The Kansas herald of freedom., 1859-07-23
n,o,,,ns,o,l,st,,or Of Gov. ch....

Byosraphieai>sks of Gov. Chase. I
We find in the aNew American Cyc-
opedia," now in process of publication
ny Appleton & Co., n. Y, the following |
interesting biographical sketch Of Gov.
SALMON P. CHASE, of Ohio. tits worthy
IF perusal
"SALMoS PORTLAND CHASE. an Ameri-
can statesman, born in Cornish, N. ID
Jan. Ii, 1905. When he was seven years
I'D his father removed to Keene, where
Salmon pursued his studies as school
boy. Two years later his father died, and
when II years old he went to Washing
ton, Ohio, where his tuition was superin-
tended by his uncle, Philander Chase.
then bishop of Ohio. He then entered
Cincinnati college, of which his uncle had
meantime accepted the presidency, gain
my shortly after his admission promo
ion to the sophomore class. After about
years residence in Cincinnati, he re-
turned to his mothers home in New
Hampshire, and in 1924 entered the ju-
uior class of Dartmouth college, where he
was graduated in 1926. In the succeed
ing winter Mr.. Chase opened classical
school for boys in Washington, having
among his pupils the sons of Henry
Clay, William Writ, Samuel L. Southland.
and other distinguished men of that day.
Soon after closing his school in 1899, he
was admitted to the bar of the district of
Columbia, for which he had qualified
himself under the direction of MIR. Writ,
during the time he was discharging the
duties of teacher. In the spring Of 1880
he returned to Cincinnati, where he has
ever since resided, except when interrupt
ed by official duties, and pursued the pro.
fession of the law. While struggling
through the early embarrassments OF pro-
fessional life, Mr.. Chase prepared an edi-
ton of the statutes of OHIO, with copious
annotations, and a preliminary sketch of
the history of the State in three large vols.
Svo. This edition soon superseded all
previous publications Of the statutes, and
is now received as authority in the courts.
Aided BY the reputation thus required, he
soon gained valuable practice, aud early
in 1884 became solicitor of the bank of
the United States 10 Cincinnati, and not
long after of one of the city banks. La
1887 Mr.. Chase acted as counsel for a
colored woman claimed as fugitive slave,
and in an elaborate argument, afterwards
published, controverted the authority of
Congress to impose any duties or confer
any powers in fugitive slave cases on State
magistrates, position in which he has
since been sustained by the U. S. supreme
court; and maintained that the law of
1893 relative to fugitives from service was
void, because unwarranted by the consti-
tuition of the United States. The same
year, i'll argument before the supreme
court of Ohio, in defense of james G.
Birney, prosecuted under State law for
harboring a negro slave, Mr.. Chase assert
ed the doctrine that slavery is local and
dependent on State law for existence and
continuance, and insisted that the person
alleged to have been harboted, having
been brought within the territorial limit:
of Ohio by the individual claiming hel
as master, was thenceforth in fact and by
right free. In 1888, in newspaper re-
view of report of the judiciary commit
tee of the senate of Ohio against the
granting of trial by jury to alleged slaves
Mr.. Chase took the same ground as in hi;
legal arguments. In 1916 he was associat
ed with the Hon. W. II. Seward as de.
PENDANTS counsel in the case of Var
Zandt before the supreme court of thu
United States. The case excited mucl
interest, and in a speech which attracted
marked attention, Mr.. Chase argued more
deliberately the principles which he haC
advanced in former cases, maintaining
that under the ordinance of 1877 no flu
gitive from service could be reclaimed
from Ohio unless there has been an es
cape from one of the original States tina
it was the clear understanding of thu
trainers of the constitution, and of thu
people who adopted it, that slavery wa
to be left exclusively to the disposal o
the several States, without sanction o
support from the national government
and that the clause in the constitution rel
alive to persons held to service, was on,
of compact between the States, and con
ferred no power of lie gislation on congress
having been transferred from the ordinane,
of 1887, in which it conferred no power
on the confederation, and was never un
derstood to confer any. He was subse
quently engaged for the defense in the cas-
of Driskell Us Parish, bsforc the U. s. cir
rcuit court at Columbus, and reargued tn,
same positions-Mr. Chase's sentiments o
hostility to the naturalization Of SLAYER,
were expressed by bis position in thu
political movements Of the country, a
well as in his efforts at the bar. Prior t.
1841 he had taken little part in politics
He had voted sometimes with the demo.
Gratis, but more commonly with the wings
who, in the North, seemed to him NOR
favorable to anti slavery views than thei
opponents. He supported Gen. Harrison
in 1910, but the tone of his inaugural ad
dress, and still more the course of th,
Tyler administration, convinced him tina
no effective resistance to the encroach
ments of slavery was to be expected from
any party with slaveholdiug and pro
slavery wing, modifying if not controllin;
its action; and in 1911 he united in
call for convention of the opponents o
slavery extension, which assembled a
Columbus in December Of that year.
This convention organized the liberty
party of Ohio, nominated candidate fo
Governor, and issued IN address to the
people defining its principles and purpo
ses. This address, written and reported
! by Mr.. Chase, and unanimously adopted
by the convention, deserves attention a
one of the earliest exposilions of the po'
litical movement as inst slavery. II
l843 national liberty convention assem-
. bled at Buffalo. Mr.. Chase was an activ,
member of the committee on resolutions
to which was referred, under rule o.
the convention, resolution proposing ~
regard and treat the third clause OF tn,
constitution, whenever applied to tn,
case of fugitive slave, as utterly null
and void, and consequently as forming nc
part of the constitution Of the United
States, whenever we are called upon OF
sworn to support it." Mr.. Chase opposed
the resolution, and the committee refused