Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1860-10-20

No, sir,--ina Court Of the United States
while the Constitution provides for trial BY
Jury, ! ought not to be sentenced for rails
Ing my hand to rescue a fellow man from
il mob that would strip him of his liberty
and life long toll without due process Of law
without trial by jury. Sir, this law tramp
lea SO fagrantly upon the spirit and letter
of tue Constitution that | ought not to b.
sentenced.
Before passing from the Constitutions
objections to this law, would call the at
tention of your Honor to the partially 81
the law, which is so at variance with the
designs of the fathers in organizing this
government. No man can read the Con
stitution--in which the word slave cannot
be found; from which the idea that man
could be reduced to thing, and held as
property, WAS carefully excluded--no man,
say, can read that Constitution, and come
to the conclusion that slavery was to be
fostered, guaranteed, and protected far be-
yond everything else in the country. Adj
init that JIM Gray was Phillips property,
how comes it that that particular property
IS more sacred than any other property -
Phillips horse escaped from him, and is
found in distant State, but the President
of the United States, and every department
of Government, is not put on the track I'M
til the horse is found, and then return him
to Phillips stable, and then pay the whole
bill from the nations treasury. No, sir.
But his slave escapes-he runs away, and
for some reason, his property in man is SC
much more holy and sacred, that the whole
Government is bound to take the track and
hunt the poor, painting fugitive down, and
carry him back to his chains and bondage
at the Governments expense.
Sir, under a Constitution unstained by
the word slave, we have law magnifyine
slave property above all other property in
the nation. law giving it guarantees that
no other property could possibly obtain
Sir, the partiality Of this law is SO great,
that it stands opposed to Constitution
that guarantees equal justice and protection
to all
John G. Fee is driven out of his Kentucky
home, and robbed of the fruits Of bis lifeN
long toll. There is no power TO secure him
his home, or protect him in his rights OF
property or opini IN. But had John g,
Fee only owned a slave, and his slave esca-
ped, tie Government. under this law
would have followed his slave to the ut
most limits Of the United States, and re
turned his slave to him at its own expense
Y our Honor will pardon me, (if | need par
don,) but for the life Of me, cannot see what
there is in robbing man Of his inalienable
rights and enslaying him for life, that should
ensite it to the special and peculiar protec
ton of national law.
am aware, sir, that | shall be reminded
that judges, marshais, attorneys, and many
Icitizens, regard this law as constitutional
and stand ready to execute it, though j
trample every principle Of the declaration
of Independence in the dust. Sir, no law
can be enacted so bad but that it will fine
men deluded or base enough to execute it
The law Of Egypt that consigned the new
born babe to the slaughter, found tools fol
its execution. The bloody decree OF Herod,
found men ready to obey the law OF the
country, though it commanded the slaugh-
ter OF the innocents of province. Slr, tell
me not of men ready and willing TO execute
the law. Ny Redeemer, whose name
am hardly worthy to speak, and yet whose
name is all my trust, although he knew no
sin, yet lie was cruciied by law.
Again, Sir, it will be seen that some
whom the world calls doctors of divinity
and doctors of law, have undertaken to
prove slavery was guaranteed by the Con-
stitution. Ii that be so, in the name Of the
Most High God, tear out the red strip Of
blood; It was not written by the Angel
Gabriel, nor nailed to the throne OF the Al
mighty. If slavery is in it. it IS coyen-
ant with death and an agreement with hell
But, sir, have one consideration more
that / viii urge why sentence should not
be pronounced against me. This law,
which / think | have proved outrageous to
the rights of man, is so obviously at vari-
ance with the law Of that God that COM
mands me to love Him with all my soul,
MIGHT and strength, and my neighbor as
myself. and the Redeemer that took upon
him nv nature and the nature of poor jim
GRAY, has been so particular in telling me
who nv neighbor is, thai the path Of duty
is plain to me. This law SO plainly tramp
les upon the divine law that it cannot be
binding upon any human being under any
circumstances to obey it. The law that
bids me to do to other men as ! would
have other men do to me, is too plain, too
simple to be misunderstood. But, Sir, |
am not left to the general law of love in
searching for my duty in this particular
case. Permit ne 20 refer your Honor to
the Oldest law book in existence, though It
may not be in use in this Court, yet |
think it better authority than Blackstone,
or any law book that ever was written. 1t
il the books of books. In that book | find
some special enactments given to the He
brew commonwealth that leaves ne in no
doubt as to my duty in reference to this
law. sHe that stealeth a man and selleth
him, or If he be found Ia bis hands, he shall
surely be put to death Again, "Ihou
shalt not deliver unto his master the SER
want that has escaped from his master UNI
ii thee; he shall dwell with thee, even