Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1859-05-10
SPIRIT OLE THE PUBLIC PRESS



in the remarkable cases now pending In the
Federal Court at Cleveland, a fair subject
for scrutiny Never was such zeal displayed in
procuring the conviction Of pirates, mail rob.
bcrs or coinere, has been exhibited against
some thirty.hve reputable citizens Of Lorain
County, guilty Of an act intrinsioally wrong
guilty OF no turpitude,-but at the most and
worst, only Of a technical violation Of the Fugi-
tive Slave Law Of 1850.
Men naturally ask, how is it that the Fugitive
Act Of 1850 has swallowed up all other penal
legislation of Congressi Why is il that the
whole energies of the Government are put forth
for the enforcement Of this law; 80 that Hs in
fraction in one jot or title, is visited by instant
pursuit; while the pirates who bring Slaves
from the coast Of Africa into our Southern ports,
arc subjected to the iaintest and most languid
make believe prosecution, and discharged TO
new criminal enterprises of the same nature7--
Whence this zeal for lao in particular cases of
this sort, and such wilful blindness to frequent
infractions Of our neutrality laws Such ques
tiops might be multiplied An answer may be
found by examining the predominant tendencies
and impulses which peryade the administration
and its subordinate officials throughout the
country Let US briefly consider the matter
l. The administration Of Mr.. Buchanan is
the creature Of the ultra Slave party of the
South The clay in the pottor's hands is not
more plastic, than is the President in the hands
Of those with whom Slavery is the Alpha and
Omego of politics. BY the turning ofa finger,
| they mould him into vessel of dishonor at
their will Mr. Buchanan by inclination too,
as we'll as position, is wholly devoted to tho
interest and policy of that powerful faction 49,
Such, for mary years, has been the record of his
political life Their friendships and their an
imosities, their desire and their aversons have
been his; and these at this day find exact ex-
| preston in the particular acts, as well as in
| the general policy of his administration. But
| throughout the whole country is a legion of
subordinate officials Postmasters, Collectors In.
| pectors Tdewaiters, Marshals Deputies, Clerks
| holding = rir offices by Executive appointment,
direct O. Indirect whose official life is only in
the air of ofPresidcntal favor. Not more certain.
" nor scarcely sooner does the Electric wire
convey its messages, than the impulses of the
Cabinet radiate to the remotest official within
our boundaries, nor does the registering instru
ment record the telegram more faithfully than
every "servant Of the Crown obeys its man
dates The prime law Of official life is political
obedience in thought,wcrd and deed. The mere
naked and honest discharge of official duty is
insufficient but the functionary who desires to
retain his place must be animated with the same
spirit aud stimulated by like zeal 10 pursuit OF
the same purposes as his employers 1t is at
this moment, the sentiment Of the fire eating
Slavery prOpagandists which is visible in the
conduct ofthe Government prosecutions at Glove
land
2 The hatred ofthe Slavery faction towards
all Anti Slavery men has never been disguised
They tolerate 20 dissent. Instances in illustra-
ton Of this might be given without number
That of Joshua r. Giddings, who for twenty
years was the target for all manner Of insult at
their hands; or that of Charles Sumner, stricken
l. la ,,,I. L.. 1
| in his seat in the Senate Hall, may suffice The
people of Northern Ohio have long been obnox-
ous to them, not only becluse our Representa-
| tives in Congress have stood sturllly for free
| dom, but because, here, as much at least as any
| other section Of the Union, the And Slavery
sentiment Of the people has found free and
healthy utterance To humble us into obsd
ence to a law we abhOr, would be indeed a tri
umph for the oligarchy
1t is not without abundant grounds one may
assert that prime object Of these rescue pros
ections is to are the refractory men Of Northern
! OhiO-who have way OF thinking for them
selves and speaking AS they think-to awe them
into abjeCt submission to the fugitive Slavr
| Law;--and more than that TO the demands uI
| insolent Slave hunters, like this miserable Ken
| lucky bOat, Anderson Jennings. A timil man
| desiring TO lead ga peaceful life in all honesty
and godly sincerity" might, iii the pains and
penalties fthe Fugitive Law were impressed on
his mind by q near example, hesitate to qu s..
ton the authority resist the capture hy
awless kidnapper, even of anegro known to Lc
| free.
3. But an alternative result would be scarce
y less desirable 10 the prosecution, and its pro
@ffrs RsSf At IN 9ew A ba bRs 6sS
be too stubborn to be dragooned into tame and
implicit obedience, they may possibly possess
| a spirit of resistance-some of the old fire of
'76--whch will prompt them to kick against
the oppressor. Especially the insolence Of au.
thOrty exhibited wantonly and frequently, NAV
exasperate them-sober, law loving people
though they are-into some outbreak of wrath
against "the constituted authorities" How
this would enure to the advantage of the pre-
slavery faction is plain to be seen. Law defy
ing rutfans who scoll at penalties against the |
slave trsde--men who fit out slavers for the |
African Coast-would hold up their hands in |
holy horror at the " abolition rebellion against |
the government" We do verify believe that |
much of the insOlenGe and brayado manifest
ed on these trials has been prompted by this |
motive-in the hope that, the limits of human
patience and forbearauce being reached, an on
slaught and rescue by the people might be pro
vOked. What a capital electiOneering issue it |
would furnish to the Democracy of Ohio, could |
they divert attention from the great Stale and |
National issues and discuss some other question
Instead of being upon the defensive upon all |
points, as they now are, they would be clam. |
orous accuseTs. Charge them with their thou |
sand fold cor uptions their extravagance their |
subseryiency to slavery they wond reply |
"anti slavery is rebellion, and some fools would
swallow it. Such a reaction in favor of pro- |
slavery democracy the government officials |
l1Ouid produce if they could
But incidentally, there is another stimulus |
to the extraordinary zeal of the Federal Off. |
cials in these trials. The fees of Marshal and |
Clerk are enormous, and the United States Gov |
ernment pays the bills. No fear that in a case |
of hiS kind their costs will be too closely scru
tlnized. We have no means of knowing what |
amount Of costs, to 90 to the pocket of the |
Marshal aud Clerk, have accrued in these cases, |
but Judging from At other, 1t must be very large
and We presume they are duplicated and multi |
I edby every conceivable device which ingenu. |
lty can invent. prosecution is now peading |
IN the same Court in which the costs amount, /
as we have been told, to more than $4,000
We think we have shown, imperlecty, per
haps, bat with tolsrable eearness, the real pur.
poses and motives of these malignant prosecu-
tlons The hllibusters are not punished be
cause the junto that controls the Government
has no hostility 70 fllibusterism The Slave
importing pirates go unwhipt of Justice, be.
cause Slave traders like Slave breeders are
friendly to "the institution" But five and th,r-
ty God.fearing citizens Of Ohio, men devoted
TO peaceful pursuits and of unLlamed life and
conversation, are to be pursued, harrassed, i'm.
Prisoned and despoiled of their goods, because,
in the exercise of ordinary Christian charity,
they rescued a black man from a gang of ruf.
fans whom thew had every reason m haIiaya |