Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1859-04-27
PUBLISHED BY
COWLES h co.
The Hiaber Law versus the Fugitive slave
Law.

long rather than resist, an enactment howey cI
odious having even the forms Of Law, there I
still point where forbearance ceases 10 te 2
virtue. aud whore men will no longer sale the
voice Of God and conscience. The Fedora
minions Of the Slave power are fast driving ui
to that point, aud the persistency and gustO will
which they aaunt the inhumOn Fugitive Ac
under our eyes, are leading thousands TO inquire
what is binding Law, whence comes it and how
acquires itforoe and vitality.
The Covcnanters OF Scotland, meeting with
arms IN their hanls, in her fastnesses and glen'
to worship God CONTRARY TO law" examined
and decided these questions SO did the Huge
nots of France, so did our Revolutionary Faith
ers, and SO must we. tL
What then isLaw and what makes il Lawl Law
says Blackstone, "is rule Of eiDa conduct pre-
sented by ths supreme pO'Oer in a State command
izg ,ohai is right and prohibiting ohat is aorOng
Here then is the touchstono by which to try q
Law, does it command what is righ and pro
hibil what is ,oroag II it does IL is Law,
that is rule Of conduct, if it does not, then il
is no Law.
But Blackstone goes further and speaking OF
the only true foundation of Law, says;
This Law Of nature being coeval with man
kind and dictated by God himself is of course
superior in obligation to any other. 1t is bind
inc over all the Globe, in all countries aud al
ali times No human laos are Of any uaiidlty
If contrary 10 this and such Of them as are valid
derive all their authority medately or immedi-
Ately from this original"
Further on he speaks foods will as reveal
ed in the Scriptures as this Law Of nature,
which lies at the basis Of all binding Law.
But who shall decide the question whether a
Law conforms to these principles or not The
State or the Courts Surely neither for they
are not mems conscience keepers, and cannot
absolve them from responsibility TO Gods tribu-
nal for violation Of His laws In matters in
volyiug no moral questions, and of this kind
are the great majority of laws they may and
should decide, and men will reverence their de-
cisions; but when they affirm that to be Law
which violates the laws OF God, then eonscienti
Gus mel, ,as did theApostles who were imprisoned
for speaking ain the name Of Jesus" contrary
to the Law Of the land, "must obey God rather
than mn"
Here then is the "higher law" which Federal
minions sneer at 1t is simply Gods law, Guii-
ed and applied by an intelligent conscience.
Try the Fugitive Slave act, which demands
that we shall not harbor a brother deeing from
cruel stripes, or a sister fleeing from unbrded
lust, or that we shall not rescue them when the
blood hounds of slavery have them by the
thrOats, try that Act we say by this standard
and what becomes of it.
Clearly it must be pronounced no Law, for
thus demanding it violates tho law of nature
and of God, and reversing Blackstone's defini-
ton prohibits what is right and commands what
is wrong.
As well claim that the Law commanding a
worship of the golden calf, or that other to
which we have referred, "forbidding the disci-
pies to speak in the name of Jesus, were wor-
thy of obedience as this They all violate the
"bgher law" aud are therefore no laws
True, despotie powerenforced those OF which
we read and enEorees this, bat THE eniy Prevas
that mlguU 10 ofovu stronger than right.
We know that from the day when Mr.. Seward
in the Senate publicly affirmed the existence of
a" higher law down to this, shareholders and
their Northern dough-iaced allies have thrown
up their hands in holy horror at the doctrine
And wbyl Simply because they well know that
chattel slavery and the Fugitive act can stand
the test of no such law.
Before it shackles fall off, the God ordained
relations of husband and wife and parent and
child are hallowed and respected, and man made
in the image of his Maker, takes rank among
his fellows as a man and not as a thing.
The fathers of the Republic recognized this
"higher law as applicable to slavery, aud trem-
bIed for the future.
Said JefIerson, in his Notes on Virginia,
speaking of it,
"Indeed trsHlble for ,ag country lOhe7 re
Rect that God is Just, and that his justice cannot
sleep foYeDsr; that considering numbers, ma
ture and natural means only revolution of the
wheel of fortune, an exchange of situation is
among possible events, and that it may become
probable by supernatural interference.
"Ihe Almighty has no attribute t0hich can take
side toHh US IN such a contest,
Said Patrick Henry in letter to Robert
Pleasants, January 49, 1873;
"Beieps me, IshGH honor the QuakGrs for their
noble efforts 10 abolish siGDery II is debt 1oe
Oi0e 10 tae purity Of our religion 10 shOi0 that 1t
is at Uariance Nth that iaD that Warrants siape
Ty."
In 1887, an Abolition Society was formed in
Virginia, of which Robert Peasants was PreSi.
dent. This Society sent memorial to Con-
gress headed "The Memorial of the Virginia
Society for promoting the Abolition of Slave
ry," Of which the following is an extract
" Your InemOrialists, fully believing that
'rghteousness exalteth nation and that
slavery is not only an odous degradation, but
an outrageous piOiat.OR of one Of The most essen
tai rights of human nature, and utterly repHg-
nant 10 hs preeepts Of The gospel lOhioh breaihs
peace on earth good ioiH 10 men, lament" dc.
These declarations of the Fathers of the Re
public might be multiplied, but enough. That
"higher law still exists, and shall yet grapple
with this hydra-headed monster and throttle IT,
Living we will believe il, and dying, If die we
shall before that day arrives, our faith in its
coming shall never wayer.
Further Troubles ia Utah.
The presence of the U 3. Army in Utah,
49,. -,1 Ironf flo,.s - q, o,,A ~