Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1860-03-22
The First duty of Government

Inc CAHSS OHty VI OOtcTuMents
1t used to be thought the proudest boast
of State, republican or despotic, that its
agis protected the meanest Of its subjects.
1t seems now to be regarded as the great
end of democracy to narrow the circle of
government protection, making it p,ivi-
lege, instead of right, excluding the infe-
rior classes from the government protec-
ton and creating privileged class. Thus
we find the meanest democracy and the
meanest despotism striving for the same
end.
The action of the democratic party in
the legislature, on the provision to prose-
cute the claim of the Polly negroes to lib
erty, is specimen of this as well as of
the disposition of the Ohio democracy to
90 lower in their servility to slavery than
any shareholders ask. In 1850 seven
children and one grandchild of Peyton
Polly, free colored citizen of Lawrence
county Ohio, were kidnapped and taken
into slavery. Under resolution of the
legislature Governor Wood took prompt
measures to reclaim them.
The authorities of Kentucky furnished ev-
cry facility for prosecuting the matter, and
four of these persons who were taken into
that State, were reclaimed by due course of
law. But four of these were taken into
Virgins, and the agents of Ohio found no.
thing but distractions thrown in their way
BY the people of that State, and four of
the citizens of Ohio, known to be free-born,
and whose right to freedom has been estab
lished in the Courts of slave State, are
known to have been kidnapped from the
State, and to be now wearying out their
lives in slavery.
The resolution to prosecute the right of
these persons TO freedom was opposed in
the Senate by every democratic Senator
present, exeep: Judge Key, Of Cincinnati,
and it is doubtful if his democratic purity
will not be regarded as doubtful after such
vote. 1t was also, we regret to say, yo-
ted against by one Republican Senator.
But short time ago all these demo-
cratic Senators thought it necessary to pro-
vide ten years penalty in the Peniten-
tiary, to prevent the citizens of Ohio from
invading the slave States, to interfere with
slavery. Their opposition to any measures
to protect the free citizens of Ohio from
slavery shows how much more precious is
slavery than freedom in their eyes, even
the slavery of our own free citizens. 1t
shows TOO, how utterly negro worship can
divest persons of their manhood.
Really there are no pretentions of the
SHAREHOLDERS that require this. They are,
like the well meaning person at the camp
meeting who chad the power under mis-
taken idea that Whitfield was preaching,
rolling in the dirt for nothing. The South
generally would punish kidnapping as. .strin-
gently as the North. The attempts to en-
slave the free negroes in several of the
slave States, the past winter-a milder
form of kidnapping, and under color of
law-have elected eloquent denunciations
of their wrong and outrage from the slave
holders themselves; and, so far, the at
tempts have all failed; yet, while this is
occurring in slave States, in the midst of
all the slavery fanaticism growing out of
the alarm caused BY a recent event, we find
in the free State of Ohio, Legislators so
frightened from their propriety, and so ut
terly abject in their servility to slavery,
that they dare not assert the right of free
born citizens of Ohio TO liberty, nor pro-
vide penalties against their being kidnap-
ped, nor bring a suit in the courts of
slave State TO rescue them.
Certainly such state of degradation is
a much better qualification for slavery than
any admixture in the complexion, however
dark. Slaves, contented in their condition,
have always been the best defense of the
institution. 1t is almost impossible to
make it appear wrong to those who have
only observed it in such circumstances. So
would kidnapping be in Ohio, if only they
were exposed who have become sosubdued
in spirit that they dare not provide for the
protection of our own citizens.
Yet, while democratic Legislators in Ohio
refuse to provide against the enslaving of
our own citizens, the government of the
United States is keeping fleet on the
coast of Africa, at great expense of lives
and money, to prevent the people of AT
rica from being seized and carried into
slavery; so much more precious is the lib
erty Of the wild inhabitants of Africa than
that of people born on our own soil.
Perhaps, in justice to Ohio democracy,
it ought to be mentioned that all the dem
ocratic delegation in Congress, except the
Cincinnati members, did oppose a resolu-
ton in the House last winter, declaring it
the duty of government to use all proper
means to suppress the African slave trade.
Brother Cox called it bombshell thrown
into the House. So suppose it is bomb
she'll in Ohio to protect our own citizens.
In order to be consistent, the democracy
and the Republican Senator should cry
aloud and spare not, against our African
squadron, as reflection on the Institution
of the South.
A few years ago the whole country went
into spasms of admiration because COM
mander of a United States vessel interfer-
ed, in hostile attitude, to rescue from
Austrian officials an Austian political Of
fender who had merely declared his inten-
tion to become an American citizen and
had then exposed himself to seizure and
who, after our country had assumed an at
titude of war with powerful nation, for
bis rescue, proved to be troublesome, un-