The Portage County Democrat. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1859-09-07
The Portage Sentinel on william s,edman.

duty and his whole duty 1ia 9HIs5H sa@
The Portage Sentinel on William stedman. fr
The Sentinel of last week INDUCES in some
thing like a; personal attack upon William
Stedman. one of our candidates for Repre-.
sentative which. that paper, from the air of
its article, evidently considers perfect demo
Usher, Let rs see. q: -s7e, r.. -- s-ss-.,s .--a
The Sentinel says: civilian, Stedman, a
few years ago, followed the renowned Abby
Kelley and the Garrisonian disupionists Sc
and then goes on to give an airing to conlpe
of documents which emanated from Mr.. Sted
man, during that period of time. The first
document is dated in 1916 and is letter
from Mr.. Stedman resigning the office of JUS.
tice of The Peace, with which the citizens Of
Randolph had honored him. The voluntary
resignation of an Office. is so unusual, that it
may. indeed, create surprise, but such an act
does not imply, we are sure, a very great de-
gree of criminaity. Mr. Stedman like many
other worthy citizens. had an intense antipa-
thy to being nsed by the slave power, through
the strong arm Of the government. TO catch
runaway negroes, or to suppress servile insur-
ections and under the impulse of this feel
ing he closed his letter of resignation in these
words:
a7HWhen / shnt my door against my oppress
ed brethren fthe painting slave) or shoulder
my musket to shoot him down if he rise in-
PEELED by his own native instinct and Thirst for
liberty or in emulation of the heroes of: rs TO
assert his Independence. may God shut the
door of his mercy to me- Yours &c,
EAa- -'a4 ! .Zi3 WILLIAM STEDMAN."
Sept. 10 1886 s9rd atr : sv zI7~ef
Snch an utterance, from heart surcharged
and glowing with the spirit of liberty. may be
reasonable in the7eyes'of the Democracy. YET
better opponents and examples of American
citizenship. will regard it as al, ardent but not
very reprehensibe zeal in the cause of human
! freedom. 5oz b5s1Ts 81 g
The next document, produced by the Senti
net, is a statement made by Mr.! r!Stedman some
twelve years ago, explanatory OF his reasons
for not wishing to serve on Jury. Being
served with process by the Sheriff to appeai
as Juror, he presented himself in Court and
offered written statement giving bis reasons
for asking to be excused. AT thattime he en-
tertained conscientious scruples about engage
| ing in such SERVICE as the Qdakers do about
rendering military service; and yet the latte
have never been. Idecried as bad citizcn
or denounced for reasonable designs agains
the Government. for entertaining, or yielding
obedience TO such conscientious convictions
Besides, Mr.. Stedman in his statement averr-
! ed, that at the time he was summoned to ap-
pear as a juror he was laboring under sucl
\ physical infrmity as to incapacitate him from
serving on a jury. Judge Birchard, who wa'
upon the Bench, upon receiving Mr.. Stedman'
{ explantiop, promptly excused him. 7zs1a
i The Sentinel, with singular infatuation
seizes upon the two circumstances in MIR
;l Stedman's history above referred to- IF not t.
blacken bis reputation. at least to weaken tht
confidence of his Republican fellow citizens il
him. .,,, ., -s .,.5..., sn.,s
} The Republican party of Portage Count,
have now an interest in the reputation of VIII
! liam Stedman. BY an intelligent and patriot-
ic convention he has been fairly presented fo
the suffrages Of the people. and as he has ac-
cepted that position and its responsibilities
his party friends are bound in honor and il
! justice to protect him from the obloquy whicl
partisan ferocity may seek to heap upon him
: The political history and antecedents o
William Stedman are we'll known in this Coun
:. II.
t Convention which put him in nomination
There was no disguise, nor attempted disguise
nor is there any thing now which we wish t,
conceal. 4 rs rfa iis
Mr.. Stedmap was, originally,a Whig, an,
i, warmly attached TO the principles of that par