Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1860-03-24
GOV. LETCHBR's REPLY TO GOV. DEN
NISON.

UenoraI Assembly OF WAT olaie, on tue lt'u' I"
message relative to the the "ractious contumscy Of
the Governor Of Ohio" The Governor gives The
points regarding the application for Owen Brown
and Merriam. Lctcher says;
But if the Governor Of Ohio were disposed to
carry out the friendly relations which should exist
between sister States, he might still have found
law on the statute hook Of Ohio to Justify the de-,
tention Of n notorious offender and to require him
20 Ne sent to the authorities Of Virginia.
As to the relations between States, L9tchor
savs
To show that it is not usual to require evidence
70 establish this fact. THE fact Of Eight from JUS
tice require ed by Dennisonl where the requisi.ion
is based upon indictment. it is only necessary to
refer 20 n demand on this State. made ny Governor
Dennison himself within the last month. 1t is
conclusive on this point. That document accom-
panies this communication
On the l0th Of February last, l received n COM
munication hom one Of the Justices Of the county
If Warren. informing me that he had committed
Silqs TAYLOR to Jail, under q charge Of having
committed n forgery in the State Of Ohio. A law
Of this State, in the true spirit CT comfy between
sister States, having made Il: the duty Of tho Exec
HllNt W tN'iiNh'llNiAC ilC lAi''' H''''''' i ''A ''NN''
ed to the Executive Of the State where the crime
is charged to have been committed, | directed the
Secretary Of the Commonwealth to give the ncccs-
snry information. 1t was done, and in q short
time I received n communication from Governor
Dennison stating that he had received tho letter,
bot asking "will you ohlipe me by communicating,
a. your earliest convenience, in what county in
Ohio Taylor stands charged with forgery. This
will enahle me to communicate with the Prosecut-
ing Attorney, &c. by which to procure the proper
uapcrs for a reQuisition. If you do not know the
county. please send any other information that viii!
enable me to act IN the premises" Instead Of RE
rusing to give the aid desired, the Secretary of
the Commonwealth Immediately wrote to the jos,
tice in Warren. who had ommitt the accused
TO Jail. to give the Governor Of Ohio the informn-
ton desired. And on tho 25th Of February, |
received a requisition from Governor Dennison,
demanding the arrest and surrender OF Silas Tay-
lor.
This requisition is based upon an indictment,
which like tho Indictment in the case Of Merriam,
has not enc word in it, from beginning to end
showing that Taylor had fed from Justice, or had
been a fugitive from justice and not a scintillA Of
evidence, either by affidavit or otherwise, to show
that he wos a fugitive. The only difference be
tween the two acquisitions, is that the Governor o.
Ohio II his Ieqnisition says, and it has been rep
resented that Silas Taylor fed from the justice Of
this State" without saying to whom it had been
represented, and when nnd how it had been rep.
resented, and without proof to establish it. The
rcqnisition from this stato demands tho surrender
of Merriam "as q fngitve from Justice" without
proof that he was a fugitive from Justice.
What did tho Executive of Virginia do under
these circumstances? ? Did he reCusa to deliver up
the fugitive because he was not proved to be a iu-
gitiee ? No. Believing that a sister State would
not demand a criminal for trial, unless convinced
that 10 bed violated the laws. and willing to trust
that criminal to the jurisdiction in which the If
fence was charged TO have been committed, | I'M
mcdiately issued my warrant to surrender the
criminal asked for and he was delivered up 20
the agcn: Of Ohio. Comfy and good fellowship
between States living in fraternal concord, under
the same Union and Government las | t~bought)
required this Of mo.
What does the Governor Of Ohio do, in q case
infinitely slronger--in a case in which it has been
published to the world. that Virginia had been in
vaded by o set OF dcspera1oeS, who were engaged
in numbering her unoffcnding citizens, and in
Decorating her soil in which the names Of the
offenders have been established, and n reward has
been offered for them as men who have fed from
Justice, who are known TO be guilty beyond the
possibility Of u doubt lie coolly sits down, and
submits q requisiucn for these offenders. which is
issued in the usual form, to the acuteness of his
Attorney General to pick flaws, and search for ia.
T., ,r,oIftiaS and doGacts 20 nina n cn1,r Of roo.cp D.,
deny the cxtradilion, so that the offenders may en-
cape, before the defect, il it be q defect, can be
remedied.
RETALIAToRY MEASURES.
Governor Letcher's Message conclu les as fol
lows
The Acknowledgement further says "Tho ne
cessity of insisting upon rigid proof of flight will
not be doubted by any one familiar with the fact,
that in some of iAe States a practice has grown
up Of deman, ing the surrender as '~iugitives
from Justice from those States of persons
who have never been within their limits, on the
legal fiction of a constructive presence aud a cor
s~tructive flight. 1t is not known that this practice
has obtained in Virginia, nor is It material to on.
quire, as all acquisitions, from whatever State,
must be governed by an uniform law" If such a
practice has prevailed in any of the States of the
Union, the Attorney General should have exposed
such States their names should have been given
to the country. lie knows not that such "practice
has obtained in Virginia" Then, why intimate
a charge? Was it the deliberate purpose OF
the Attorney-General of Ohio, to add insult to ont
rage? Did the Governor Of Ohio intend to give his
to the insultso gratuitously offered by
his Attorney. General? This imputatiOn upon the
Of the State Of Virginia is without the
Justification of excuse, as the Attorney
and the Governor Of Ohio both ought 20
know. u..I Hvts.r.W -f..a
And now in conclusions; If the course which
has been pursued by tho authorities Of the State
of Ohio md Iowa, is to become the settled poll