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and supposed he had let himself out by the day as a catcher of fugitive slaves. I know something of the feelings of Southern gentlemen as to this class of men. They are necessary evils. They use them as we use spies, informers and deserters in war; they use them, but they despise them. I remember being in one of the chief cities of Virginia, and passing a large, handsome house, when my friend said to me, "There lives perhaps the richest man in our town, but he visits nowhere, nobody notices him. He is looked upon with aversion. He is a dealer in slaves! He keeps a slave-market, and pursues fugitives!" They look upon this occupation with as much contempt, aye, with more contempt than we seem to now; for there is a higher spirit in their aristocracy, than in the ruling classes of our Northern cities at this moment. This was the feeling of Mr. Davis, when he spoke to Sawin. This is the feeling of every man of honor. He wished a man whom he knew, to be engaged in a more respectable business. I have said the same. I saw a man I knew in Court the other day, letting himself by the dollar a day, in slave catching. I begged him, if he could find any honest mode of getting a living, to abandon it. _The Commissioner._ Did you know him to be engaged in his legal duties? _Mr. Lunt._ A very improper remark! _Mr. Dana._ I venture to suggest not. The remark was with reference to the future, and not to the present. _The Commissioner._ I see no distinction between attempting to deter men from executing the law and assisting in violating it. _Mr. Dana._ I am sorry I cannot see the impropriety of it. Perhaps I have not made myself clearly understood. Mr. Davis expressed his opinion that the man had better be in better business. _The Commissioner._ It was equivalent to saying to the officer that the execution of the law was a mean business. _Mr. Dana._ That I propose to argue. _The Commissioner._ On that point, the defendant himself intimated in his cross-examination, that the expression was not used as an observation in general. On being asked whether the remark was not said with regard to his business, he replied, yes. _Mr. Dana._ I did not so understand it. He intended to say this--Mr. Sawin, you and I are old acquaintances. You are not obliged to do this business. It is mean business. Why do you volunteer in it? This is what I myself have said, and what every high-minded man must feel. _Mr. Lunt_ here intimated that
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