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Show 308 LIDERTY AND RLAVF.RY. of freemen," will reverse this advice of his, and rcaflirm the decision of the chancellor of his owll State. Nay, wherever there exists a freeman with a real heart and conscience, there that decision alt·eady stands affirmed. As Mr. Seward's arguments are more fully elaborated by Mr. Sumner, of Massachusetts, so they will pass under review when we come to examine the speech of that Senator. In the mean time, we beg leave to lay before the reader a few Jiving examples of the manner in which the law of nature, as written on the hearts and consciences of ft·ccmcn, bas expressed itself in regard to the points above considered. "I recognise, indeed," says ·the IIon. R. C. Winthrop, of Boston, "a power above all human law-makers and a code above all earthly constitutions! And whenever I perceive a clear conflict of jurisdiction and authority between the Constitution of my country and the laws of my God, my course is clear. I shall resign my office, whatever it may be, and renounce all connection with public service of any sort. Never, never, sir, will I put myself under the necessity of calling upon God to witness my promise to support a constitution, TilE FUGITIVE SLAVE LAW. 309 any part of which I consider to be inconsistent with his commands. "But it is a libel upon the Constitution of the United States-and, what is worse, sir, it is a libel upon the great and good men who framed, adopted, and ratified it; it is a libel upon ·washington and Franklin, and IIamilton ani! Madison, upon John Adams, and John Jay, and Rufus King; it is a libel upon them all, and upon the whole American people of 1789, who sustained them in their noble work, and upon all who, from that time to this, generation after generation, in any capacity,-national, municipal, or state,-have lifted their hands to heaven in attestation of their allegiance to the government of their country ;-it is a gross libel upon every one of them, to assert or insinuate that there is any such inconsistency! Let us not do such dishonor to the fathers of the Republic and the framers of the Constitution." Mr. Ashmun, of Massachusetts, after reciting the clause in the Constitution which demands the restoration of fugitive slaves, proceeds as follows: "This reads very plainly, and admits of no doubt but that, so far as fugitive slaves are concerned, the Constitution fully recognises the right to reclaim them from within the limtts |
