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by American Anti-Slavery Society

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Title: The Fugitive Slave Law and Its Victims
Anti-Slavery Tracts No. 18

Author: American Anti-Slavery Society

Release Date: November 9, 2004 [EBook #13990]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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THE

FUGITIVE SLAVE LAW

AND

ITS VICTIMS.

AMERICAN ANTI-SLAVERY SOCIETY,
138 NASSAU STREET, NEW YORK.
1856.

ANTI-SLAVERY TRACTS. No. 18.

* * * * *

THE FUGITIVE SLAVE LAW, AND ITS VICTIMS.

* * * * *

The Fugitive Slave Law was enacted by Congress in September, 1850,
received the signature of HOWELL COBB, [of Georgia,] as Speaker of
the House of Representatives, of WILLIAM R. KING, [of Alabama,] as
President of the Senate, and was "approved," September 18th, of that
year, by MILLARD FILLMORE, Acting President of the United States.

The authorship of the Bill is generally ascribed to James M. Mason,
Senator from Virginia. Before proceeding to the principal object of
this tract, it is proper to give a synopsis of the Act itself, which
was well called, by the New York _Evening Post_, "An Act for the
Encouragement of Kidnapping." It is in ten sections.

SYNOPSIS OF THE LAW.

SECTION 1. United States Commissioners "authorized and required to
exercise and discharge all the powers and duties conferred by this
act."

SECT. 2. Commissioners for the Territories to be appointed by the
Superior Court of the same.

SECT. 3. United States Circuit Courts, and Superior Courts of
Territories, required to enlarge the number of Commissioners, "with
a view to afford reasonable facilities to reclaim fugitives from
labor," &c.

SECT. 4. Commissioners put on the same footing with Judges of the
United States Courts, with regard to enforcing the Law and its
penalties.

SECT. 5. United States Marshals and deputy marshals, who may refuse
to act under the Law, to be fined One Thousand dollars, to the use
of