Year: 1861

0OuS128 0G rae II n&0ECe mehf of the


Fugitive Slave Law


Mr. Douglas said in the Senate on Tue sda,
in reply to Iverson:


suppose the Fugitive Slave Law is en-
forced with as much fidelity US that in regarc
to the frican slave trade. But, sir, / con
fess it is not enforced as faithfully as I wish il
was, iIs il ought to be. While | make thi,
declaration, l am compelled to say that nine.
tcnths of the complaints on that subject are
unfounflcd. Where there is sectional strife
and Excitement, there seems to be a proneness
on the part Of the newspaper pr 50, in both
sections, to collect and give every fact which
would intiame the passions AMI prejudices of
one section against the other. In that way
partial and Unfair statements of facts are Civ
en-, which makes each section act under an ap-
prchcHs;on of the other. Now, sir as far ,
Illinois is concerned, am prepared 10 say
that in nineteen cnses nut Of twenty where u
fugitive slave enters liuoiS, he is arrested and
returned without any Judicial process what
ever. Those portions Of the State which bor-
der on the Kentucky and Missouri lines are
in harmony with their neigh bors on the 9th
er side and a fugitive slave is returned as
regularly as a stolen horse So in nine
teen cases ont of twenty where the fu-
gitive is returned, the newspapers do not no.
tice the fact, aud even the records of the
Court have no notice of it. In cases W here
there is an arrest, as a matter of course, he is
returned if he turns out to be q fugitive aud
there is no excitement. But, perhaps in the
twentieth case, the country where the public
sentiment is mole excited, and once in while
rescue is made, theu the newspapers are FIJI
ed with the horrors of that rescue
think, ther fore. Il e e IS little ground Of
complaint far as the section IF the country
in which | live is concerned and vet ! know
that the Southern people are induced to
believe that il u slave gets into the North he
is gone forever. They hre led to think so be-
cause the cases of actual returns are never
published, and only the exceptional csscs of
resucue come to the knowledge of the people.
| wish we could have list of the fugitive
slaves that are returned and Of the number
rescued and | venture the assertion. that
Southern gentlemen wOnld be amazed at the
fdelity with which that law has been execu-
ted. I believe if we codld have record of
the cases, they would be ashamed to bring p
that subject as one of til. causes to Justify
the dissolution of the Union.


Those of us who live upon the
borders can live in peace with each Olher.-I
There never was time when my friend from
Missouri (Mr GREEN and myself could not
have settled this question by referring it to
the justiccs of the pence on each side of the
river, with power to choose a thifd, and we
agree to abide by the award. But when YOU
go North to Vermont, where they scarcely
ever SAW slave, and would not know how
one looked, they are disturbed about the
wrongs Of the slave. And when you get
down South to George and Alabama. where
they never lose any aves, they are disturb
ed by the outrages of these bills and non-en-
foreement of the Fugitive Slave law. Just
in proportion as they have no interest in it
and don't kuow what they are talking about.
daughter in the gallerics.)


My object in arising
was to sustain my friend from Ohio in his de-
c!arntioDs, as far as our Northern country is
concerned. that the Fugitive Slave law
is executed with as much fidelity as most Of
the laws upon the statute bOoks | would be
willing to have the qneriion to Judge Nc
Lean, who Republican ns he f. has executed
the Fugitive Slave law with entire fidelity, so
far as l know.