The Ohio star. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1830-1854, 1852-09-01
For the Ohio STAR
That Tnfnr1mation

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Mr.. EDIToK:-"T The Portage County
wing answers my inquiry as to its author
ity for saying that John P. Hale, if elected
President, would swear to support the Fnoi.
tive Law" by saying that he wvuld have
to take an oath to "pfeservs, protect and de-
tend the constitution, and faithfully execute
the Office of President; F" that the Fugitive
Law is on the statute book. and, of course,he
must see that it is executed, or commit per-
jury. must say, am not satisfi cd with the
answer. The Presidents oath of office. as
General jackson said, makes him peculiarly
the protector of the Constitution, which is
the highest law of the land. Hale, if elected
! will find upon the statute book an enactment
| which the Constitution gives Congress no
right to make; and, what is more, expressly
| forbids. He will swear to "preserve, pro-
tect and defend the CONSTITUTIONS" and will be-
elected for the gerry purpose Of '.protecting"
aagGinst the encroachments o fthat uery "IaU''
There is an old rule, sanctioned by scripture
| and common sense, that a man cannot serve
God and the Devil; and when he swears that
he pierce, Scott or Hale,) will do it, he COM
mits perjury. There is no claim on the part
of the Wing" that the Fugitive "Law" is
not atr ciously unconstitutional, for that paper
has declared it SO. What will Hale do theu.-
if elected! Why, he will "protect" our
constitutional rights against gross outrage i,n-
der such .'law for he can fulfil his oath
IL no, other way. Andrew jackson once pro-
tected the constitution against an act of Con-
gress in the same manner, and he was sus-
| tanned in it by the people. Thomas Jefferson,
who perhaps understood his duty under his
oath as well as any modern statesman, did the
same thing in the case of law not half as
atrocious as the Fugitive Act, which he found
upon the statute book at the time of his elec-
ton; and he did it, to use his own language,
because he had determined hatMe act ,ras a
muLity under ihe Constitution, and he ererc,sed
HIS REGULAR POWER Of prohibiting its erecu.
ton"
Now | will submit to the people of Por-
tage County whether Thomas Jefferson is not
as good an expounder of the Constitution as
the author of that editorial in the ss Whig!"
am so confident that John P. Hale would
consult the opinion and follow the example of
Jefferson, that think I shall vote for him.
| He is not a man to strain at a gnat and swal-
low camel;" to have a tender conscience
about violating barbarous enactment. passed
by setof purchased and pe.iured traitors to
the constitution, and yet trample that consti.
tuition under his feet by the violation of his
own oath lie does not understand that the
President is an irresponsible executive ma.
chine to be worked by slave ca.chers and that
his oath to "protect" us from their liwless
tyranny, is mockery
But this is revolutionary doctrine," says
the g Whig." Well, what of that? We are
the descendants of revolutionary men, who
got US our liberties by revolution, aud, If ii is
necessary, am for defending then, by revo-
lu,ionary means. But Thomas Jefferson saws
the doctrine is not revolutionary, that the
course which Hale will pursue, is a legitimate
"exercise of the regular power of the exeeu-
tive," and that from these different con-
structions ofthe same act,by different branch
es, less mischief arises than from giving any
one Of them (the Legislative, for examp!e)
control over the others
Thomas Jefferson may have been mistn-
ken. but hope the $ Wing" will not say ha
" committed perjury" by violating his oath of
office.
Ineed not tell the 90 Wing" hoU Mr.. Hale
will pr. ceed to follow Jeffsrson's example, ,and
prevent the execution of this unconstitutional
Fugitive Law but can assure that paper,
that, if we can elect him. be will find the
proper "ways and MEANS" He will certain
ly not appoint the writer of any of its late ed
itorials. or any other 6 conscience Whig," Ell
ther as Marshall or Commissioner. He will
not have any man who thinks that the BalIi-
more Conventions had power to repeal not
only the Constitution of the United
States. but the laws of God! And it
is my opinion that he will be able to
find men to fill all the offices contemplated by
the law, who will be "honest, capable, and
faith fut TO the Constitution - with " co-scieu-
ces void Of offence tosgards man and to,oards
God" Now if had determined to go for
Scott or Pierce, right or wrong. and was COM
pelled to defend myself, I confess that my
conscience might have become so trained by
this time. that couli have helped to enshve
a human being, and then try to throw all the
blame on Congress. But as it is, hold, with
Hosea Bigelow, that whenever commit
murder, OF send back brother or a sister to
.' 'sayery's hateful hell,''
Government won't have 20 answer for il.
God will send the bill to me-" "
And though may not be so good lawyer
as the writer of the article in the " Whig,"
would rather err Oh the side of Humanity
and the Constitution with Jefferson and Hale,
than have the legal knowledge that enables
him to see no law, human or divine, but one
for slavery, and no issue now before the peo-
pie except one which is purely the offspring
of his own brain, having no reference TO the
eternity of an infamous act bearing the form OF
law, nor to the trap which is SO set by both
the bunker parties, that a direct vote of the
people is to be inevitably caught in favor of
that act, and also in favor of the passage of Z
another act which will cut out the tongue and
lock up the lips of every freeman who dares