The weekly Anglo-African. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1859-1861, 1859-11-26
PERSONAL LIBERTY BILL I'm OHIO.

The following petition, which we find
in the "Anti-Slavery Bugle," is now being
circulated for signatures, and will be pre-
sented to the General Assembly of Ohio:
To the General Assembiyof the State Of Ohio:
The undersigned citizens of Ohio re-
spectfully ask the repeal of all laws and
parts of laws which make distinctions be-
tween the citizens of the State on account
OF color, and also that you will take the
preliminary steps necessary to secure the
alteration of the Constitution of the State,
by striking out the word white where it
occurs in the fifth aud ninth articles
LEGAL VOTERS. OTHER PERSONS.
To the Honorable, the General Assembly Of the State
Of Ohio
We, your petitioners, citizens of the
county Of - and State of Ohio, do most
earnestly but respectfully petition your
honorable body to enact a law which shall
fully protect every inhabitant of this State
in his inalienable right to liberty, and which
shall efectualty abolish kidnapping and
man stealing on the soil of the State of
Ohio.
o. S. A. S. OFFICE CLEVELAND, Oct. 90
EDITOR OF THE BuGLE: Allow me, through
your columns, to make the following an
nouncement The above petitions have
been gotten up for general circulation by
the Executive Board of the Ohio State An
ti-Slavery Society. The importance and
necessity of an efficient and stringent law
for the protection of personal liberty in
Ohio, can be plainly seen in the infamous
cases of kidnapping which almost daily
take place in the southern part Of this
State. The kidnapping of Day, of Early,
and others, and more particularly of Oil
yer Anderson, which occurred but day or
two since, are fresh in the public mind.
The laws of this State which make un-
just distinctions among its people on &C
count of color, whether constitutional or
statutory, ought and must be altered. These
laws are abhorrent to every feeling of JUS
tice, humanity, and right. They are but
the relics of barbarism, usurpation, and
despotism. They are disgrace to the
great and free State of Ohio. 1t is, too, to
be remembered that the next Legislature
will have large Republican majority, and
many of its members have been elected in
part by the labor and votes of colored men,
and may we not confidently hope that this
body of freedom will give to colored men
their ciUil and political rights.
The Board has large numbers of these
petions printed, which can be had by ad-
dressing the Secretary of the Board at
Cleveland. 1t is sincerely hoped that the
friends of humanity and justice will send
for these petitions, and see that they are
fully and thoroughly circulated in every
neighborhood in Ohio We ought to get
at least one hundred thousand names to
these petitions, to be laid before the Leg
islature next winter.
When these petitions are as fully signed
as possible, the friends having charge of
them are requested to send them to the
following gentlemen at Columbus: John
Booker and James Poindexter, who have
agreed to take charge of them, and put
them in the hands of such members of the
Legislature as will not only present the
petitions but will do all in their power to
have the prayer of the petitioners granted.
G. H LANGsToN,
Cor. Sec. En-. Board