Year: 1860

| doout 10 take the relns OF gOYernment,are thel


mortal foes, and stand ready to trample thei


institutions under foot They have beel


told SO by our enemies at the North, ant


they would not hear US at all Now, wisl


to inquire candidly, honestly, and fairly


whether the Southern gentlemen who com
| plain so much have any reasonable ground


tor that conplaint-I mean when they ar


really informed as to our position. Ih
| Northern democrats have said we have per


sonal liberty bills in some few of cur North


ern States, that would somehow trench upoI
| your rights to re-capture runaway slaves
! position that in not more than two or three
| cases has the least foundation In fact. Bat


II these laws are really repugnant 70 the Goa


stltution, they are utterly void, and the


courts would declare them so atany moment
Therefore am glad to hear Senators on the
| other side say they do not complain OF these


bills. Your men have given up this bone Of


contention, this matter Of complaint, which


northern men have set forth as a grievance


more than any one else.


Mr.. Mason said that he said that the re-


peal OF these laws would furnish no satistac-


tion to the Southern States


Mr.. Wade-I understood the gentleman to


say he did not know as they had been IN


jured Oy them. These laws were not intend


ed to excite the South, or to put them in any


position of degradation, as the senator sup


poses. These laws against kidnapping are


as old as the common law itself [ believe


the state of Virginia has one to-day as strin-


gent in its provisions as any ofthose Of which


you complain. And here let me say, be auSe


the subject occurs to me, that the senator


from Virginia seems not so much to point
out any specific acts that the northern peo


pie have done that are injurious to your
property, as something he taxes to be dis
honor and degradation. | think | feel as
sensitive on that subject as any other man.
Ii l know myself, | would be the last man
who would advocate any law or any act, that
would humiliate or dishonor any section of
this country, or any individual in it; but on
the other hand, let me tell these gentlemen
| am exceedingly sensitive on that same
point, whatever. they may think, and had
rather sustain an injury than IN insult or
dlshonOr, and would be as unwilling to in
hlct 1t upon others as | would be to submit
to it myself. never do either the one or
the other If know it. But have already
said these gentlemen who make these com
pAd4Ltc nave lOI d IOlS eCIlC' "a CdAs AdN
this government on their own hands. may
say these gentlemen who have raised upon
this floor their bill of indictment against US,
have been the leaders Of the dominant party
for years therefore, II there Is anything in
the Legislation of the federal government
that is not right, you, and not We, are re-
sp0nSlble for 1t. We never yet have been
invested with power to control the legIsla-
tion Of the country for an hour. | know
the charges nave been made and IunG In our
ears that we have been uniaithiui TO your
fugitive slave bill. The law is exceedingly
odIous to any free people, and deprves US of
ali the Old guarantees OF liberty, that the
AngIo-Saxun race have considered more sa-
cred than anything else.


Mr.. Green said perhaps the action OF this
law had not injured any body, but he com
planned Of the public sentiment. He knew
1t was impossible to reclaim a slave IN nine
eases out OF ten, and they risked their lives
ii they made the attempt lie thought the
law no more obnoxious than any in case OF
scOundrels who rob and steal. iApplause in
the galleries. The Chair said the galleries
must be cleared If the applause was again
heard.


Mr.. Wade-Never mind, let t4em cheer
the fugitive slave law if they please.


Mr.. Mason SAID he should Insist on order
if the indignities - the Senate dl not
cease.


hir. Wade-It would be a poor remedy
for free man in humble circumstances, to
be taken under the provisions OF this bill, to
be carried where? Where ne came from.
Then he might be carried into the market
place anywhere in q slave state, aHd what
chance has he? This man may be kidnapped
and carried into everlasting slavery, and
doss any man who has a regard for the soy
ereign rights Of the states rise here and
complain that state could not make law
to protect her own people against invasion
and seizure? | believe of all men those who
have made the most OF these complaints are
the last who would rise here and deny the
power OF a sovereign state TO protect her own
citizens against any federal legislation what
ever. The llbei ty bills have been made, not
with a view to degrade the South, but with
an honest view to guard the rights Of their
own citizens from unlawful searches and
seizures ! was exceedingly glad to hear
senators on the other side say that the repeal
Of these bills will not relieve the case from
the dificulties-for have heard it every



in executing the fugitive slave
law. 1t has been said, under such circum-
stances here, that, although | was sure as to
nv own state, yet / could not
rise to say that did not believe word
Of what they were saying. never did and
never could, until our enemies here rise IN
their places and, with a magnanimity which
| commend. have said this was not SO. My
colleague (Nlr. Pugh), with magnanimity
for, which give him my thanks, has stood
forth to testify that in the state | in part
represent, republican judges, courts and ju
RES, have f1Iflled this repulsive duty with
perfect faithfulness, and 50 said the senator
from Illinois (Mr. Douglas), and SO | un-
derstood the senator from lndiana (Mr.
Fitch, to have said Therefore, this cal
umny is removed from us, so far as the state
ments OF our political enemies can do il. l
know our courts feel themselves bound to
administer the laws just as they find them.
Let me say, to gentlemen o. the Senate on
the other side; where you have lost one slave
by the unfaithfulness of legislative tribunals,
we have had ten men murdered by your
mohs against law. cannot take up u south
ern paper but | read Of men who travel for
business, whom you wait upon by some
committee and tell them to return. And
what is the cause? Why, sir, you come
from Ohio and they don't inquire what par
ty you belong to. Many of these acts have
been done under circumstances that would
disgrace savage. We have no security in
in nearly one half of this confeder-
the Gulf states. don't care
what mans character may be, and if he
never violated any law under heaven but it
he comes from the North, and especially II
he exercised his political rights and voted
ior Lincoln instead of somebody else, it is an
ofense punishable by indignity, By stripes,
and By death. And you, whose constituents
are guilty of such things, you can stand up
and accuse Us of being unfaithful to the
Consultation of the land | make the as
sertion here, that do not believe in the
history of the world there ever was nation
G: a people where law 60 repUgnant to the
general feeling was ever executed with the
same faithfulness as has been this most ro-
pugnant fugitive slave law. You have law
IN South Carolina by which you take the
free citizens of Massachusetts, or any other
maritime state and lock them up in Jail IN
der penalty. Ii the poor man cannot pay
the Jail fees, eternal slavery etares him IN
the fara II is a mGDstrous law revolving 10