Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1858-02-17

higher than any constitutional sanction
l submit, if by any fiction you can
convert a child into property, it is a fact
before and higher than any human law
or Constitution. that the property of the
child is in its parents. to the exclusion
of the stranger. By enscting this Lee
compton Constitution. you would revarse
this great fact of nature, or rather vio-
late this right of nature, and declare il
lawful to steal from The parent his child.
Il you will by law degrade one portion
of the human family into chattels, for
Gods sake do not by law reduce anoth
er portion to the still. lower level OF
thieves. After you shall have enacted
your statute, will not the law of the
stone table still stand. "Thou shalt not
steal?" After you shall have enacted
your statute, declaring it lawful to send
little children TO the auction block Tor
sale, will they not still be as sacred.
whether an African or an Indian, a Flu
ropean or An American sun first burned
upon them. as they were in hat day
when the Nszarene, whose intense holi-
ness shed majesty over the manger and
the straw, said: "Suffer little children,
to come unto me. for of such is the king
dom of heaven?"
In keeping, sir, with the atrocious
provision OF this Lecompton Constitution,
declaring property in man. is the furth-
err provision, which declares ''that all
FREEMEN. whsn they form a social compact,
are equal il rights" By adopting this,
we are asked 10 say. that the self evil
dent truth of the Declaration, that "ALL
MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL" is a self-evi-
dent liz; a glittering generality; a rhet-
orical flourish. unconstitutional and un-
democratic; that the self evident truth
now in these latter days is, that men are
not created, but. like Topsy. they grow;
and THEY are equal in rights only .'wben
they are Tree, aud form a social com
pact" Allow ME to ask the advocates
and supporters of this Lecompton bill
of rights-lhis new declaration of self
evident truths-what rights men have
before they are free, and before they
form a social compact? Are they then.
by endowment of their Creator. posses
sej OF the rights of life and liberty? Or.
outside Of your social compact, is there
inferior class of human beings, "who,"
the majority Of the Supreme Court
said in the bred Scott decision, "have
RIGHTS or privileges but such as those
who hold the power and Government
may choose TO grant them?" This is
the precise principle. the bald and athe
istic averment, of this Lecompton Cons
tituIion; and We, by aft rmirg it. are IN
ly to become tie avowed upholders of
the stupenduous lie, that one class of
men have no rights which another are
bound to respect; and hence. the par
tial and exclusive provision of this instru-
That no freeman shall be taken or
imprisoned. or disseized OF his freehold,
liberties. OIL privileges, or outlawed. or
or in any manner destroyed or
deprived of his life, liberty, or property.
but by the Judgment of his peers or the
law Of the land"
mo FREEMAN" the words OF necessi-
ty import that any person not a freeman,
any slave, any human chattel, may be
taken and imprisoned, disseized of his
freehold, liberties, and privileges. cut
lawed, exiled. and murdered without the
judgment of his peers, and without the
protection of law. That this instrument
may want in no feature of horrid cruelty,
it is further therein provided. that free
negroes shall not Be permitted TO hps in his
State HRdsr any circumstances" Sir. they
are mere visionary theorists who sup
pose that this world was no, made for
Caasr, but for man-that it belongs on
" TO the common Father of all. and is
for the use and sus!tnance Of all his
children. By our afirmance of this in
strument, we are to say to certain hu-
beings in the Territory of Kansas,
though vou were born in this Territory,
and born Of free parents, though you are
human beings. and no chattels, yet you
are not free to live here upon your native
heath; you must be disseized of your
freehold, liberties, and privileges. with
out the protection of law. Though born
here, you shall not, under any circum-
stances, be permitted to live here. You
suffer exile or death-you cannot
and shall not live here. That sky which
you first saw, and to which weary men
look up for hope and consolation-that
beautiful sky which bends above your
humble home like the arms of bene-
ficence, clasping in its embrace the
evil and the good, the just and the In
just-that sky was not made for you;
you shall not live under it. This land,
this goodly land, with its fertile fields,
and quiet wa'erS. and rustic homes,
where you first learned to lisp the hal
name of father. sister, brother.
and where sleeps in humble hope the
sacred dust of your poor dead mother
land was not made for youi you
shall not. under any circumstances, be
permitted to live upon it; go hence, new
err more TO return: that is our law. Rep
re~sentativesi will you give to this pro
posed strocity your official sanction?-'
Answer upon your oaths. to your con-
science, to your country, and to your
God!
A match was made yesterday, be
Tween a couple of merchants in this city,
to ak so times around the Queen City
Race Track The match is for $500 a
side. the one who accomnlishes the dis
lance in the shortest time, to take the
Each deposited 500 to bind
the match; the the contest TO come off
before the second week to March.-Cin-
Com.