Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1858-10-29
DEATH OF DRIED sCoTr.


On the 18th Of last month Dred Scott de-
parted this life. He was born a slave, and
the Supreme Court refused to grant him
his liberty, although he was taken by his
master into free State, and the decisions
Of all the courts prior to that time had de-
cided that master taking a slave into a
free State, he thereby became free. They
held that slavery was limited by the local
law, and that taking slave beyond the linn
lie Of the local law freed him. The Su-
preme Court has reversed all this, and, as
far as 10 could do 60, made slavery above
the Constitution aad the paramount law
Of the land. This decision has made
bred Scot. an historical parsonage. His
nsme is now inseparably connected with
the iniquity by which that decision is
known. He has gone to a Court whore
the black man and the white man alike are
to be judged for the deeds done in the
body. The Syracuse Journal thus records
the
Death OF GA Thing.s
"A thing died in st. Louis on Friday
last It bore the form of man--had a
head, arms, hands, trunk, legs, feet and fea-
lures, like the rest of US, but it had a black
skin, and therefore was not human. 1t
breathed, walked, ate, talked, slept as we
do; il was capable of emotion Of pleasure
and pain; it was qualified to Judge be-
tween the right and the wrong; it was re-
garded by the Great Creator as a moral
agent but for all this il was thing and
not being. At least, so sud the highest
tribunal in the land--a tribunal from
whose decisions there is no appeal!
The history of this thing is familiar to
every reader. For the sake of distinguish
ing it from any other thing, it was called
Dred Scott--just as horses are called
"Jack Rossiter" ard "Ethan Allen" or as
bulls are called "Washington," and "Wcll-
ington." OF itself, it was an humble and
q modest thing, that never excited notice,
much less notoriety, and that courted neith-
or. 1t laborsd hard in its day and genera
ton, though it received no compensation
for its labor beyond sufficient amount of
food to keep it from starving, and just
enough Of raiment to cover its nakednoss.
II endured buffetings without an answer
1t was beaten with many stripes, yet it did
not rebel. Its flesh was often torn and lac
Grated BY tho cruel whip, but no murmers
were mingled with its groans. 1t lived o
mock and patient thing, and so it died!
We said there was no appeal from tho
decisions Of that tribunal by which this
thing, SO like the rest of us, was diycsted
Of its humanity. We recall the assertion,
and acknowledge our error. No appeal =
There are two-one to the People, whose
hearts are over with tho outraged aud the
oppressed, the other to Him in whose sight
the judgments of men are as bubbles on the
sea, and rs yapors in tho air. Before the
kindly tribunal of public sympathy shall this
thing called Dred Scott be confessed man
and a citizen, while in the impartial Court
Of Heaven it shall gain verdict oven moro
liberal--rights even more glorious.
The name Of Dred Scott is one that will
be immortal. Upon tho same psge that
chronicles the illustrious deeds of Washing
ton, the heroic death of Warren, tho fervid
eloquencs of Webster, the rocket flights of
Calhoun, upon the same page where these
are chronicled will DO written that in the
person Of negro called Dred Scott the
most exalted tribunal of the Confederacy
whose foundations were laid by tho Pill
grim Fathers, decided that negro is neith-
er a man nor citizen, nor has he any
rights Uhieh white man is bound 10 re-
spset! The medium through which this
strocious principle was established was in
nocent Of any attempt at distinction. He
did not seek to become famous at tho
expense Of our national reputation. He
did nos desire that through him the fore
head Of the radiant Goddess Of Liberty
should receive stain Of infamy. 1t is
through no agency Of his own that he is TO
be remembered. But so long as the Amer
lean Government shall stand, SO long as is
annals are preserved, so long as it shall
live in the memory or exist by tradition,
90 long shall the namo Of Drcd Scott be q
familiar name. His poor body, which ha,
already commenced to moulder in tbs
grave, will be turned into dust, but there is
no oblivion for him. From this time for.
ward will Dred Scott stand ns the type Of a
class OF people whom God made rational
ssntisnt, accountable, but whom man ha:
wantoEly driven even beyond the pale Of hu
uabity!
There should be a monument at the
grave Of the lowly negro whom Death ha:
non rslisysd. Some kind hand should at
tend 10 this last duty--ths last thing that
poor Dred win ever claim. Let. at least
. modest stone be fashioned, and let il
bsar these words: "Here lies one who wa:
neither man nor citizen, and who had
no rights that white man was bound %
rsspect." And then let the dead be lefl
with his God and with the futurel