Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1859-05-13
g sons OF Liborty i,'---Isonariss OF NIr. cid
dinna.


At the meeting of the People iu Jefferson ON
the 7th, favorable to immediate and energetic
action in reference 70 the trials pending before
the u s District Court Of Northern Ohio for
offences under the Fugitive Slave Act, the Hon.
JosHuA r. GlDElNes introduced a constitution
for the Order Of the "Sons Of Liberty" revived,
of which Order he gave the following historical
sketch
It was important in times like the present,
that we should look 10 precedents, TO the action
OF our Revolutionary ancestors, men immortal
ized in history, their conduct would furnish safe
rules iorus TO follow under like circumstances.
They passed through scenes like these with
which we arc now surrounded similar in prin-
ciple, but differing widely in degree rofer
TO the "Stamp Act" when an attempt was
made to tax the colonists by compeIlinr the
people to buy stamped paperof tue governments
| It was an ehcroaChment upon their rights Of
property; but bore no comparison to The outrage
D pbn liberty, inflicted By this enactment; yet il
was an encrOachment upon their rights an al.
tempt to tax them without permitting them TO
be represented in Parliament. The Fugitive
Law taxes us for purposes which we hold in
adherence, in utter detestation, The compel
| ling people OF Ashtabuia county to pay the eX.
penscs OF seizing and carrying slaves FROM Ohio
to Virginia aud North Carolina, is u thousand
times more revolving, than to pay the same
amount TO support Goyernmont in Germany.
! But this tax TO carry back slaves is nothing
compared to that provision which shocks our
sensiblities at seeing a fellow man robbed Of
his liberty, ourselves compelled TO aid in the
perperation of the crime, made to rivet the iron
upon his limbs, and hand him over to his tor
mentors, and compel hlm 10 drag out miseTa-
! ble existence, thousand times more horrible
than death itself rH
But our fathers would not submit to the
Stamp Act; shall we submit to the despOtism of
this slave actl We are greatly embarrassed in
| opposing the obnox,ous law. SO were they
! There is a strong feeling, deep hostility TO this
act A gentleman from Portage county the
other day, told me there were two tho1sand
men ready to march, OF do anything else to re-
lieve the prisoners at Cleveland, and put down
! this insult to our moral seusihiltics; and such
is the case here, and in alr the Counties of the
/ Reserve The popular heart swels with indig-
nation, each individual feels and expresses il /;
but this feeling avas little until concentrated,
united, and guided in some well, defined chan.
mel OF operation.
Such was the case in New England in l755
! Our fathers were excited and indignant They
| felt their rights were outraged. The Stamp
! AGL udu pdASGVs JdAsu AAlktIbol VI NtW Ia
ven, happened at that time To be in London
He sought an obtained the appointment Of
stamp master He landed at Boston on his re-.
! turn and bore himself as became a supcrcilious
olfcehOlder. Soon rs he had reached New Ha
ven, town meeting was called, as has been
done here this evening. They passed resolu-
tiOns requesting him ~ resign. NOrwch, New
London, and Weathersfeld did the same he
refused He probably felt as Judge Wilson,
Attorney General BelIen, and Marshal johnson
now feel, that the Government is on their side,
and they hold the people in contempt So said
Ingersol Our fathers saw the necessity OF
union, of concentrating the public Indignation
the same as we feel it now.
To effect that object Dagget and Thurman
and other parties conceived and established the
order called "The Sons of Liberty" 1t was
composed Of ardent Wings they hsd no
tories among them Each knew those who
belonged to the order. They consulted tOreth
er aud acted together. Comparatively few were
willing to unite and thereby incur danger of
treason under British law. Thank God we have
no such fears But gOodly number united.
and acted
Ingersol started from N Haven TO ~ to Hart
ford at the Governing of the Legislature. As he
drew near to Westfeld, he met four men riding
two abreast, each holding staff newly cut from
the forest, peeled and looking white 1t wa;
one of the insignia of the ORDER which lngcrsol
did not understand Soon after he met sixteen
others riding two abreast each with bis peeled
staff They opened to the right aud left and In
gersol passed on his way. Soon af er he met
five hundred, preceded by three tfumpelers, and
two officers in military dress They opened
right and left, Ingersol passed on to the cen.
ter, when they wheeled their horses and rode
to the village with Ingersol in their midst
Ill
| Tho Sons of Liberty" also dismonntng, gath
cred around him, and the leader informed him
that he must then and there resign his 0tice -
81 will wait the orders of Government" +" said
| Ingersol To which the leader responded iu
language worthy "Son of Liberty, "RGIc IS
! The GoDCrnment % said he The office holder
was astounded. He supposed that a feeble old
man who sat on the throne at Westminster
with a bauble on his head, and a sceptre Of less
potency than peeled cane in his hand, COusLl-
tuted the government. Such too, is the view
of Office holders at this day. Tney believe that
james Buchanan is the GOUeTRmcntl They
think at least he and his cabinet and the Su-
preme Court, and Congress, constitute the Gov
ernment Poor mistaken souls,' They are
all our servants: ] have often told them in the
language of the Sons of Liberty 'Here IS the
GODsrAmeHt!' that The People are the deposit
aries of power! Here resides the sovereignty
OF the nation Each individual constitutes a
component part Of the government l would
that freemem should understand their dignity
aud power. The government is ia our hands
and we afe not in the hands of the government.
Those farmers of Weallerstield had thought of
this matter. They were conscious OF their dig
nifty aud lngerso then saw their powers "if
/ refuse what will follow said he "YoUR
FATE % said the leader of the patriots. these
| two monosyllables reached his heart. IL was
the determined language of the patriots
these words should reach the heart of Buchau-
an and every servile office holder, who at
tempts te enforce this fugitive law | would
send these words thrilling through the heart of
every slave-catcher, commissioned by James
Buchanan, or acting upon the impulse of tile
Prince Of Shareholders. / would say TO them,
if you attempt to enslavo a man here on this
Western Reserve, "gour fate" will follow AS
in Congress, ! say to night, It the slave catcher
pCllutes my threshold with his footsteps / will
strike him down: be he Shareholder or buputv
Marshal, his fate shall tolioloi These two words
will constitute one Of the appropriate maxims
for 1.-THE Sons of Liberty" whom propose to
arganlze tonight -a
When Ingerso heard them, a new world
seemed TO open up to his frightened imagina.
ton. THE cause" said he ais not worth
dying ngfor'-Language which many slave-catch
ing doughlaccs aud Deputy Marshals Of our
State would utter If the people, or one
tenth part OF the people would firmly
and kindly whisper "yOlr fate" in their ears
" l resign" said mgersol "Swear to it." said
the leader, Ingersol demonstrated Then,
said the leader, shout Liberty and ProDerfy," +"
three times; and lngersol opened his pr1iane