Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1861-02-06

This will Be q matter at which Il will be
well enough for business men to look in the
cities named, especially In Baltimore, If The
national Government unfortunately should
be driven 70 the necessity Of adopting tie
course have indieated-a course which
trust and pray may never be neeessary-but,
which, when necessary, / shall insist on be-
ing adopted.
Mr.. Chairman, the President Of the United
States in his late annual message, charges
upon the northern peOple--and this charge is
made the ground Of complaint by Represent
atves from States now threatening rebellion
that the free States OF the Union are faith
less 70 their constitutional obligations; that
they obstruct and resist the execution Of con-
stitutional laws enacted by Congress in
which the Southern States are deeply interest
ed. Sir, this unfounded aud slanderous charge
Of the President has done much TO infaide
the public mind in the South, and ! meet il
right here, and most positively and unquali-
iedly deny it. Sir, there IS not there never
has been, and do not believe there ever viii
be, constitutional obligation imposed upon
the citizens Of the free States that they will
not faithfully and houOraby discharge. True
here and there tAe laws OF the national as
well as the State Governments have been
violated, but these are exec tptions to the rule
The laws OF Congress and the decisions of
the Supreme Court you Mr Chairman, know
are uniformly obeyed by the citizens OF the
entire North, and Obeyed, too, even though
they may, in accordance With their highest
convictions OF Justice, regard some Of them
Is Infamous, as they undoubtedly do. Sill
the people Of the Northern States have sub
80 .ra oes1 to eaf snf,o
iience to them until the people, in their maj
esty, shall demand, in peaceful and consti
tutional manner, their modification or repeal
and also the reversal, in q like peaceful and
constitutional manner, Of such decisions Of
| the Supreme Court as they believe o be not
only in violation Of the plainest provisions Of
he Constitution, but also inhumAn, barbar-
Gus, and unjust. All this the citizens Of the
free States have done and win continue 70
10, rather than resorI to evolution ind blood
shed, and the overthrow and destruction #
this Govern ment and Union, fr, ightei as it
IS with the hopes Of millions and endeared
TO every patriot by the memories OF the
81 and the hopes OF the future. The north
rrn States ever have and will continue to
abide by the obligations of the national Con-
.titution, whatever the South may do. The
citizens OF the tree States have been taught
10 regard the Constitution IS the sheet-an-
~hor OF their liberties, and they viii not
tbar don it, much less trample upon its just
requirements.
But the personal liberty blls:' as they
IRE rallied, which some Of the tree States have
elt themselves called upon to pass to prevent
kidnapping, are ssized upon By the "crisis"
manufacturers 10 inhame the Southern mind
against the North Why has this matter
never been thought Of before aud brought 10
our notice2 Some of these laws have been
on the statute books of the free States for
over twenty years, and no complaint has
been made until now.
Mr. Chairman, can hardly find language
with which properly to characterize this mis-
cradle pretext. It Is one of the most flimsy
shaus ever resorted 10 by any set of men to
hide their real designs. Why, sir, it is so con-
temptible that even South Carolina secession
lists are too honorable to use it. In their
convehtio her leading men do not attempt
10 Justify their treason on such grounds, or
because of the election of Mr.. Lincoln, or the
non execution of the fugitive slave act In
deed, on the seventh and eighth days of the
sitting of the secession convention, in the
course of the debate on the causes that in
duced South Carolina to take her present po-
siton, Mr. Packer said:
alt is no spasmodic effort that has come
suddenly upon us, but it has been gradually
eliminating for long series Of years"
Mr.. Inglis said:
"Most of US have had this subject under
consideration for the last twenty years"
Mr.. Keitt said:
90 have haar ano-aood -,
ever since | entered political life"
Mr.. Rhett said:
at is nothing produced by Mr. LincOln's
election, or the nou-executiOn of the fugitive
slave law. It is a matter which has been
gathering bead for thirty years"
And before this, in their discussions, Messrs |
Rhett, Spratt, and others declared their opin- !
ion that the fugitive slaUe ldl0 Is uRconsatu- |
hoHdL Judge Withers, in an able speech, |
said it was unconstitutional. /
Mr. Keitt said:
81 have great doubts myself about the fu- |
gitive slave law. The constitution was at 1
first a compact between the States; secondly, 1
a treaty between sections. It was someth ing I
more than a compact between the States. I !
believe, therefore, that this law ought to have |
heen left to the execution Of the various
States"
But Mr.. Chairman, what are The "person-
al liberty bills" which some OF the free States
have passed. They are simply laws to pre-
vent the dnapping Of their own citizen.l-
They are just such laws, in substance, as mar
he found on the statute bOoks Of most Of the
Southrrn States TO prevent the kidnapping
Of their free and slave people. I have looked
over those acts Of the free States on his s. b.
ject and find that they were not, IS many
suppose, passed expressly to obstruct the cx-
ecution Of any law of Congress. Many of
these laws were passed to conform to the de-
cisiOn Of the Supreme Court in the case Of
Prigg vs.. Pennsylvania, which declared sub
stntially that it was not the duty of State
70 pass laws for the. arrest and rendition Of
fugitive slaves and thai Congress alone had
exclusive jurisdiction over the subject.
The law Of Vermont provides that all Off
GERS Of the United St1tes and their deputies
hall be exempt from the provisions Of their
a liberty bill' while in the discharge OF their
phieial duty The proviso reads as follows:
"This act, however, shall not he construed
10 extend TO any citizen OF the State, acting
as a Judge Of he circuit or district court Of
the United States or a marshal or deputy
,>arshal Of the district of Vermont, or 70 any
Derso1 acting under the command of said
courts or -oarshal."
Nineteen-tu,satieths Of those who are prat-
ng about Northern Personal Liberty Bills,
now nothing about them. Nevertheless,
hey DO not hesitate boldly to declare that
hey are unconstitutional.
Now, Mr.. Chairman, I do not assume 10
peak for all the Northern States; but can
ay with great confidence, (and I have no
loubt but wnat other gentlemen will speak
or their States and give the same pledge
hat # the LegIzlsture Of Ohio should At any
lime pGss an unconstitutional laW--which is
rot at ali impU bsble, as their own local laws
are frequently adjndged Unconstitutional by
he Supreme Court of the Staie--I say, if
nh q Lag ahnnld II any flnna BE- naased |