Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1860-03-23
NO. 81.

claim the fugitive from labor. and when tina
has been ascertained, no State has resisted tn
law But the Senator says that Ohio, anon
the rest, has committed a kind of perjhty b
passing Personal Liberty bills. Mr.. Wade re
terred to the law of Ohio, 10 prevent slavehoid
: ing and read the last section, as follows:
Nothing in the preceding section of this
: act shall apply to any act done by any per
J son under the authority of the Constitution oi
the United States. or of any law of the Uni
: ted States, made in pursuance thereof
: And, continued Mr.. Wade, now, ask tht
Senator if he was upon the bench, and if q
fugitive was brought before him under this
law, if he would have any difficulty in sur
rendering him? Let me say to you who hold
the doctrine of State Rights, You endangpr
the liberty Of your own States when you con-
tend against the power Of the States to pass
laws protecting their own citizens. No asper-
lty OF language, no frowning countenance nor
deuuncation shall ever induce Ohio to forget
what is due to her sovereignty and to the pro-
lection of her own citizens-never, never, sir
And she takes no proHder stand on the sub
ject than hope in God every other State in
the Union takes. Then, the Senator was
wrong and uncandid to say our constituents
were perjured, when they have taken every
precaution to protect the citizens of States
| holdinga species OF property we utterly re-
pudiate. Ohio is never forgetiul of her rights.
She sends no Senator here to denounce the
sovereignties of other States. But when her
rights are assaed, her ambassadors would be
unlaithful to their trust if they did not hurl
back any such imputation. The third count
Of this indictment was that we intended to
prohibit and to limit slavery in the vast Ter
ritores of the United States. Sir to that
charge | confess it is true. We do in
tend it, Sir. If understand the objects and
purposes of the Republican party, it was
brought into being on this very subject
When the General Government had broken
all the pledges to Freedom in our Territories,
the Republican party rose to oppose this I'M
constitutional aggression. Had there been no
violation Of the Missouri Compromise, very
probably there would have been no Republi-
can party here. We intend to defend the
Territories Of this country against the pollu-
tion of slavery. There we stand and there is
our platform, and there we shall stand forever
But the Senator claims the right to carry
slaves into the Territories because the decis-
ion of the Courts give him~that right. Now
no man has more respect for the decisions of
the Courts, when within their proper judicial
limits, than | have, and no one knows better
how essential it is that these should be lived
up to. But just as much as | revere an hon
est Court, keeping within its jurisdiction and
restraining itself from any political connection,
so, sir, in exact proportion do l abhor and
scout one from the corrupt Judge who, for
any purposes, will reach over the case before
him and endeavor to advance political cause
by any decisions he may pretend to make
The moment the Court transcends its authori-
ty for the purpose of affecting any political
cause, its decision is impertinent and, with
the Courts of Georgia, say | hold it in ut
ter contempt, and if there ever was a decision
on Gods earth that would warrant any pri-
vate man Or Senator saying, Il hold it in con-
Tempt it is that Dred Scott decision. What
was the case? p? An old negro prosacutes for
his liberty in the Federal Courts. Old Dred |
Scott sued for his freedom, and a plea was put |
in that being the descendant Of Africa he !
could not sue in that Court. The Court de- |
cided that man maf be so monstrous low that |
he cannot sue for his life, and believe this is |
the first nation on Gods earth that ever put a
being IN human form upon so low level as !
that. But the majority of the Court said that
Dred Scott being Il negro, a descendant Of Af- |
rican ancestors, who having been slaves; he !
could not maintain a sut in that Court, be- |
cause he was not a citizen. ask if that was
not the end Of that case. Then, in the name !
of Cod Tutltr 4: i -, =
any longer? 1t was settled upon every prir- |
cipe of adjudication, and no Court has held !
to it more so!emnly than that one. All, then, |
the Court may say beyond the case was mere |
talk, and might inst rs well have been uttered |
III bar room rs in CUnrt. The majority of
that Court lire interested in that decision, and !
strange as it may appear those who complain |
of Northern aggression have had Il majority !
of that Codrt on their side. | will not say
that his is the reason why the decisions are
magnificd to such Importance. The very men
of the very party who few years ago, held
these decisions of no effect. have turned around
of late and have found Il virtue it that Court
that can ride triulnphanty over every other
part of this Government. Such a heresy, if
persisted in, can result in nothing but con-
despotism. And if the dicta, or
talk of such Court should be established, we
will have the weakest despotism that ever fail
ed on God Alnlighty's earth; for the doctrine
is so absurd, it cannot stand When did they
get the Constitutional power to carry slaves
into the Territories? It Is said now, that the
Territories being the common property of the
States, each State has a right to 90 into them
with any sind of property. l deny the pos
tuate These Territories do not belong to
the States, they bolong to the people Of the
United States and Congress is the trustee for
them. Suppose, for instance, the Senator from
Illinois (Mr. Douglas) should own plantatian
in Mississippi, and should wish to take his
slaves into Territory, let me ask which State
in its sovereignty is affected? That where the
negroes are or the State where the slaves are
owned? On the same ground we might say,
suppose, as will probably be the case, we
should annex the Feejce Islands to this ma
ton, and suppose the Senator from the State
Of Feejee should appear in this body then l
believe they not only hold a part of their pop
nlation in slavery, but they hold to eating a
portion of them. Suppose he should take his
ehattels to our territory and claim the pro-
lection of our country, that he might prutice
sannibalism there, it is plain you would be
ole IA ,cI .