The Cadiz Democratic sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1854-1864, 1859-07-06
Judge RanOey and the Fugitive
Slave Law--The Islander Nailed,

ID ennison's letter to the ObeTlin rioters now in
prison in this city, which even those fanatics are
aft aid to publish, and his letter to the Cleveland
Jail delivery mass meeting pronounces its IA
Vorite a imam of moderate anti slavery views
and a conservative" while Judge Ranney, it
says, is ''aoeN fnoign as a radical anti slavery
Democrat, Of the fercer Sort." Again, speaking
Of the Fugitive Slave law, it says, that Judge
Ranney "has openly countenanced and sdvoea-
ted the QUALIFICATION Of that law, without
waiting for its repeal"
That we may do the Gazette no injustice, we
give what it submits as proof Of the latter
charge. 1t says:
That we have not misfepresented Judge
Ranney's position, the following resolutions, ell
oquently and ~strenuously advocated by him, at
a public meeting held at Garfield, Mahoning
county, will sufficiently witness:
Resolved, That we will not, under any polit.
ical necessity whatever, vote for any man, FOL
any office Of trust, honor or profit, who voted
for, or aided, directly or indirectly, in the pas
sage Of the act, or approves Of its infamous pro.
visions, or aids in its execution.
Resolved, That com life or come imprison-
~ment-come fine or come death we will neither
aid nor insist on the return Of any fugitive
slave, but on the contrary, we will harbor and
~secrete, and by all just means, protect and de
Cend him, and thus give him a practical God
speed to Liberty.
As to the speech Of Judge Ranney, on the
occasion, the Editor Of the Noble County Req.
lister says: s
"We were present at this meeting, and can
never forget the Burning iniignahon-he piU3e,.
ing satire that characterize Mr.. RS. great
speech on that occasion. His brow, knit with
rage, and his keen eye seemed to spit fire when
he hurled defiance at the law, and pledged him.
self before that vast assembly, to stand by the
habeas co,pns as the palladium of American Lib.
erty, and that no poiitcal necessity should e7er
whip him into the support Of so in famous al
enactment"
~Presuming the Gazette is serious in the charge
and equally so in the proof submitted, we viii
dispose OF both in short order.
At the time the meeting alluded to was held
j Judge Ranney was attending Court in Garfield
and had just finished a lengthy argument in
case then on trial. An anti. Fugitive Slave Law
meeting was called. and he remained in The
Court House to listen, Judge Wade, judge
Newton and others, made speeches, bitterly de.
nounc ng the law The Democrats present raj
sed a shout for Ranney, and in the call, severa'
OF the AboliIioniSts joined, as all were anxious
IT, hear him. Judge Ranney spoke but a few
minutes. but his speech, short as it was, was
damper to the nulllfi RS. He drew the atten
ton OF his hearers to the fact, that alth ugl
the Fugitive Slave bill had passed Congress-
for they had that fact bv Telegraph, yet none o
them knew in what shape it had passed. That
they had better restrain their ind gnation unit
they saw the law, and then lift was wrong and
if it needed amendment or repeal the onl,
course left was to apply to Congress. UndeI
the Constitution, that was the only tribunal
that could pass upon the matter. except the Su.
preme Court OF the United States, and to onc
Of these. if a wr ng was committed by the law,
the application for redress must come.
In no shape, by no word or action, did judge
Rannev counsel resistance to the law, and tht
assumed speech, which the Gazette copies from
the Noble County Register,- the "burning in.
dignation'' and the "withering satire" included
is but the coinage Of a lying brain. At thu
time he had never seen the law-althougt
passed it had not been published, and, as the
meeting was called on the Telegraph announce,
ment hat the two Houses of Congress had
passed the law, in all probability it was moi
then approved by President Fillmore.
The Gazette will thus see that it does grieyou,
wrong in its endeavors to bring Judge Ranney
down to the level OF its own friends, BY trying
to make a ~nullifier out Of one of the best and
most law abiding citizens of the Reserve.
In the proceedings Of the meeting, as pub
lished by the Secretary, a bitter Abolitionist
and, If we mistake not, the Editor of an Adolf
ton paper, published the name Of Judge Ran
ney as one of the speakers at tho meetiug--be
ing anxious, we suppose, to have the name of
Democrat so distinguished as Judge Ranncy
but took particular care not to tell its reader
that his speech was against the incendiary ant
multiplying course of the leaders of the meeting
Judge Ranney went to the meeting, or rather
he remained in the Court House, to hear wha
could be said in favor Of c~ondemning a Law
which the meeting knew nothing a~bout-whicI
not a single person had ever read. Called t
the stand by the Democrats present, he rebu
ked in strong terms, the denunciatory spirit Q
the factionists in denouncing, in abusive and il
threatening terms, a law, the provisions q
which, in the very nature Of things, the getterl
up of the meeting could know but little or no
thing about. "The very head and front of hi
offending hath this extent, no e."- CleUe
land National Democrat.
OJ-It will now be seen whether those reput
lican papers, that have copied and commente,
on the SANDER on Judge Ranney, alluded to i
the above, will ~retract what they have said, O
continue their falsehoods. The people will loo
with some anxiety to see what course these pa
pers will pursue in this matter. s'H
- SIT %