Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1859-05-10

bfIice It's cases are upon every Federal dock
ct its decroes in the records Of every Federal
CJuit
la ono point of view these Government trials
are not without useful results The Fugitive
Slave law has always been odious, but nothing
short of a trial under il could fully exempily
its develish atrocity. That has been eilectually
done now. We see the very intent Of The
enactment carried into practical operation -
That it was atrocious that it was conceived
in spirit which neither feared God nor re-
garded man that it violated the fundamental
principles ct all law that il placed mans
liberty below a sheep in legal valuation ;--'that
it was intended to overthrow, in the case Of
every colored man whom claimant might
seize, the writ of Habcas Corpus, often the
citizens shield aud buckler against lawless
violence; all this was well known before. It
needed the actual exhibition of the law in one
of its aspects TO give us a realizing sense of its
character And the acting has been equal to
che drama
The conception Of the authors of the law
could mover be more perfectly filed and de.
vcloped than it has been in these eases in the
construction of juries the department and
rulings ofthe Court the trickery Of the Mar
shal, and the processoning Of Marshal, Depu
ties and bumbaiifs Even the supes have
acted their parts TO admiration.
Another gratifying result has followed these
proceedings against the men Of Lorain. Men
utter their indignation against the infamous
law and the officials who adminstert, in tones
of hearty indignation. Such expressions come
from quiet men, not noisy politicians The
Fugitive Slave Law would have lost half its
claims to our abouence, if it had lain dormant
and not been enforced in a manner as oppres
sive as it is odous in the eyes of all good cit.
zens
That enactment is utterly null and void
Forty Supreme Courts cannot make il COnsti-
tutional The casuistry of a thousand lawyers
cannot make it 50. On such a question the
common sense Of non. professional men is quite
as reliable as tae logic OF Attorneys trained to
the indiscriminate defence of right and wrong
The Judgment and the natural feelings of unso-
phisticated men revolt against IT, It's uncon-
stitutionality was declared by Daniel Webster
in his speech of March z, 1850. The uncoH-
sttutionalty of similar legislation was estab-
ished by Salmon p Chase, in his argument in
the Supreme Court in the Van Zandt case -
an argument, as we once before remarked,
worthy to rank with the memorable one of
Alexander Hamilton, in the People u.s. Uroswell.
Mr.. Il. Barnwoll Rhett, Of South Caro- ina, fire
eater as he is, has denounced it as unconslitu-
tional
Talk Of respect for the Supreme Court Let
that Court then make itself worthy OF respect
How did jefferson respect its affirmar ce of the
Constitutionality of the Sediton Law How
did Andrew Jackson respect its repeated decis.
ion, that the Bank of the United States was
Constitutional How do the people of Ohio al
this hour respect its decision respecting Bank
taxation in our own State! No The deci-
sions of the Supreme Court Of the United States
have boon rererscd and OiH be again -Summa
COMntN Beacon