Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1858-01-22

to the security Of personal liberty. The
slave power have made their demand as
promulgated by Broeks---a southwest cor
ncrdemocrat--- his bA 'ao repeal tho act
prohibiting confinement Of fugitive slaves in
our county jails.n Tho aiscrtion,of Judge
fancy, that niggcrs have no rights which
white men are bound 70 respect, il only
cquallcd BY tho acts of the nigger lccofocos
who proceed upon tho hypothesis that white
men in Ohio have no rights which slave
holders arc bound to respect; hence, they
seek to throw open our iails for the confnc-
ment Of the painting fugitive as he fees from
his mercilcss task-masters; and not this on
ly, they would make every froemen of Ohio
slave catcher Democratic law of this
State now assert that the slave owner is at
perfect liberty 10 go and come on Buckeye
soil, with his human chattle as he sees fit
Oh the 18th the House went into com
Mr. Monroe, of Lorain, made a strong and
manly speech against it. Three other Re-
pubicans spoke against the BILL among them
Mr.. Parsons, of Cuyahoga, from whose re-
marks we make an extract
MR. CHA1RMAN:-I trust, sir for the hon
or of our State, and the honor of our com
mon community, that this bill will not pre-
vail. The repeal Of tho law asked for, is
not petitioned for, so far rs we know, by a
solitary voter. Not even a single petition
from all the broad limits Of our. State has
asked that our jails and prisons shall be re-
opened for the confinement Of painting fu-
gitiyes from slavery. No, sir To our ev-
erlasting honor be it said, NOT ONE! Not
even the ghost of such petition has haunt
ed this chamber. And yet we are asked by
a gentleman on this floor to repeal law un-
asked for, uncalled for undeSired by vast
majority of the people of this State.
AT this moment, while the blood of the
murdered child of Margaret Garner still
crieth for vengeance; while the insulted
majesty Of the State, outraged and tram
pied upon by the action Of the Federal Gov
ernment in that case is still fresh in our
minds, | cannot bring myself to believe that
SCHll0IliCn upOH blliS llOOT VIII NONS W IT,
open our jaiis and prisons, built from the
products Of our labor, that they may "crook
the pregnant hinges of the knee" to the fed
cral authorities, by incarcerating unfortunate
negroes whose only crime consists in having
ran away from state of slavery, to breathe
the air of aohat aOas once land of freedom.
Sir, do not intend to occupy the time
Of this Legislature by any extended remarks
upon this subject The constitutional points
involved in the case, have been so clabora-
ted by my friend, the honorable member
for Lorain, that do not deem it necessary
to occupy the time of the House by reitcr-
ating or adding 10 that part of his argu-
ment. | did intend to make some extend
ed remarks upon the constitutional question
involved in this matter, but it is now useless.
| will not charge the gentleman from Lo-
rain with stealing my thunder, for the thun-
der is all his own; but he has taken the
thunder | would have used, and am glad
he did, for he used it with more ability and
force than | could possibly have denc. IT
may be well for gentlemen to ponder this
question in their minds, however. How
much longer shall the plea Of the federal
constitution be allowed to override the last
remnant of ,Nortbern rights and Northern
interests2 How much longer, ,sllenced by
this plea, shall we tamely submit to the ut
ter annihilation Of every right dear to the
hearts of Northern freemenl
l will not, sir, even glance at the Infamous
Dred Scott decision, byywhieh almost the
last vestige of State rights aud State sover-
eighty is swept away. will not harrass
the ymindslof gentlemen by reference to the
tyrannical attempts of the National author
tiles, to force the unwilling freemen of Kan
sas-but / will appeal to every citizen and
son of Ohio, who loves the mother that has
borne or adopted him, to join with me in
arresting by every means tho expressions q
ne stage posoer upon our own soil.
As one by one, vestige after vcstigc, Of
State, rights and State sovereignties is swept
away by the rapid inroads of National au-
thorities- one after another of the sacred
rights of freemen disappear under the
blightof slave aggression--as the last bright
spot in the horizon Of State rights and State
sovereignty is about to be overshadowed by
the dark clouds Of Federal power | do trust
that this Legislature, true to itself--true tc
the people they represent, will stand ereci
insthis matter, and say, that the day fo
sla0e aggression and sld0e triumph on Mc
sol Of Ohio as gone for e0erl,oit,,Ii,lg
I regretted 70 hear the gentleman from
Hamilton, in speaking of the passage ot
the law asked 10 be repealed, call it childish
and spiteful legislation. regretted for hi>
own sake, to hear him say that the Fedora