Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1859-05-28

order; that the extent to which the Supreme
Court has thus compromised its character, rem
ders it Incumbent upon the people to consider
what measures are necessary TO restore that tri-
bunal TO its ancient estate.
4th. That, in the opinion Of this assembly,
on amendment Of the federal judiciary system is
indispensably necessary so that the sovereignty
of the States may be respected, and individuals
guarded from oppression As y means to this
end, II is strongly recommended that the life
tenure Of judges be abolished, and that the ju-
dicial Office be limited to term of years that
Congress so remodel the judicial circuits that a
majority Of citizen Of the United States shall
have majority OF the justices Of the Supreme
Court.
5tb That the recent proceedings of the Fed.
eral Court for this District, in producing the
conviction of persons indicted under the provi-
sons of the Fugitive Slave Law, by the employ
ment of the most dsgraceful partizan means, Is
without parallel even iD the modern history
Of depotism that the victims Of that Court,
now incnrcerated n yonder prison, convicted or
accused of "humanity to man. are entitled to,
and we hereby tender to them, our cordial sym.
pathy and to make that sympathy efIectual,
we hereby recommend
That fund be raised to be called The Fund
Of Liberty and to the end that every Repub.
lican on the Reserve may SHIRE in accumuating
that fund, that the contributions be limited to
one dollar each, the same to be collected under
the direction Of the several Republican County
Central Committees Of the Reserve, and three
commissioners be appointed by this assembly
to be called Commissioners of The Liberty
Fund, who shall receive said fund, disburse Il
for the objects named, and account therefor by
the periodical publications until there duties
are performed Simplifying any surplus to the
advancement Of RepubLicd nism and Liberty
9Th That our fellow citizens Of Lorain Co.,
who ore now in Jail waiting the pleasure of the
U. S. District Judge, for their trial. are entitled
to their liberty, and must have it, peaceably and
conformity with the rules of law
In pursuit Of this end it is
ReSotUed That Joshua II. Giddings, of Ash
tabua county, Herman Garfield, of Medina
county, and Robert +. Paine of Cuyahoga
county, be constituted committee to sue out
a writ of Habeas Corpus in behalf of said pris.
oners without unnecessary delay, and that they
address the application at their discretion, to
any judicial officer of the State of Ohio, having
power to grant the writ
7th. That the chief reliance Of freedom in
the American Republic rests in the great Re-
publican party, to which the people and the
age look for restoration of every branch of
the federal government to the pristine purity Of
Jefersonian ReppJhcauism that, stimulated as
well by the wrongs and outrages which were the
immediate occasion of this vast assemblage, as
by the late triumphs of the people over federal
power and corruption, it is the manifest duty of
Republicans everywhere to renew their united
efforts with an energy not to be remitted until
that great result be accomplished.
The Committee subsequently met, and Mr..
Giddings dissenting, decided to await the deci-
sion of the Supreme Court in the cases of Bush
nell and Langston.
Hon. Joseph NJ. Root, of Sandusky, was
here introduced and greeted with cheers, and
after a sterling address gave way to Gov. Chase
who was received with hearty and tremendous
cheers.
A few hours ago he was sitting ia his Office at
Columbus, not expecting to be present to-day,
but having received summons to meet with
them to-day, he had felt it his duty to come, but
he had not come to advise them to do anything
which they hereafter might have occasion to re-
gret. He bad not come to counsel any violence.
The American people, having the control of all
power by the ballot boxes, it was for them to
do it in their legitimate way.
1t was not necessary that we, the sovereigns
of the land, should resort to any measures which
could not be carried out at all times and under
ali circumstances.
Some of the most respected citizens of the
State whom he had known for years, had done
what they believed to be right, and which not
one man in ten thousand would look up into
the blue sky with his hand on his heart aud say
was not right they had been thrown into con-
hnement. This was wrong, and what should we
do. We exist under State Government and
a Federal Government, and if the Government
does wrong, turn it out. Dismiss the unworthy
servants and put in those who will do your will.
So with the State Governments. Take the right
course always and look to the Governments and
reform them.
The Federal Government is now acting under
the Fugitive Slave Law of which he had often
his opinion, and what is our redress
for those men who are imprisoned under that
act. The first thing to do was to ably defend
them as had been done. 1t was said that this
law was unconstitutional. If this be so, all done
under that law is null and void. He believed
when the law was passed, and believed now, that
that act was intended rather as a symbol of the
supremacy of the Slave States and the subiuga-
ton of the Free. This case has been brought
before the Courts of the State, and they are
bound to carry out their duty under such a view
Of it. If the process for the release of any
prisoner should issue from the Courts of the
State, he was free to say that so long MS Ohio
was Sovereign State that process should be
'recuted. lie was in favor of reciprocity, but
i the State Court issued papers and process, the
Federal Court must show the same Difference to
The State Court that was at other times shown
10 the Federal Court. We can reform the Ju-
iiciary, the Congress and the Administration,
md although the process may be too slow to
'uit some of the more excited of the audience,
yet none of them were so old that they might
not see the operation of this remedy He did
not counsel revolutionary measures, but when
bis time came and his duty was plain, he as the
Governor of Ohio, would meet it as a man.
lie then reviewed the circumstances of the
arrest and seizure Of the negro boy John under
q power OF attorney and this process Of a pow
er of Attorney, and this process of power of
Attorney gave to the agents of the power the
right to take John wherever he was found, al
though at that time he was a citizen of Ohio |
Consequently that paper Of authority was not
peace, but war, against citizen of Ohio.
His deliberate judgment was that no person
could be seized and captured while he was a
citizen Of any Sovereign state, under the Con-
'titution of the United States. He entered in-
10 brief analysis Of the constitutionality ofl
this law showing it to be at variance with the
etter and spirit Of that document, giving, as it
loes, the power Of the Judges to the Commis-