The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1859-06-30
The statesman and Rev. Mr.. Hart.


The Statesman of the 2sd inst, contains
the following brief reply to the two.column
article of the Rev. J. c. HART, in the last
weeks Portage County Democrat. Mr.
Hart is opening the fall campaign at very
early day, but we seriously question whether
he or the Hyer, law Republicans will gain
anything by this political preaching. This
resistance of the Fugitive Slave Law is
modern doctrine and one which these Rev
erend Clergymen have learned, not from
their Bibles, but from saint Glddings and the
Oberin saints. They certainly are not ig.
norant of the fact that in the early days Of
the Republic, Congress adopted, and Presi
dent Washington approved, o Fugitive Slave
Law, which was not essentially different
from the law Of 1850; yet the Reverend
clergy of that day, nor from that day down
to the adoption of the present law, had found
anything requiring or authorizing them to
resist that law by setting up higher one.
But we have no desire to mix ourselves up
in this controversy between Mr.. Hart and
the Statesman and shall therefore, for the
present, content ourselves with giving the
reply to MIR. Hart's article:
Mr.. Hart, Of Portage County.
We find in the Portage Democrat letter
Of two coums from this gentleman, endeav
oring to explain away his address to the re.
lisious convocaion at Detroit. We charg.
ed him with, and convicted him Of unlru,h,
in saying that the Oberlin rescuers resisted
the officers because the latter conducted them.
selves like kidnuppers. His two columns
do not remove the odium which rests upon
him. His falsehood does not become truth,
because the Oberlin Professors have also
lied, and he has their equivocutions and pre-.
varications 10 cite in defence of his own
These men have all along declared that they
will resist the execution of the law. Mr..
HART declares in this letter that they will
never obey it; that they have higher
law" With what honesty, then, could he
stand up and assure his reverend brethren of
Michigan, that it was the demeanor Of the
officers that caused the rescue. He affirms,
that it is the exhortations Of such preachers
as he that prevent Judge WILSON from being
torn frc m the bench. He says;
The Statesman ard those connected with
it, ought to know, that it is the respect for
law and its ministers formed in the minds OF
the people OF Northern Ohio by the preach
ing Of Higher Law clergymen, that keeps
these feelings of indignation under control,
and enables Judge Wilson 10 sit on the
bench of the Court, TO try men for alleged
crime who are better than himself, with as
much safety us in his own house, and that
allows Beldcn to vomit out his bile upon
men who are on trial before Court of JUS
ice (D to the disgust of decent men. A
gentleman, not of the Association of Mich.
gan, said to me at Detroit, | wonder they
do not drag him Wilson from the seat,
! and expressed the conviction that it would
be right.
This is another faIsehood and the Rever.
erend utterer knows it. 1t is fear of punish
ment, and wholesome dread of public iDdig.
nation that restrain the fanatical mob and the
preachers themselves from venturing upon
further outrages. The respectable and wor-
thy citizens composing the juries that con.
victed BUSHNELL and LANcsToN convinced
these people that in spite of all their cant
and clamor justice would overtake them
The Penitentinry, not preaching, is what pre-.
vents them attacking Judge WILSON'S Court.
The fanatics and obolitioh0ts are unGer
cow, and this is what preserves the public
peace. We think this Mr.. HART had better
be silent. The less he calls public attention
TO himself and his writings and sayings the
better it will be for his reputation for truth.