The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1859-10-12

to aid the 81, king cause of Deanison i'll Ohio
were two men OF note-one of whom resided
In Southern, the other in North ern Ohio. One
of these gentlemen was detailed to go with Mr.
Denniscn, and to speak with him and for him
in the River counties, where bordering on Vir
ginia and Kentucky, it was presumed that the
people were willing to see the laws of the land
enforced and slaves returned to their masters
Mr.. Corwin had been a member of Mr.. Fill.
more's Cabinet and had counselled that gentle.
man to approve the Fugitive Slave Law, and
Committee to go with DR.. Dennison for the
purpose of showing that that gentleman was
not an abolitionist. and Mr.. Corwin consenting,
the appointments were all filled.
At %Ironton, Mr.. Denn;son being present,
and by his silence approving all that was said,
Mr.. Corwrn as reported in the Cincinnati Ga
sette. thus laid down the duty of citizens in
obcying the law, and of the treason committed
by those who resist it. as did the mad-hearted
Adolitionists at Wellington last Fall
"If the Marshal is resisted, who is resisted ?
Not the man hunting his negroes, but the type
and symbolof the power of the government of
viz ~ ~ oCASNo
ITY GIVEN BY THE CONSTITUTION
UNDER WHICH YOU AND I, AND ALL
OF Us LIVE AND HOLD OUR RIGHTS,
AUTHORIZES THE MARSHAL TO DO
THIS, AND WHEN WE SEETHATsAU-
THORITY CONTEMNED. WHEN WE
SEE TREASON COMMUNICATION IT
Is TREASON TO OPPOSE THE AL
THORITY OF THE UNITED STATES
I SAY WHEN THE MARSHAL is RE-
SISTED BY FORCE EVERY NAN IS
BOUND TO SEE THAT THE LAW IS
NOT RESISTED. THERE WAS MOTH
ING ABOUT NEGROES AND THEIR
MASTERS IN THIS. NO LAW COULD
BE EXECUTED ANYWHERE, IF IT
WAS ALLOWED MEN TO RESIST-IF
1T WAS THE PRIVILEGE OF THE
STRONG MAN TO RESIST THE WEAK
MAN, WHO WAS AN OFFICIAL. That
is all that there ia in it. Our people won't be
lieve it, but [ have told them so, God knows,
often enough; but they say that they won't be-
lieve it, but L tell you that it is So"
AT Belmont, Mr.. Corwin was still more em-
phatic in his condemnation of the law breakers
in generaIand of Joshua r. Giddings in parti-
cular. In his speech at that place, Mr.. Corwin,
as reported by the Gazette, said
Chat is the law and we have agreed to abide
gy Ill Il LIZ lCO1SGlulLOil1l3 dl0 II nus
be OBEYED. Young lawyers with soaped
mustaches, and a cigar a foot long in their
mouths, who had cursorily glanced verBlack-
stones Commentaries, and had read Swan on
Executors and Administrators, and perhaps
Wilcox's forms, had no hesitation in pronoun-
eng it unconstitutional; but in the face OF
soma distinguished authority IT is c~onstitn-
tional, aud is the law of the land-that the
highest and most intelligent tribunals in the
land had 50 pronounced it-so decided it, and
there can be no doubt about it. Now, it be-
ing the law, says the old fellow, 1t must be
obeyed-if it is resisted it is felony; if resist
ed with an armed force it is treason, and those
who resistit must be shot-must be hang. Some
men amongst US have a doctrine they call a
higher law doctrine, and profess that their con-
sciences are above and beyond the constitution,
and that they will not obey the law. These
gentlemen are traitors, and must be elevated to
a purer atmosphere-suspended-hung up.
It is a part of the original contract that this
constitution must be obeyed if they cant live
under it, they had better leave the country F.;
and if they can't leave the country, they had
the right to resist the law but if they do re-
sist, We must shoot them. One can imagine
tinfulls of cold ice-water thrown in rapid sue
cession in the face, and an occasional one pour
cd down the back of a poor devil, in a cold
iaoining and one can also imagine how he
would feel and look under such Treatment
judging from the appearance of the Black Re-
publicans who listened to old Tom, they must
have certainly been undergoing some of the
delightful sensations which would be produced
by such an operation.
Not only that, said Corwin, but in the ten
years the Fugitive Slave law has been in oper-
alton, not a single instance can be adduced,
where a free man has heen reduced to slav cry
by it.
As to Father Giddings, he said he was a
''good old fellow-honest old soul, but subject
to fits" as those who had read his correspond
ence with him [Corwin could know"
Mr.. Corwin repeated frequently that Mr..
Giddings had fts-"he is a nice old man, (said
Corwin,) but he has fts-he has fits" Cor
win said further that Giddings was not the
leader of the Republican party-that was all
nonsense, said he-but / know who is the lead
err; l know the man and his name is Thomas
Corwin. I am the leader Of the Republican
party"
In all his southern tour Mr.. Dennison stood
by and heard the doctrines of Giddings, Peck
&c, denounced in strong terms by Corwin, and
never uttered one word in their defence. He
himself averred, in several of the strong anti
Abolition Counties, that he was in favor of ex-
ecuting the Fugitive Slave Law, until it was
repealed.
All this time Joshua r. Giddings was cha
Eng like a tiger, thirsting for bloom. He was
not allowed to go on the stump for fear he wo'd
speak the real sentiments of his party, and
thus hurt Dennison. But that gentleman, up
on the occasion of his recent visit to Cheesedom,
found that Joshua, like him oF old, still had
power, and was not to be trihed with, and hence
Mr. Dennison, as he took Corwin into South
ern Ohio, as a witness to prove that he was
warmly in favor of the fugitive slave law, con-
Guided to take Giddings with him through a
--L-c Al. HL>-lA.R L. l.