M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1860-02-23

series OF acts OF the thirty.frst Con
gress, The act knO,0n as the .fuyitiU,
8lave la,O included, are received aut
acquiesced in by the Wing party o.
the United States, as a settlement il
principle and substance, of the dan
gerous and exciting questions which
they embrace, and VIC
will maintain this system as essentia
to the nationality of the Wing party
and the integrity Of tho Union."
On that plank the patriotic mem
bers of the Wing party stood, botl
great and small. That plank had thC
endorsement of the immortal Clay,
on it stood. William. Dennison, Jr.,
and as a candidate for office, asked
the votes Of tho people of Ohio. Al
least ore-hali Of the present Republi-
can party Of the State voted for Scott
who had accepted "the (Whig) nomi.
nation with the resolutions annexed" "
But here, sir, is our point of depar.
ture. The Republican party, which
is to some extent at least the success,
sor Of the Wing party, repudiates that
platform, and in Ohio, as | shall pro,
ceed to show, is pledged to resist, re-
pudiate and nullily the fugitive slave
clause OF the Constitution and all laws
founded thereon. In proof of this
do not call your attention to the in.
sane rawlings Of the radicals of that
party. | only seek to prove what |
assert by the acts and declarations of
the Republican party as a party.
In the Senate Of the last Republi.
can Legislature, the first Legislature
elected by that party, Mr.. Garfield,
on the Sth day of April, 1856, offered
for adoption the following preamble
and resolution:
WHEREAS, in tho judgment of this General AS
sembly the act Of Congress usually called the
Fugitive Slave Act, approved Sept. Is, 1850, Is
inconsistent with and unwarranted by the con
stitution Of the United, States, and is repugnant
to the planest principles of justice and humani-
ty; therefore,
RtsoIre2, By tie General AssemJly of The State
Of Ohio, That our Representatives in Congress be
requested and our Senators be instructed, to use
their best eXertions to procure the repeal Of said
actat the earliest practicable time.
This resolution was adopted by a
vote of yeas "a, all Republicans, to
nays 6, all Democrats. The pream-
BILE was adopted by a vote of yeas 81,
all Republicans, to nays 8, all Demo
Gratis, except Brazee and Kelley.
When the preamble and resolution
came up in the House, Mr.. Smith, Of
Franklin, moved to amend by adding
the following:
Resolred, That when the fugitive slave law is
repealed by Congress it will become the immedi-
ate duty of the Legislature of this State to pass
an efficient act for the rendition offugtivcs from
labor -
This amendment was lost by a vote
of yeas 30, all Democrats but three, to
rays y, all Republicans but seven.
After voting down this amendment,
the Senate preamble and resolution
was adopted by a strict party vote.
This record needs no commentary
it speaks for itself.
Let us come down nearer the pres.
ent time. The same William Den.
niSOn, jr., who in 1862 stood on the
Wing platform, which pledged the
Wing partyto maintain the compro.
mise measures, the fugitive slave la W
included, as essential to the integrity
of the Union, and had upon that plat !.
form asked the suffrages of the peopl e
Of Ohio, is a candidate for the Repub-
lican nomination for Governor Of
Ohio. lie knows well where the
strength OF that party lies; what sen,
timents it is necessary to express to
secure its favor lie therefore writes
on May 20, 1859, letter to a treason
able convention at Cleveland, called
to liberate by force certain
saints, ofOberlin, who, for a violent
resistance to tho execution of the fu.
gitiye slave law had been indicted,
had been tried by a jury and convict.
ed, and were then undergoing impris.
onment in the Cleveland Jail. In
this letter this ex- Wing and follower
Of Clay says: ..l..H
"Let me express my ardent hope that the pro-
'ceedings Of your convention may be such as
will permanently contribute to the advance
'ment of the sacred principles Of freedom, JUS
'tice and humanity, which have been so VIC
'lently ass sailed by the imprisonment in your
county Jail of Plumb. Peck and their devoted
colleagues, under the insulting provisions of the
'ugtiye slave act"
In 1852 Mr.. Dennison, as a candi-
late of the Wing party, pledged him
self to 'maintain" the Fugitive Slave
Law. In 1859, when seeking nom.
nation at the hands of the Republic
IAN party, he tells us that the insult
ing provisions of this act violently as.
'ail ''the sacred principles of freedom,
ustice and humanity" His Clcve.
and letter was intended as "Succe-
7aneans" for the old Wing Platform.
lie felt that change vas necessary
md made it accordingly. What was
he result2 He received the almost
unanimous nomination of the Repub-
lean party for the Office of Governor.
lis Cleveland letter was fully indurs-
ID as expressing the Republican sen:
iment of the State.