True American. [volume] (Steubenville [Ohio]) 1855-1861, 1857-04-15
The Dredd Scott Case in the Ohio
Legislature.

Report of standing Committees on Fed
eral Relations, to whom was referred
the resolution of Mr.. Kelley of Frank
lin, and various petitions relative 10
the recent decision of the Supreme
Court OF the United States in the bred
Scott case:
Your Committee submit that so far as
they are able to comprehend the force and
effect of said decision, it, among other
things, na'ionaizes Slavery, annihilates
the hel e!ofore conceded right of the free
States to jnhibit that institution asserts
that there is no power in Congress or the
people of the UnIed States. or of the
Territories, to exclude slavery sanctions
the monstrous propositions that man can
hold property in man shuts The courts
of justice TO hundreds of thousands of ma.
tive born ciizens, assumes that the black
man has no civil rights and dooms every
foot OF scIE to the curse of Slavery, and
that rrevocably.
Your committees assert that this case
has no parallel in wickedness in the his.
tory of the world, Verrus was contented
to lay waste few insignificant provinces;
this decision deals with a nation, yea, an
entire race.
1t imbrutes and inhumanizes the race
and with sublime touch of Vandalism.
1t rlthlessIy strips human beings Of rights
God'glven, and hand them over to be de.
voured by human beasts of prey.
Such now is declared BY the high est
judicial tribunal in the land to be the
mission of the Constitution of the Unit ed
States.
If so, better far that it had never been
written. This decision, however, is con.
lrary TO all preconceived notions OF that
instrument.
The Union of the States under the
Federal compact. has heretofore been re-
garded as combination of so many inde-
pendent sovereignties for fixed purposes
and definite objects. States upon enter
ing the confederation, were not supposed
to have surrendered any of their local
rights as independent Governments.
These ;hey have cautiously reserved.
They delegated to the General Govern.
ment certain powers believed to be in har-
mony with their reservations. The OBJ.
lect to be attained was not a strong, over.
shadowing central Government, which
should efface State lines and obliterate
State institutions but one which should
efectually secure to all these States, Sc
curity from foreign aggressions, immu-
nifty from domestic divisions, and protect,
foster cherish and perpetuale civil and re.
llglous liberty, and the rights of all man
kind. These as old as the constilu.
ton, are all in.detail, dissipated by said de-
cision.
1t becomes us then as citizens of Ohio,
calmly yet firmly to lake our position and
abide the consequence.
Ii we ride out the storm, well; if we
go down, better thus than tame submis-
sion to such consummate wickedness,
Three times-once by the ordinance of
81, once by the Constitution of A. d.
1902, and once by our present constitu.
lion-has the territory of our State been
forever consecrated to freedom. Now,
however, we learn that those instruments
were a cheat, delusion, and mere rope
of sand.
We learn that our own Ohio, instead
of being in fact free, is in effect Slave
State. The mighty sin against God, and
the giant wrong against man contemplated
by that decision, must not and shall not
be consummated in Ohio,
1t attempts to force upon us an instilu.
ton, hated, loathed, and execrated by the
whole civilized world and by no portion of
the earth with deeper and more abiding
detestation and adherence than by the
people OF our State.
The men and women of Ohio regard
Slavery with loathing which no words
yet coined will express. This accursed
institution may be planted upon soil, and
interviewer with our institutions, but not
until every valley, every plain, and every
hill side is redeemed with the blood and
whitened with the bones OF our sons,
brothers, husbands and fathers.