Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1859-05-27
DECLARE:

I
and
DECLARE:
Ist.-1lat the several States composing the
United States of America are not united on
the principle of unlimited submission to their
general government, bat that, by compact, I'M
DIR the title OF j Constitution for the United
States, and Of Amendments t~hereunto, they
constituted a general government for certain
definite powers, resarving each State to Itself.
the rcsiduary mass ofright to their own self
government; and that whatsoever the general
government assumes undclegated powers, its
acts areunauthoritatiye, void and of no force,
and being void, can derive no validity from
mere judicial Interpretation; that to this CON-
pact each State agreed as q State, and is an
integral party; that this government created by
this compact, was not made the exclusive or
final judge of the extent Of the powers as dele
gated to itself, since that would have made its
discretion and not the Constitution the measure
Of its powers; but that, as in all other cases
o~fcompact among parties having no common
judge, each party has an equal right to judge
for itself, as well Of infractions as Of the mode
and measure Of redress.
2d-Tbat the law commonly called the
Fugitive Slave Law Of 1850, was in the opin-
ion OF this assembly, passed by Congress in the
exercise of powers improperly assumed, and
bad it been presented az an original question
to a wise, impartial. and independent Court.
must have been held to be in conflict with the
Constitution, and therefore voID,
@d.-rhat one of the most alarming svnlp-
toms ofdcgeneracy in the General Government
is the plant subserviency of the Supreme
Court Of the United States TO the objects of
party politics, thus greatly diminishing that
public confidence in the j Judiciary so essential
to coed order, that the extent to which the
Supreme Court has thus compromised its char
acter, render it encUmhent upon the people
to consider what measures are necessary to
restore that tribunal to its ancient estate.
4th-That in the opinion Of this assembly
an amendment of the Federal Judiciary svs-
TEN is indispensably necessary, 50 that the
sovereignty Of the States may be respected.
and that individuals may be guarded from op
preston. As a means of this end, it is strong
~ recommended that the life tenure of iudres
be abolished, and that the judicial office be
limited to 4 term Of years; that Congress so re-
model the judicial circuits. that a majority of
the citizens of the United States shall have a
majority Of the justices of the Supreme Court.
5th.-That the recent proceedings of the
Federal Court for this district, i'll producing the
conviction of persons indicted under the pro- /
visions of the Fugitive Slave Law. by theem- |
ployment ofthe most disgraccful partisan means
is without a parallel even in the modern history
of despotisms; that the victims of that Court
now incarceratcd in yonder prison, convicted
Or accused Of humanity to man. are entitled !
to, and we hereby tender to them, our cordial
sympathy; and to make this sympathy e~ficctuaI,
hereby recommend.
That ii fund be raised for Tie relief and i'll
Identification, TO be called the Fund Of Lib
crfy,@ and to the end that every Republican
on the Western Reserve may share in accu-
mulating the fund, that contributions be limi-
ted to Orc DcNlr each; the same to be coIlec-
ted under the direction of the several county
Committees Of The Reserve; that three
Commissioners be appointed by This assembly.
% be called Commissioners Of the LiberfH.
Eind; who shall receive such fund, disburse il
OF the objects named, and account therefor.
~ periodical publications until their duties are
performed; applying any surplus to the advance
nent of RePubicanisn2 and Liberty.
Gth.-That our fellow citizens of Lorain
who are now in jail awaiting the pleas.
ire of the u District Judge for their trial.
re entitlcdto their liberty, and must have it
'eaccably and in conformity to the rules of
lw. In pursuit of this end it is resolved. that
oshua r. Giddings, Of AShtubula county. and
herman Garfield, of Medina county, and Rob
TT f. Payne, Of Cuyahoga county, bc consti-
ltod q committee TO sui otit the writ of ha- |
cas- corpus in behalf Of said prisoners. without
delay, and that they address the
pplication at their discretion to any judicial
1icer having power to grant the writ. t.
7th-Ihat the chief reliance of freedom in the
.merican Republic rests in the great Repub-
IAN party, to which the people aud the age
ok for the restoration of the Federal Gov +
nment to the pristine purity of JeiIersonian al
publicanisn; that, stimulated MS well by the
rongs and outrages which were the immedi-
e occasion of this vast assemblage. as bv the hs
tie triumps by the people over Federal pow
and corruption, it is the manifest duty of
epubIicans everywhere to renew their uni
| efforts with an energy not to be RENTED II
that great result be accomplished. az