionalty
before the adoption of the amendments to the con-
| stitution which have certainly conferred some
new powers upon Congress, cannot, I presume
will not, attempt to question its constitutionaty
now.
| 1t was good Democratic constituti onal law to
empower unlimited number of comparatively
irresponsible United States marshals the
army and navy of the United States to enforce
United States laws when those laws were in the
interest of the Democratic party; and now, sir,
witness the remarkable spectacle of th is party
which conferred such powers upon these men with
no apprehension of injury to State governments
with no fears to any destruction of our liberties
with doubts to their tire stitutionali-
ty-now boldly denying that this Congress has
any constitutional, right to give the President of
the United States power to use the army and navy,
of which he is the constitutional commander-in-
chief, in protecting American citizens from out
rage and death; the party who, under the fugi-
tive slave law, marched United States soldiers
| over the very spot where the first martyr for
/ American liberty shed his hlood-and the blood
| of Christopher Attucks red as yours or
mine, sir though his skin black.
/ The party who sent their troops over the spot
1 which his marfyrdsm had consecrated.to force
! back into slavery one poor wretch who had sue
/ ceeded in fyin. to land which supposed to
be a land of hberty-the party that did this aci
dares to tell the American people that there is nc
constitutional way to use the army or navy Of the
/ United States in protecting American citizens
from outrage and death, unless the Governor and
legislature of the State in which these offences
committed should call for assistance. Sir, ]
have searched in vain for the call made by the
Governor or legislature of Massachusetts, fol
troops to assist in the rendition Of Anthony Burns
| Every gentleman this floor knows that the
United States soldiers sent to that State by the
Democratic party to assist their blood hounds In
tearing from Massachusetts soil that poor, tremb
ling fugitive, were not sent there at the request
of that State but by virtue of the law passed by
Democratic Congress, enforced by Democratic
administration, and interpreted by Democratic
Attorney General, whose Interpretation has beer
sustained by the courts aud know the Ameri
can people well enough to know that lega
sophistry make them believe that it was con
stitutional to the army and navy of the United
States in returning fugitires to slavery, but that
no constitutional means can be found to thes,
agencies for the protection of life liberty, and prop
erty of free american citizens in every State il
this Union.
| Affairs il France progress about a.
usual. .rhe.slaughter still continues, tht
Yersaillists gradually gaining. ground
and it isthousht will soon be in posses
sion ofthe city of Paris Gen Auber i.
dead. A widespread conspiracy agains
the Commune is reported in Paris. A.
an evidence of the destructive character
of the fighting before Paris we auott