Dayton daily empire. [volume] (Dayton [Ohio]) 1850-1865, 1859-08-02
Is the Republican Party an Abolition
Party

rarity
1t is quite common thing TO hear Re
publicaOs ~ this section Of the State declare
that it is unjust to brand them with Aboli-
tionism They claim to be conservative
party in favor of ODE dienoe to the constitu'
tiOn and opposed TO resistance to law. The
opinions OF Thomas 'Iorwin, they claim as
their opinions and vaiDly attempt to make
themselves believe that his doctrines are the
doctrines Of the mass Oft Republican Par
IT, Now the facts in the case are, that Cor
win is MT Republican and never was
Though he may pretend to affiliate with
th,m his views are in direct an'agonism u
those Of their leaders The dogmas of Gid
dings, Chase and Dennison, are pregnan,
with the rankest AboliuOnism, and they will
not recognize COrwin as a member of their
party. The Ashtabul, !, Sentinel GiddingS'
organ, publishes letter * m him to Corwin
which occupies three columns Of the paper
and is filled with inoendiary doctrines. He
counsels resistance to the Fugitive Slave
Law, even though it should plunge our coun'
try into civil war, he places the private Cit
izen beyond the influence Of legislation,
above the decisions of ofjudges and would give
him the right to oppose any law however
wise and juet it might be, if he differed from
the opinion OF the court and considered Il
be unwise or unjust. And more than this,
he declares that any one who maintains a
different position is not consistent mem
Der of the Republican Party. Dennison
holds the same doctrines. We give few
extracts from Gidding's letter He says tn
CorwIn
Ia your late speech 10 Xenia you say it is
the sacred duty of every good citizen to obey
the law, when the Legislature and Judiciary
haye decided il such. This doctrine of sub.
mission is unsuited TO our age. Republicans
hold it the sacred duty Of every good citizen
to resist despot'sm in every shape although
approved by the legislature and by the ju'
dietary, They look upon that man as al
ready enslaved who fears to speak, and acl
his own enlightened convictions Submiss
ion to despOtic power has become the dis
grace If our nation. The doctrine has be
come offensive to every friend Of liberty.
la relation to the prosecution Of Langston
and Bushnell by the Federal officers, for re-
sisting the recal tuFe of a fugitive he re-
marks
The popular mind was for time dissua.
ded from executing retributive justice; but
give it as my opinion that If the prosecution
had been continued in the spirit previnusll
manifested, those officers would have beer
k.H. ..el...s a.
say "that such an act would have been civi
war" IL would have been resistance 70
war commenced by thuse vino passed th,
fugitive act, (iOF it is no law war upUI
"human nature, a war carried on by thOs
who uphold that act and by thOse who at
tempt 70 execute it.
He further adds:
l do not object to your giving utterance t
your sentiments. only object e. your rep
resenting them a. the sentiments of the Re
publican party. am one Of that party;
detect the fugitive law; ! wopld slay AM
slave catcher who would polute my residene,
to re-eapture fugitive.
n \
Yet You would have our people surrende
their rights as state, permit their owu lib
critics TO be subyerted in order 20 show thei
respect for this fugitive act This is no
Republican sentiment ] repeat I do no
blame you for honest opinions, but you hav
no right to say that such opinions are en-
tertained by Republicans.
Such are the sentiments of one of the lead
ore of the Republican Party, one who p, r
haps cOntrols more votes than any other Q
bic associates in the State. Act upon hi
doctrines. override constitution aud the act
Of legislation, let every mau be the judg
Wheeler law is right and whether he shal
obey il, and there is an end Of all govern
msnt The greet compromise between th
north and sonlh will be over,hrown, unio
ia which alone our safety consists will b
al an end and cur country desolatsd by
eivil war too terrible to contemplate. Their
l. no conservatism expressed in bis opinions
no yielding 60 tbs interests or preference I
the southern ras, Of this ovpfedeFsoys iheE