Year: 1860




The revoluuonists Of South Carolina base their
present grievance at The hands of the Union upon
the very reprehensible manner in which the
North sets at naught Its obligation to execute
the fugitive slave law; their other grievances
where the slavery question Is concerned, being
entirely prospective. That Is to say; the fear
that the party about to assume the government
may interfere In time to come with slavery In the
States or District Of Columbia, or with the inter
State slave trade may interdict It In the terri
tories by the exercise Of the power interference
of the General Government to that end, &c.
Now, no ingenious man will deny that Lincoln
himself stands as thoroughly pledged to the due
enforcement of the existing fugitive slave law
any other public man in the country. But
even Mr.. Buchanan cannot enforce its due execu-
ton where popular sentiment Is against IL. 30
We have no hope that with Lincoln in the Presi-
dency ii can be executed even inefdciently as
at present The truth is further legislation on
the subject Is absolutely necessary; and we sin
cerely believe that an united South making a
formal call for that legislation will soon OBJ
tain II from Congress. We mean through con-
vention In which all the slaveholding States
shall be represented by delegates elected in virtue
Of acts passed by their several legislatures


The New York Times, admitting that the law
has already become next to a dead letter upon the
statute-book, and recognizing that fact as one
leading cause Of the current difficulties between
the n rth and the South, suggests that such fugi
tive slaves finally escape through violations Of
the existing law be paid for. The suggestion is
a good one; but the question is-from whose
pockets shall such payment be made!


In Ireland, many years ago, barns and other
buIIdings were burned, other property was de-
strOyed, and people were killed and wounded by
secret band, of viOlators Of the law oath-bound
to each other that in most cases IL was found
impossible to discover and duly punish the guilty.
The Government, however, found a remedy that
in due time put stop to such doings. 1t enacted
that the counties or towns In which such outrages
occurred should pay for the damage done, and 1t
sternIy enforced that law. The consequence was,
every tax payer In a town or county wherein such
Outrages occurred, soon became personally inter-
ested In suppressing their repetition Thus, they
were all forced to become-so to speak-detec-
tive orscers and sherif's posses for the arrest
Of the offenders. Congress may (with their
cOnsenD make 1t obligatory upon every State
wherein fugitive slave is rescued from the
hands Of parties who have seized him in the
execution Of the law, to pay his value and
other damage the owner may have sustained by
the rescue and each non -slaveholding State may
enact that the money thus paid by herself shall be
paid back into her treasury in the shape Of an
extra tai on the city, town or county wherein the
fugitive slave may have been rescued. Were the
real estate of Chicago taxed thus 10 pay for the
rescue Of the negro so recently taken from the
hands on those who held him there In virtue Of
the fugitive slave law, the chances are ten to one
that hereafter when Chicago abolition mob
sought to rescue another negro under like circum-
stances, there would be a thousand persons ready
TO prevent them from thus violating the law,
where ten stood ready so to do week before last.


IL Is easy TO establish commission wholly indie
pendent Of State authority north south, charged
with ascertaining the facts, by legal testimony, Of
every alleged case OF such q rescue, and with
assessing the damages, before whom the owner Of
q the slave, and the State In which the rescue
occurred might appear by counsel: commission
wholly independent Of local or sectional influence
Were the series Of laws necessary to carry out
such plan passed, the grievance concerning
current violations Of the fugitive slave law would
instantly be taken out Of the cycle Of irritating
questions that now endanger the stability Of the
COnfedeFacy.


Retaliatory legislation adopted by all the slave
holding States on the recommendation Of gen.
eral slaveholding- States Convention, would In
three months after 1t went into operation, pro-
cure the assent Of every non-slaveholding State
Legislature to such a system Of hereafter prevent
Ing abolition slave stealing.