Year: 1861




aI Liberty Law.


Republicans have vehemently denied
that il was the intention or that it is the
effect Of the personal liberty law Of this
State to prevent the surrender Of fugitive
slaves. The denial is worth nothing in
the face of the law itself, for language
could not have been employed to express
that intent and to produce that effect
more positively than that which was en-
ployed. But we have some republican
evidence of the intent and effect Of the
law which ought to put to blush those
republicans who now set up the prctence
that the law is inno:ent of any intention
of interfering with the fugitive slave law.


We refer the reader to the journal of
the House of Representatives Of February
1, 1859, where he will find report made
by the Committee on Federal Relations,
the first paragraph Of which report is in
the words following:


"The Committee on Federal Relations,
to whom was referred sundry petitions
rolqtire 10 tie delie~i,sg up Of Jtgitlee slaces,
AND PREVENT TIE SAME; also the petition
of Lewis North and 10S others, praying
that itmay be made State prison offence
to claim the right of property in, or ex-
ercise the right Of property over, another
in this State, have had the same under
consideration, and beg leave to report,
that in regard to the petitions PRAYING
FOR THE PASSAGE OF A LAW TO PRE-
VENT THE DELIVERING UP OF
FUGITIVE SLAVES, THAT rURrnEn
ACTION on TIE PART or THE LEGISLATURES
is NOT NECESSARY, as THE ACT OF FEBRU-
AIRY 13, 1866, WAS DESIGNED TO
AND, IF FAITHFULLY EXECUTED, WILL
ACCOMPLISH THE OBJECT FOR
WHICH CHTHEPEII'ElONERSPRAY.'


The report of which the foregoing is
an extract is signed by "JoHN GILLULY,
T. d. LANE, f. MILES, j. PERKINS, ma
iority of committee"


The report was accepted by the House
and the committee discharged.


The committee, in the report, argued
in favor of the passage of a law to make
it State prison offence to bring a negro
into the State claiming him as slave,
and reported bill for that purpose, which
was passed.


Comment scarcely need be made on
the above extract from the report The
report was accepted as embodying the
sentiment of the republican majority of
the House. In other words, the House
answered the prayer of sundty petitions
that law might be passed ''ro PREVENT
mr., mn ~
by saying that "thc act of February l3,
1855, was DESIGNED TO, and, if faithfully
executed, WILL ACCOMPLISH THE OBJECT
FOR WHICH THE PETITIONERS PRAY"


How ridiculous now the pretence that
the law was only designed to prevent
kiaaqppiag How dishonest are the men
who set up this pretence.


We can feel some respect for those
republicans who still avow the real pur
pose of the law; they, however offensive
may be their notification, challenge that
admiration which is due to bold adher-
ence to truth. Bat those who under
stand as well as we DO the real intent
and effect Of the law, and yet undertake
to escape the odium of it by misrepre-
8enling it and seeking to deceive others
concerning it, and to prevent its repeal
whatever may be the consequences of
non-ropcal, are, TO say tho least, bad men
and bad citizens.


For six years Michigan has stood in
the attitude of notification towards the
United States Until she changes her
attitude--untl she re establishes her own
loyalty-what business has she to be
talking about devotion to the Union?-
what business has her Legislature to be
offering military force to put down nulli-
lication elscwhere?-what business has
she to do anything except to hang her
head in shame?-Ffse Press.