, 1860-10-08
SPEECH OF
JOHN HOSSACK.
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JOHN HOSSACK.
st.rs Lar, esfsrs .vs4xs S'rtanss"1.
Of fhs o. i. District court or G~tesso.
May 1t p1ease tho C,ur,: h.va few words
to say why sentencs should not b pronounced
against me. am found guilty Of violation of
tho Fugitive Slave Law, and 1t my aPtear
strange to Joue Honor thAt hase no sense ot
guilt CANE, sir, from tho tyranny ot inc oia
World. when but q Ind, IAndea upon tho Atnefi-
can shores, having left my kindred and natlv1
land in pursuit of sonic place where men o. to1l
clash. Commencing tie struggle OF l1se 81 1hs
tender age Of tre.ve years, = stranger IN
strange laud, having to earn my ptsaa ~ tne
sweat OF my brow, your Ho1or will bear WIN
ms, nnsecus.cmed as am to appear IN c9ct's.
much less to address them. | have Ieaseo tnat
! might {nl iu hearing mJselt on this occasion
worthy OF the place and the rositfon occupy,
and he great principles involved In the casa
before you. / say to yoor Honor, therefore, It
fail in observing the usual forms OF the place.
it Will be from 8 want Of judgment and error OF
the head aad not of tbs heart. Therefore, l 90
no. think ehall fare worse at he hands Of
your Honor, il slate plainly my views and
feelings On the Erest question Of the nge-the,
rights Of mnn. feel ,hat it ~ case that will
bs referred to ion9 after you md hare gone
tc meet the great Judge Of Ill this earth.
1t has been argued By the prosecution that ],
= foreigner, protected By the laws Of my adopt
ed country. should b. the last 10 disohey tbose
Laws; but in this find nothing that should dts-
troy any sympathy for the crushed, s:1ur g!lng
children ot toll IN all !anda-
Surely have been protected. The fsh in
the r.vsrs, the quail in tde etubhle, the deer in
the forest, have been protected. Sh.ll join
haads with those who have made wicked LAWS.
II crushing ont The poor black man, tor whom
therels no protection but in the grave, where
the wi.ked cease from troubling and tee Weary
ars st rest.
tue hghs among the rugged but free hills Of
Scotland; land, sir. that neyer Was co. q7ered,
md Where SLAVE never breathed. Let slave
set foot on that thort, and his chains fall c6
forever, and be becomes vhat God made him
= man. Ia shat far CT land beard OF your
fres Institutions, Tour prsirie lands, your pro.
jscted caaas and your growing towns. Twenty
asely Engaged on The public wo1ks on the canal
III building that connects this city with the
greatr'vor Of the West. In the process Of time
the state failed to procure money 10 carry on
the pahlic works. 1.-The u opened aprairie farm
to get bread for ny family, and am one If
the men tha. made Chicsgo what it ia 10 day,
having slipped Aons Of the first grain that was
pisneers Of Nliaois, who have gone through the
many hardsaips Of the SIT ienent Of q new
country. l have tpsnt my best days, the
strength Of my manhood. hare eleven child.
rea who arc natives Of this my adopted coun-
try. No living man, sir, has greater Interest in
its welfare; and 1t is because an opposed to
curry out wicked and uugod1y laws. and love
the feetdou Of my country, that stand before
Jou to-day.
Agun, .i1. I ought not to b. sentenced be.
cause, a. has been argued BY The prosecution,
am an Aboiisioniat- have no apologies to
mike for being an Abolitonist- When came
to this count: J. like the msss from beyond the
sea, was Democrats there WAS charm IL
the name But, sir, soon found ! had to 20
beyond the nane OF party in this country, IN
order to know anything Of its principles OF
practice. / soon found that however much the
gseat parties Of my adopted country differed
upon banks, tari1s, mud land questions, in oce
thing they agreed, in trying which could stoop
the lowett t. gain the favor Of the most cursed
over any nation, the Molech which they had
set up, to whi:h they ofezed as human sscrifce
mi!hous Of the children OF toll. As man who
hxd fed from the crushing afis.ocrscy of my
native land, how can support worse ar1stoc'
racy in this lands / was compelled to give my
humble uaue and il 1uence to P Arty who pro.
posed at least 10 embrace in Its fympathies, all
CsAsStH VI 1uEut iIQu hl SNIAElb VI Aue HIUSG
In this choice found myself in the company OF
Cta1kson and WiIberfolce in my naive lsnd,
and Washington and Franklin, and many xuch
in this boas,ed land Of the flee; a1d more than
all these, the Redeemer in whom humbly trust
for acceptance with my God, who CAME 10 heal
the broken hearted, to preach deliterance to
the captive, to eet at liberty those who were
bruised, yea, this very religion binds me- to
ttose in honda as bound wish them. Tell me,
sir, with these views, cau be anything but an
Abatitionist: Surely for this ought not 10 be
sentenced
Again, sir, ought not to be sentenced, be-
cause the fugitive sla7e law under which 1 am
torn from my family and business by the subtle
tools Of The slave power, the slave breeder and
spirit aud letter Of the Constitution. Sir, /
place myeeif upon the Constitution in tbs pres
ence Of a patton wno have III. Declaration OF
Independence read to them every fourth of Ju-
ly, and profess to bsIieveit 1t. Yes in the pres
ence Of csvnized man, hoid up the consi:u-
tioa Ct my adopted country a. clear from the
bIood OF men nud from tyranny that would
prcstitu.ed tue Constitution to the support Ct
Slavery, are traitors; traitors Eos only 10 the
liberties Of millions Of enslaved countrYmen,
but traitors .o the Constitution isse;f. which
they hUve sworn to supp-rr. 4 foreigner upon
your sell, go MOTTO shs platforms Of contend
ing Fart.e. to find truth. 30, cir, 70 t7s con
to be- oned resa the psops s
United States. in order to form a more perfect
Union, establish jastice,"-yes, sir, establish
iustice-"to prenlpts the general welfare aud
to secure the blessing Of liberty TO ourselves
and our pn1te1itV, DO ordain and ct .b!ish Ibis
Cons i.u ian Tor the Uni!ed States Of Amor leo y
Tho:e were the men that had proclaimed to the
word shat AL men were crested equal, that
they ue1e endowed by tEeir Creator with certain
ina'.enab:e rights Life, Liberty aud the pursuit
OF Happiness; u.d c5il:ended even unto Gea!h
for seven long years. Can it it be, sir, that
these great men. under coverof those hsliowed
worde, intended to mike government tha.
should outrage justice sid trample upon liberty,
ems evEr done. Thls dreadful powfr that has
compelled the great political parties Of thu
couutry to creep IN the Gust fo1 its poweE; th1,
has deoaucbed t. large extent the Christian.
i:y Of the nation; tha: bids q craven priesthood
stand with golden rule in band and defend the
robbing Of m 1tters ct their bases, and husbands
Of their w1rrs; that bids courts decrea injus
tice. Sir, plsut self upon tho consti:u.io,
or demand for justice and hbsr.y, and say to
this bloody Mol5eh, awny! Sir, the world has
never furnished 40 great q congregation Of hyp.
oc.tes as thUse that formed the constitution, il
they designed 10 make it the greatest s'aye
holder, elave-breeder, and slare Catcher or
earth. He is great stakeholder that h IS q
thousand tlavee, bat ii this law is = true expo.
nenr Of the constitution, this government Or
d+'ned for Justice aad Liberty, holds tour million.
! ofslayes.
H., ar! no! for tie honor Of the fathers ol
my country, appea! from the bloody slave
holding statute to tbs liaarty loving con4tisu
tion. While these fathers lisea State siier State
| in carrying cut the sp.rit Of the constitution.
| nut an end to the dreadful system. The greai
N-oeh;ouf,r hia 1ast i'll nj IL af art
ried cut lha spirit Of the constitution. But, sir
| tho Law under which Jou may Sentence me, viii.
lates both the letter aud the spirit Of the cCns&
! tuition. haye word 10 say upon tue articles
| Of the constitution which it is claimed the fugi
tive slave law IL designed to carry out Nc
| peraoa held to ssrvic. or labor in one State I'M
Ter ths Jaws thereof, escaping into another
therein, ba discharged from Euch service Of H.
bor, but shalt be delivered up On the claim o.
the patty 10 whom such service or 14bor Is due.
Th;t Il the provision that is claimed trans
| forms tbs government isto monster Of iuiqui
u. .lhave read over and over that article In
plkiu man. How these three OF four l5ea car
| transform this government, ordained to secure
Justice, into a mean tool 10 sid the p!underer.
ofcradles, the DESTROY e.s Of homesk ths 1av.sh
ers Of women, and the oppressoss cf r1en, K
| carry on their hellisa work-how it caa do this
1hiux, cannot ser. That article binds TIL
several S'ases separately not to pass ee1tair
law, but where in it do We tinda fugitive s'aTs
lav7 Where do you find commissioner
| Where do you find lhat The government is t
hunt up and return at its own expense s. AZ.
that aaes from his cruel aud bloody master
Where in those lices il the authority to compei
ms 70 Re ps1tsker IN the crimes OF the man
s.es1ers The general gcTernment is not onc'
mentioned; bnt the States IN their sepazat,
savereigniti.s ara nsm.d But, sir, this artie,
exprsssl5 provides that the party making til
claim shall hare owed him service or labor du1
from tho party claimed. If Jim Grey owed
| service or labor, or money, to Phil ips, au
| A. Lat ~ %f,A sxnr1d ~ vriNA ~