The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1859-08-04
From the Friends Inteliigeneer
Speech Of Charles IL. LansstOn.

Specci Oh &HiIicS H AAuS SSOh.
The following speech of Charles II. Lang
ston, colored man, teacher in Columb bu:
OLio, recommends itself to the attentive pei
usal of every lover Of philanthropLy.
]. W. N.
/ [On the I2th ult.. Mr.. Charles Fl. Lang
ston, teacher in Columbus-on trial at Cleve
land for a violation of the Fugitive Slav
Law, among the Oberlin-W Wellington Res
cuers-on being asked by TIE Judge if h
had anything to say why the sentence of tn
law should not be pronounced against him
replide:
/ l am for the first time in my life before
court ofjustice. charged with the violation
of law. and am now about to be sentenced
Blu: before receiving that sentence propose
to say one or two words in regard 10 the NIT
iga.ion of that sentence if it may be so con
srued. | cannot of course, and do not ex
pect. that what may say will in any way
change your predetermined line of action
L ask no such favor a. your hands.
l know that the courts of this country
that the laws Of this country, that the govern
mental machinery of this country, are sc
constituted as to oppress and outrage colored
men, men of my complexion. | canno
then, of course, expect, judging from the
past history OF the country, any mercy from
the laws. from the constitution, or from the
courts of the country.
Some days prior to the 18th of September
1858. happening to be in Oberlin on a visit
| found the country round about there, and
the village itself, filled with alarming rumors
as to the fact that slave catchers, kiIna pers,
negro-stealers. were lying hidden and skulk-
ing about. waiting some opportunity to get
their bloody hands on some helpless creature
to drag him back-or for the first time. into
hopeless and lifelong bondage. These re-
ports becoming current all over the neigh
borhood. old men and women and innocent
children became exceeding Y alarmed for their
safety. 1t was not uncommon TO hear mo-
thers say that they dare not send their child
rem to school. for fear they would be caught
up and carried off by the way. Some Of
these people had become free by long and pa
tient toll at night. after working the long,
long day for cruel masters, and thus at length
getting money enough to buy their liberty.
Others had become free by means of the
good will Of their masters. And there
were Others who had becom free-to their
everlasting honor l say it-by the intensest
exercise of their own God given powers-by
ters. eluding the blood thirsty patrols and
sentinels. SO thichly scattered all along their
path, outrunning blood hounds and horses,
swimming rivers and fording swamps. and
reaching at last, through incredible difficult
ties, what they in their delusion supposed to
be free soil These three classes where in
Oberln. trembling alike for their safety. be-
cause they well knew their fate should those
moi huntcrs get their hands them.
In the midst Of such excitement, the 13 h
day of September was ushered in-a day
ever to be remembered in the history of that
place. and l presume no less in the history of
this Court-on which those men, BY lying
devices. decoyed into place where they
could get their hands on him-I will not say
a slave, for | do not know that--but man.
brother, who had right to his liberty under
the laws OF God, under the laws of Nature,
and under the Declaration of American Inde-
pendence.
In the midst of all this excitement, the
news came to us like fash of lightning that
an actual seizure under and by means of
fraudulent pretcnces had been made.
Being identified with that man by color,
by race, by manhood, by sympathies, such
as God has implanted in US all, felt it my
duty to go and do what could towards lib
Grating him. had been taught by my revolu-
tionary tather-and | say this with due re-
speet to him--and by his honored associates,
that the fundamental doctrine of the govern
ment was that all men have a right to life
and liberty, and coming from the Old Do
minion l brought into Ohio these sentiments,
deeply impressed upon my heart. l went
themselves by what authority the boy was
held in custody, l conceived from what little
kno Wedge had of law, that they had no
right to hold him. And as your Honor has
repeatedly laid down the law in this Court,
man is free until he is proven to be legally
restrained of his liberty, l believed that upon
that principle of law these men were bound
to take their prisoner before the very first
magistrate they found. and there establish
the facts set forth in their warrant, and that
until they did this, every man should presume
that their claim was unfouuded, and institute
such proceeding for the purpose of securing
an investigation as they might find warrant
ed bv the laws of the State. Now, Sir, if
tha. is not the plan, common sense and cor
rect view of the law, then l have been misled
both by your Honor aud by the prev yalen,ly
received opinion.
1t is said that they had a warrant. Why
then should they not establish its validity
before the proper officers? And l stand here
to-day, sir, to say that, with an exception of
which shall soon speak, to procure saeh a
karfaI Investigation Of the authority under
achfch they claimed to act, tcas the part
took IN to-day's Proceedings and the only
part. supposed it 10 be my duty as a citi-
zen of Obio-eNcuse me for saying that.
sir-as an oatlatc Of the URitel States, (much
sensation. to do what could to secure this
form of justice to nv brother whose liberty
was in peril. Uhaterer more than thar has
been stc0rn to on His tsial as act of raiae IS
false, ridIcnEouslg false. When I found
these men refusing to go, according to the
law. as l apprehended it. and subject their
claim to an official inspection, and that no
thing short Of ba5eas corpus would oblige
such an inspection. was willing to go even
thus far, supposing in that county Sheriff
might perhaps, be found with nerve enough
to serve il. Ia this | again failed Nothing
then was left 10 me, nothing to the boy in