The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-06-09
ANTLFUGITIVE-SLAVE LAW CONVEN
TON IN OHIO.


week We now present sketch of its proceed
ings, including the substance of the declaration
and resolutions adopted. 1t will be seen that
they are in the true spirit of Jefferson Democ-
racv The first resolution is taken literally
from Mr. Jefferson's writings.
We particularly commend the remarks of
Governor Chase to the attention of our readers
They embody the very soul of wise and patriotic
craftsmanship.
From the Cleveland Herald
The Elyria train brought in six loaded cars,
and in about half an hour afterwards the train
from Oberlin brought in thirteen loaded cars.
Seven crowded cars came in on the Cleveland,
Columbus, and Cincinnati railroad. From the
Lake Shore railroad came in sixteen carloads
of delegates to the Convention. The Cleveland
and Pittsburgh railroad brought in five car
loads. and the Cleveland and Mahoning railroad
brought in nine crowded cars. The railroads to-
day did not bring less than $500 people to the
CONVENTION.
The delegates from the eastern lake shore
1owns, from Wellington and from Oberlin, with
their aeighboring towns, formed in procession
at the depots, and marched to the Public
Square.
Mr.. Giddings having been elected President,
the following Vice Presidents were appointed !:
John Z. Converse, Geauga; John +. Morse,
Lake; George II. Howe, Trumbull; Joseph De
Wolf Portage; James Dumars, Mahoning; j.
w. Vance Knox; Jacob Heaton, Columbiana;
James Monroe, Lorain; Herman Garfield, Ne
dina Sidney EdgertOn, Summit; DIR. A. ID.
Skillenger, Huron ~ Wentworth, Ashland !;
Felix Nichols, Cuyahoga.
Letters were received from the Hon. Cassius
NJ. Clay, the Hon. William Dennison, jun, of
Columbus, Thomas Spooner Of Cincinnati,
Philip Dorsheimer of Buffalo, James A. Briggs
of New York, and others.
The Hon. Edward Wade made a brief speech,
full of telling hits and good humOr. Mr.. Wade
has no very exalted opinion of Chief Justice
fancy aud the plant majority of his Bench.
He spoke of the fugitive slave law-its nature,
ats constitutiOnality, and its binding force. Be
cause a Judge, not in the line of his judicial
duty, prOnOunces an enactment law, that does
not make it law. He is not to make law, but
10 look at it as it has been made. What is the
Supreme Court, and what is Justice fancy
Why | wish the crowd could look in upon the
Supreme Court, as / have done, and tell you
your bump of veneration would fall right in.
Laughter You have seen, in passing farm
er's barns in the early times of the country,
The sides of his barn and out buildings covered
with the skins of coOns and other animals. The
Supreme Court has much the same appearance
and the same nature as these dried parch-
ments
Mr.. Giddngs made long speech, advoca-
fling Immediate action in regard to suing out a
writ Of hd6edS corpus for the release of the I'M
tried prisoners. During the course of his re-
marks, he asked all who were willing to submit
20 tyranny to speak. There was dead silence
The question was then put, as to their DISPOSE,
ton to resist tyranny after all legal means had
tailed, and laundering Yes came up from
all the crowd. Mr.. Giddings said he should
like TO hear that voice in every dale and forest
IN the land, chasing the Democratic party to
the very gates Of hell itself For the benefit OF
the Democrats present, he would say he was
willing to try every legal means before proceed
ing 70 the last extremity.
Mr.. Giddings added:
Il would not wait one hour for the decision
Of the Supreme Court, but could obtain process
from the nearest judicial officer and, if | could
direct its proceedings, would have the prisoners
brought at once to the stand, and there, in the
presence of the people, would have them re
leased that all may witness the process by
which the citizens of Ohio are set at liberty
when imprisoned under the fugitive act"
In a subsequent note, addressed to the
Cleveland Leader, Mr.. Giddiags defines his ex
act position.
my position has been, now is, and probably
will be while live, that when the forms of law
shall filil, and peaceful resources exhausted,
would maintain the Liberties of our citizen,
against the fugitive act by force"
At this point Governor Chase arrived, anC
his appearance was greeted with tumultuou.
cheering.
j. NJ Root addressed the meeting. He sale
that the Fugitive Slave Law was not passed t.
catch runaway niggers, but to humilitate til,
North-to make it eat dirt.
SPEECH OF GOVERNOR CHASE.
Governor Chase came forward, and was re
ceiYed with tremendous applause. Waiting
few moments for the excitement TO subside, h,
commenced as follows:
Eellolc-citizeRs A few hours ago was sit
ting In my Office at Columbus, not expecting Il
meet you here to-day. But having received
summons to attend this meeting, | felt that i
was my duty to be here and | have Therefore
come. l have not come to speak TO you word
of excitement nor to urge you to anything tina
you may hereafter have occasion to regret. Ii
every j1ncture, there are two courses open 70
adoption-the right and the wrong.
The American people have the power In thei
own hands, through the balot-5ox, to proceed
in q lawful manner TO repeal bad law; and
necessary, to reform lawmakers and law-break
ers. You can do it all, and therefore it is no
necessary to resort to any course of action tina
we cannot at all times carry out in prope
manner. What is the state of this case Me-
whom we all know and honor are incarcerate'
IN wonder JAIL for doing what they believed t
be right, and what not one man in ten thousan
can place his hand on heart and say is no
morally right. This is great wrong, but wha
Is the true method of redress? We must loo
at our own Government in the proper light
II is sovereign State, one of several State
forming a general confederation. 1t exist
under a Federal Government and under Stat
Government Now, the Federal court may d
wrong, as even State Government may d
wrong: but it is Government that We ourselVe
have made If it does wrong, we must tur
ont the members of that Government, and pu
IN men who will conform to the wishes of tn
oeople who elected them. So with our Stat
Government. If State officers fail to do thel
duty. let them be dismissed, and proper me
put in their places.
The Federal court, In prosecuting and pun
;shipg our incarcerated friends, is acting unde
the provisions of the fugitive slave act Wha
- our redress? In the first place, it is to dc
fend them, as they have been defended, abb
and eloquently, before the court where the
have been indicted. Some persons claim ths
tbe law itself is unconstitutional. If impropel
Nv male, as claimed, it is no law, and ever
stem taken under it is nullity. The prope
course, under this impression, is to apply
our own tribunals for relief.
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