The Fugitive Slave Bill. - Who passed it?
It is manifest that an effort is making to convert the passage of the Fugitive
Slave Bill in 'political capital,' as the phrase goes against the Whigs of Massachusetts.
We think it will turn our a poor investment. The bill is quite as obnoxious
to the Whigs of the State as to any other citizens, and if any modification
or repeal of it can be effected, it can only be done by them and their coadjutors
from the North. If the Northern members had presented a true front against it,
the measure would have failed. But there were thirty Northern members of the
House who voted for it, and by their votes is was passed. Let us see where the
responsibility lies.
The following are the Yeas and Nays in the Senate.
YEAS.- Messrs. Atchison, Badger, Barnwell, Bell, Berrien, Butler, Davis of
Miss., Dawson, Dodge of Iowa, Downs, Foote, Houston, Hunter, Jones, King, Mangum,
Mason, Pearce, Rusk, Sebastian, Soule, Spruance, Sturgeon, Turney, Underwood,
Wales, Yulee- 27.
NAYS- Messrs. Baldvin, Bradbury, Chase, Cooper, Davis of Mass., Dayton, Dodge
of Wis., Greene, Smith, Upham, Walker, Winthrop- 12.
Yeas from the Free States- Messrs. A. C. Dodge and Jones of Iowa.
And both of those gentlemen are Democrats. Not a Whig Senator from the free
States gave it a vote.
In the House of Representatives the following members from the States voted
for it:
WHIGS- Messrs. Eliot of Mass., McGaughey of Indiana, John L. Taylor of Ohio-
total 3.
DEMOCRATS-. Mane- Messrs. Fuller, Gerry, Littlefield- 3.
New Hampshire- Messrs. Hibbard and Peaslee- 2.
New York- Mr. Wahen.- 1.
New Jersey- Mr. Widrick- 1.
Pennsylvania- Messrs. Dimmick, Job Mann, McLanahan, Robbins, Ross,
and Jas. Thompson- 6.
Ohio- Mr. J. K. Miller- 1.
Indiana- Messrs. Albertson, W. J. Brown, Dunham, Gorman, McDonald-
5.
Illinois- Messrs. Bissell, T. L. Harris, McClernard, Richardson, Young-
5.
Michigan- Mr. A. W. Buel- 1.
Iowa- Mr. Leffler- 1
California- Mr. Gilbert- 1. Total 27.
Total Ayes from Free States, 30.
Thus it appears that while three Whigs voted for the bill, twenty-seven
Democrats did so and carried it.
The three Whigs referred to are not sustained at home in their course- cannot
be and will not be. And yet the whole force of the Freesoil press is brought
to bear upon the Whig party, while the authors of the scheme, the perpetrators
of the act, received no condemnation. The reason of this is too apparent. Party
ends are sought after: and they who thus find no adequate language for the three
recreant Whig members, are actually forming coalitions with the other party,
which furnished TWENTY-SEVEN votes for this law! This is an imposture upon the
intelligence of the public. Why, one of the very men who passed the bill through
the House, was Wm. J. Brown, the Locofoco member from Indiana, for
whom Hon. CHAS. ALLEN voted for Speaker, in opposition to ROBERT C. WINTHROP.
Politics make strange fellowships.
It is notorious that the Whig Senators and Representatives from the free States
exerted themselves, to their utmost, to engraft upon the measure THE RIGHT OF
TRIAL BY JURY. They were voted down. But they will try and try again; and whatever
of hope there is that this ancient privilege of our race will receive the favor
of Congress and become attached to the law, lies in electing Whig members from
the North to the next Congress. |