Newspaper Page Text
£!)c dxftfrgm Citizen.
Extra.
L. r. W. AIXDItEWS, Editor.
MACON, GA., NOV, 14. 1850.
(rood News from Washington!
We anticipate our usual day of publication, to ,
lay before our readers and the public, the following
important letter received last evening, by our fellow
. tizen, Dr. Robert Collins, from the President of the
United States, in reference to the l ; ne of duty which
the Chief Magistrate of the Nation has determined ,
O
to pursue, in the matter of the fugitive Slave Law. |
A’l honor to Mr. Fillmore, for this noble and frank
expression of “opinion, in favor of the prompt and
faithful execution of the Laws and Constitution en
trusted to his keeping ! But we must reserve fur- ;
ther comments until the period of our regular issue : !
Letter from the President!
.Jhbert Collins, Macon, Ga.
Department or State, ) 1
Washington, November 9th, ISoU. }
Sir l a:n instructed by the President to iuform you that
your letter of the 2d last, addressed to him, enclosing several
slips from newspapers, in reference to the proceedings ot a
port >n of the community in Boston, on the subject of the Fu
gitive Slave Law, was received by him yesterday, and tiiat he
has given to the letter and its enclosure's, a careful perusal.
You state, in substance, that you are the owner of Crafts,
one of the Fugitive Slaves for which warrants of arrest were
issued in Boston, and ca'l the President s attention to the en
closed slips taken mostly from Northern papers, by which he
will perceive the manner in which your agents were received
and treated for merely asking that the slaves be returned ac
cording to the Laws of the United States. That they have
been arrested under various warrants, as kidnappers, and on
o or frivolous pretences, and unreasonable bail demanded ;
and that your friends have become thei r seret'cs for more
than $20,000.
You also say, that the manner in winch the officers have
performed their duty will appear by the slips; and that the
warrants now lie dead in the Marshal’s office. You then
speak of the pernicious eff et of such proceedings, and of thetr
teudeecy to disturb the harmony of the Union, and of the
great importance of having the law faithfully executed ; and,
finally, inquire “ whether it is not in the power, and is not
the intention of the Executive of the United States to cause
tl’v.t law to be faithfully and properly enforced ?”
To this the ?r- ident directs me to reply, that you cannot
he more deeply impressed than he is, with the imponnnee of
having every law‘aithfully executed. Every statute, ‘a this
country, passed in accordance with the provisions of the con
stitution, must be presumed to embody the will of a majority
ofmepeepsi o; the L : and r. • ..uY.. is e:.fi:k. 1 to tli.'ro
speet and obedience of every true An . . \:i eiti.- a : and the
constitution u tli the President has sworn to support,has ma le
it his especial duty “to take care that the laws be faithfully
executed.” lie has no thought of shrinking from his duty, in
this or any other case; but will, to the utmost of his ability
firmly and faithfully perform it.
But how is he to cause the laws to be executed ? First, by
appointing proper officers to fill the various offices and ds
; charge their various functions with diligence and fidelity ; and
if any shall be found incompetent or unfaithful, by removing
them, where he has the power of removal, —and appointing
more competent and faithful officers in their places. And
secondly, in extreme cases, “ whenever the laws of .he Uni
ted States shall be opposed, or the execution thereof ob
structed, in any State, by combinations too powerful to be
suppressed by the ordinary course of judicial proceedings,” or
by the powers vested in the civil officers with the posse which
the law authorizes and requires them to call to their aid, it
-wonid be his duty to call forth the militia, and use the army
end navy for the purpose of overcoming such forcible com
binations against the laws. But, in either ease, prudence and
justice require that there should be more satisfactory evidence
of official delinquency, or forcible resistance, than mere ru
mor, or newspaper statements; and yet these are all which
have been furnished in this case.
If any Marshal neglect to perform his duty, the law giKevs
a right of action to the aggrieved party for the injury which
he may sustain ; and if he refuse to perform it, the statute
has imposed upon him a severe penalty. But if he refuse or
wilfully neglect to perform it, when this shall be satisfactorily
made to appear to the President, then, in addition his liabili
ty to the aggrieved party, it would doubtless be the duty of
the Executive to remove him from office, and appoint another
in his place. But your letter contains no proof of the kind,
and therefore seems to require no action. It is equally clear
, that no case is presented justifying a call upon the militia, or
: the use of the army to execute the laws ; and the President
has so much confidence In the patriotism and devotion to the
laws which have always characterized a large majority of the
people- of Boston, that he cannot fur a moment believe that
it will ever be necessary to call in any extraordinary aid To
execute the laws, in that community.
Individuals may become .excited, and may in the heat of
j the moment, offer resistance to the laws, but he has no
j doubt that in such event, so much to be regretted, that the
t good sense of the community would soon rally to the suppo..
I of the civil authorities, and that those who sustain the law
1 would triumph .• hut he directs me to assure you, that if, uii-
I fortunately, hefihall find himself mistaken in this, aud the
j painful necessity should arise, he is resolved to perforin his
’ dutv bv employing all the means which the Constitution ami
Congress have placed at his disposal, to enforce the law.
As to the complaint that your agents were unjustly pros
ecuted, aud held to bail in unreasonable amounts, for preten
ded offences, the President directs me to say, that however he
may regret any such injustice and incivility, he is not aware
that he has the power to remedy the evil. If the complaints
against your Agents be unfounded, the defenders will doubt
less be acquitted, and if malicious, they have their remedy in
an action for a malicious prosecution. But all these are ju
dicial questions over which the Executive can exercise no
control, and the evil complained of results from the acknowl
edged right of every individual to prosecute any one for an
alleged offence or violation of right.
The President feels the importance of avoiding, as far as
practicable, a'l causes of irritation between the North and the
South, and especially on the exciting subject of Slavery.—
Were lie permitted to advise, he would suggest to all, the
importance of permitting the laws to take their usual course ;
and that every thing like intimidation and illegal or unjust
annoyance, should be scrupulously avoided. Every effort
should be made to cultivate a fraternal feeling. We should
be a people of one interests and one sentiment, knowing uo
local division, and tolerating no sectional injustice. Our
Union, so dear to the heart of every true American, can on
ly be preserved by a strict observance of the Constitution,
and on impartial administration of the laws.
I am, Sir, respectfully,
Your obedient servant,
W. S. DERRICK,
Acting Secretary.
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