Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1859-04-30
THE ANTI-SLAVERY BUGLE.

By the Fugitive Slave Lava law enacted by
a government unques,ionnbly the tool of the slave.
power, whose seat of legislation is uton slavehold.
ing territory, and whose officials mus, of necessity
be more or less contaminated by the slave a,niOs'
phere they breatbe-any person who aids ID The
escape of q fugitive slave is subject to a fne OF not
over $1,000, and imprisonment not exceeding six
months, beside q forfeiture Of $1,000 to the mdster,
the assumed value Of the slave. From the stand.
point of the Southern States, from that of the
Federal Constitution, as well as from that Of the
laws of 1913 and so, it is seen that the STAKEHOLDER
has been desp6iled of his legal property worth
from $500 to $500, and for this he demdnds salts.
faction, and obtains it by fne ahd ibi ptisonment.
Ohio prides herself upon being d fee state
She has declared that Leither slavery, nor invol'
untary servitude-except for crime-should exist
within her borders. She makes strong pretensions
to democracy, and has claimed to regard with pro-
found reverence the doctrine of mans equality.
One would hardly expect of her, laws partaking in
their character of the injustice and oppression of
the Fugitive Slave Act. One would hardly sup
pose that while c%ondemning the oppression and
outrage of the National Government as NANTES.
ted in the fning and Imprisonment of her own
citizens for aiding in the escape of f%ugitives, she
would, at the same time fine and ~impriscn other Of
hor citizens for simply expressing an opinion that
n colored man has the right to vote-an act which
does not deprive any one Of his legal property as
does the other. One would hardly expect, that
while with the one hand she signs q protest
against the execution Of the Fugitive Slave Law,
with the other she writes a Warrant authorizing the
execution Of her own Black Law. And yet such
is the feet.
During the progress Of the Rescue Trials, a citi'
Zen of Portage County, was SO democratic as to
advise a colored man to offer his vote O. a Town,
ship election. For this he was arrested as q crimi.
nal, and bound over for trial under a lava Stale
law, mind you-which proposes to punish the
crime by q fine not exceeding $500, and imprisoni
ment not exceeding six months. Talk abou. the
outrages involved iI the execution of the Fugitive
Slave Law! So far as the white man is concerned,
and taking into consideration its antecedents, and
remembering that it was enacted by the Federal
Government, and is executed by it, this last, if rot
the blacklist of Ohio Black Laws, is a greater out.
rase-a greater indignity. 1t is a foul blow
struck BY the ruling hand of our own household.
OpiO VI cAiO " tuh auOut
invoking State authority to protect them against
Federal outrage. Should Ohio resist the fines, OF
by some means prevent their collection, and un.
bar the prison doors OF the rescuers of John, the
freed prisoners would have to walk with the ut
most circumspection, for should their sense of Jus.
tice prompt them to say to the man they had saved
from slavery, John, you have as good a right to
vote in Ohio as if your skin was white, and we ad.
wise you to do it at the next election" the property
which had been protected against the grasp of Fed.
eral officials, would be seized by State authority,
and the doors of the prison DO r~e.opened for the
admission of men who had dared to violate the
Black Law of the State, and so far forget what
was due the Authority of the State government, as
to advise a colored man to vote.
Now what is to be doneP Are Ohioans to res;s,
the authority of the Federal Government in ths
one case, but submit to that of the State in tb,
otherf Are they to be indignant when Washing
ton oficials fine and ~imprison them, but submit
t with becoming decorum when Columbus official,
do the same thing' Is an outrage under the U. S
District Court to be regarded az more of IN out
rage than one perpetrated by the authority of the
General Assembly of Ohio?
The code of Ethics held by anti.slavery puliti.
clans is a strange thing, and we by no means pro,
TESS to understand it. 1t declares the slave trade
with Africa piracy, but legalizes that with Virgin
ia and Kentucky. 1t is opposed to Slavery in the
Territories. but upholds 1t in the States. 1t cried
out against Brooks when he hogged Sumner in
Washington, but sustained the plantation rule
under which he logged women in South Carolina,
1t may be that according to this code. ii is perfect,
l.. ,.-lA - s-H .
of John, but highly improper to expose the char
acter of oppressive State laws; If So, we hasten
to make all proper apology for what we have said.