Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1861-11-30

Bat whilst elaiu to hsvs seted in CON
.ormity with the will Of God, utterly deny
hat violated, either the lettlr or spirit Of
J SINGLE article Of he Constitution. That Il
don't name slave all agree. That its franz
srs kept out deliberately every word or
phrase that might express the condition Of q
slave, Is matter Of history.
Il speaks Of 8 "peFaon owing seryice'--
bat slave is not "person" IN the language
Of (so.ealled) Southern laws, but g ''chatiel,D
or thing. Neither cen be we'll owe much to
the man who has robbed him Of lifelong
wages. II speaks Of returning persons to
those 10 whom alabor ls dusll; but nothing |
was due the slaveholderby the laws Of Israefs
God, except the labor It took TO stone him to
death, and nothing Is now due five siXths, |
perhaps nineteen-tWentisths, Of the slave |
holders of this land, even in public opinion
except the amoun. Of shot or shell required |
70 kill OF capture them. ] therefore stand |
before you clear of any violation of the Oon-
stltution, unconstitutional or law. II the people
don't believe this now, they soon will.
But again: If the trainers Of the Constitu-
ticn had 8 right 70 make the compromises
claimed, and # they actually had made them,
still, the frequent, fagrant and outrageous
violations by the South would long since
have cancelled our obligations. It is COM
mon principle Of Justice, morals, and perhaps
of law, that where the conditions Of contract
are broken BY one party, they are of bind
ing force on the other. Now, the slavehold-
era have violently and persistently trampled
down every provision Of the Constitution,
and the laws Of Congress under it. whenever
their interests, inclinstions, or passions, led
them to desire it Who can number the
Northern citizens who have been mobbed,
maltreeted and abused, from the Hon. Mr..
Hosr 70 the last sentinel stealthily ahotl-
And finally, these violations BY Shareholders
have gone 70 seed, in the most disbolical re-
bellion the world has ever seen. And now,
cir, after our public property has been plum
dered to the amount Of millions, our forts and
arsenals seized, our flag insulted and struck
down, and our soldiers slain on a hundred
e-felds, by.slaveholders and the slave
power, this Court is dealing out its sentence
On my head, because "resisted process" in
the hands Of these minions, when they were
trying to drag back q defenceless man to
cherries and returnless bondage. Imprison-
ment fines and costs, which for a time will
remove my liberty, and sweep away my little
pIoparty, and reduce me to the lowest power
ty, are TO fall upon me for performing this
duty to God and humanity.
/ But / will be told the meeting that did
this was q mob. deny 1t. Whenever q
government steps out of its legitimate busi-
f ness, and instead of protecting hnman rights,
! crushes them out, Il becomes the mob Pos0eF.-
/. Truth and equity, and the revealed will Of
, God, all proclaim It such. It viii also be
said, good order cannot be maintained with
! out obedience to existing enactments. l an
sWer, all these can be secured without slave
: holders or slave hunters and then, good men
, will not come in collision with the courts.
But the slave power still rules, and must
D suffer. Then be it 50. "The beginning O.
0 the end has come" Though slavery yet
> rules, is Is only in the death throes, and LAST
l eontractions Of its mighty heart. The iror
/ logic of events is changing public sentiment
/ and few look on slave catching as anything
bat q mean and infamous business. The
slaYeholder himself despises the man who
/ catches his fugitive. he looks on him as he
1 does his bloodhound-calls him up and
0 scents him on the track-doles out to him
]. his reWard-and then looks on him with uttel
. contempt A few words more, and I'll have
q done. In the charge to the jury, cast nc
. reflections on the Court. In 80 far as 1 had
/ ability to judge, it was fair and candid. Ny
' counsel made an able, eloquent, and manly
: defence. Though was put in very untrue
; position before the Jury, still think they
g need not and know they ought net, to have
{ convicted me. Some of them will not retain
7 the remembrance Of the act among their
e cherished memories.
e We are all passing to another tribunal,
' where the fugitive enactment will be at 8
] discount. To have Hresisted process in the
. hands Of 8 Judicial kidnappsr, win not these
: be regarded as 6 crime. The blessing of the
; Judge will fall upon such as fed him when
4 hungry, took him in when q stranger, and
] visited him in prison; and all this be will
: acknowledged 70 have been done to him ii
!, done 10 his poor. To another class he will
!, say, rinAsmuch Is ye did not these things to
j the least Of my brethren, ye did them not 70
: me-" II Grandson Aarten be q Christian,
. the so-called crime for which am now to
: be sentenced Is for resisting an attempt to
/ drag back Christ himself to the crucihxion
Of perpetual slavery, In the person of his
: chatteliEed representative. If he be not a
: Christian, still 1t was resistance to the crime
/ of reducing Gods image to q slave, and
I crushing out his aspirations to be a man.
And now, sir, apart from the defense Of
the rectitude of my conduct have no faVors
to crs7e-nO mercy to implore. stand
erect, in conscious integrity and manhood.
! Ny house mas ever been a home for the fee
ing fugitive, and shall be so still. If my
, dwelling be reduced to a cabin, he shall be
, welcome TO g corner. All the devils in hell,
and slave -oatehers out Of he'll, shall not close
my door against him. cannot repress the
hope that, in this line Of prosecutions may
be the last victim of the slave power. Wheth.
, er this be 90 or NOT, I wish when ''all that's
mertaP Of your humble prisoner shall be in
its last resting place, it may be with truth
written on my grave stone, ''here lie the re-
mains of one who in life was faithful to
Gods poor"