Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1860-03-10

The gentleman seems to consider that they on
that side are the people; do not
Mr.. WADE said he had read the speech, and
supposed il was u declaration that those on that
side. and the people they represent, lacked that
courage which was necessary 10 maintain their
own honor when impeached
Mr.. TOOMBS-I said those persons who were
not faithful TO their contracts and who passed
Personal Liberty bills, were not to be dreaded.
Mr.. WADH-I am very glad to hear the Sem
ulor's explanation, because ] say it isnO partic
altar merit of honor to gentlemen on that side
to have general courage. We inherited It from
our common ancestors, who dragged kings from
their thrones when they undertook to trespass
on the rights of the people; and trust in God
that we, their descendants, shall ever be as
ready to vindicate, not only our honor, but
our rights, as were our ancestors at any period
Rut If that is all the Senator means, would not
much disagree with him. The men who could
be faithless would be very apt to be towards.
But I don't wish to be misunderstood in re.
card TO this barbarous mode Of settling diff
6culties; in thinly settled and partially civilized
countries. where there were no restraints of
law and where standardization reigus, don't
know but this code might be necessary. If
men cannot be rostained by more elevated
principle than fear, it may be necessary to
teach respect for the rights of others even by
fear of the combat But the Senator ace used
US of being periured and faithless to the Con
stitution and ready to trample it under foot
And now, Sir, lust see how inconsistent gem
teman NAV be. Ihave no idea that be meant
to express the full import of his language, be-
cause he came here taking the same oath as
did, and yet he told US he was eager for the
signal from the Old Dominion to declare war.
He was ready, prompt and eager to second her
motion, for he said, one blast uponher buge
horn would raise a million men," For whaty
Why, to throw down the pillars Of the Repub
lie in universal ruin. He would do so, Sir, if n
Republican was elected President at the next
election. Did he stand on high ground? Did
he stand on an elevated position, when he
charged us with treason and a violation of
oaths, and threatened, in certain emergency,
that he himself would stand forth to pull down
the pillars Of the Republic? If to do that is not
treason. | don't know what is. Ifthat is not
violation of the oath he has taken, do not
understand the import oft To be sure, thes 6
things are said in the heat Of debate, but they
90 out to the country, and must be noticed
here. The Senator went back to the ancient
history of Greece to illustrate his argument
He did not come forward without preparation.
He accused us because we did not happen to
be quite nimble footed enough, as he supposed,
in the execution of his Fugitive law, but he did
not instance single case, if remember right
y but it was a general charge. There has
not been single case of resistance to that
law in my State When the cases came before
the Courts, they received the most rigid scrutiN
nv, and the law has beeU vigorously applied
There have been cases of the doubtful character
Men have even been kidnapped and carried of
A case occurred not long since, Aud thatwas not
the only one. Inject the general charge with a
general denial. When has there been a faithful
execution of this most rigorous, odiOus, and,
believe in many provisions, unconstitutional
law! Mr.. Webster thought it had no warrant,
except in judicial decisions But he was not
going to argue this point. Mr. Wade referred
to the clause giving power to commissioners as
decidedly unconstitutional. 1t gives them $40
to decide one way, and So the other. We are
told this would not buy magistrates, but that
the magistrates who generally decide these
would be influenced by "fi'penny bitn Mr.
Wade went on to speak of other provisions Of
| this law, and said the North never denied any
constitutional law, and never will resist such a
law. The law is unpopular, forit goes against
the hearts and cOnsciences of the great masses
of the North, and nothing short olthe Almighty
Power changing their hearts can make them
eager to execute this law. In the South, where
the feeling is different, when slaves are brought
there from the Coast of Africa, in violation of
the law against piracy, these very magistrates
cannot inflict the punishment due. He would
have just as much ground to accuse the South
of perjury because the victims Of the yacht
WsndeFer are not released, and her officers
Il,
do not execute swiftly enough law more odious
and repugnant to US. The next charge Of the
Senator is that of passing Personal Liberty
/ bills There isno foundation underthe heavens
for this charge against Ohio. Ohionev pass.
ed a law in violation of the Constitution Of the
| United States, and she never has been derelct
to her duty in this particular. Does the Senator
suppose that any sovereign State of this Union
| is going to relinquish all her rights over her
citizens because there is a certain provision in
the Constitution by which a ceTtrain class may
be taken out of her limits That would be to
abandon to any ruthless and unprincipled man
whatever he might choose TO claim. Cannot a
State prevent the kidnapping of her citizens
because you have a right to claim a slave T.
The Constitution says that any person owing
service to any other State shall be given up,
but it does not state the means by which
| this shall be ascertainsd. / appeal to the
Senator from Georgia if he believes that the
| trainers of the Constitution would have con-
sented TO provision that deprived the States
utterly of the power to p oteet their own
citizensl No, Sir. BUTT is frequently said that
the Constitution would not have been framed if
this had been provided for. But so far from this
being the case, it was a mere after thought
The Constitution was formed in all its important
particulars before any man thought of this pro.
| vision, and it was placed there with no idea
that State should surrender any power to
protect her own citizens. If that Convention
was jealous Of any one thing more than another,
it was of the rights of the States, and they
bsttled inch by inch, against every principle
/ that looked to the surrender of any State pow.
er. They never intended to give any power to
any person to claim any body they chose. It
was only to claim the fugitive from labor, and
when that has been ascertlined. no State has
resisted the law But the Senator says that
Ohio, among the rest, has committed kind Of
perjury by passing Personal Liberty bills. Mr.
| Wade referred to the law of Ohio, to prevent
slayeholding, and read the last section, as fol.
lows:
Nothing in the preceding section Of this act shall ap
ply any act done by any person under the authority
Of the Constitution of the United States of any Law
ofthe United States made in pursuance thereto.
And, continued Mr.. Wade, now, I ask the
Senator if he was upon the bench, and if a fu.
gitive was brought before him under this law,
if he would have any difficulty il surrsndering
hlml Let me say to you who hold the doctrine
of State Rights, you endanger the liberty Of
your own States when you contend against the
power of the States to pass laws protecting
| their own citizens. No asperity Of language,
no frowning eountenance nor denuneistion shall
ever induce Ohio TO forget what is due to her
sovereignty and to the protection of her own
citizens-never, never, Sir And she takes no
prouder stand on this subject than hope in
God every other State in this Union takes
Then, the Senator was wrong and uncandid to
say our constituents Were judiced, when
they have taken every precaution to protect the
citizens of States holding a species OF property
we utterly repudiate. Ohio is never forgetf1l
of her rights She sends no Senators here to