The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1866-05-17
Why Mr.. Chase Does not Want to Try
MIR. Davis.

1t has been shrewdiy surlnised tnat
i" his hardness in agreeing to try Mr.. DAVIS
" proceeds from the apprehension that the
!" authority Of Mr.. CHASE the lawyer might
/" be quoted to Mr.. CHASE the judge in
!" support Of the soundness Of the abstract
!" doctrines which the prisoner attempted
to put into practical operation So
we remarked day before yesterday, with
ont having the least idea that any such
teachings of Mr.. CHASE would be brought
TO light before the time Of the trial. We
have since been agrceably surprised at
finding in the Cincinnati Enquirer of late
date abundance Of record evidence to prove
that Mr.. CHASE was q few years before the
war considered as thorough a believer in
and teacher of the most ultra States rights
doctrines as JEFF. DAVIS himself. The
evidence was brought out as follows.
The Cincinnati Commercial was formerly
Mr.. CHAsE's organ. II is now JOHNSON
paper, and wars upon the Radicals, OF whom
Mr.. CHASE is one. One of its correspond
cnts, who is declared to be "a gentleman
"well known as one Of the leading ana
"most talented Republicans in Ohio, has
volunteered to assist the Commercial, ana
has supplied it with evidence from the re-
cord to convict Mr.. CHASE of gross NEON
sistency, not 10 say hypocrisy. we quote
from the letter of this distinguished he-
nublicap IN, following statements:
"Tbe true reason OF the persistent efforts
of certain politicians of the radical school
Ia prevent the trial of Jefferson Davis be-
fore \ civil tribunal is, that such trial
would make patent to the public the fact
thai in regard To the doctrine of State
r;ch,s rpon which Jefferson Davis justified
secession and war against coercion by the
General Government, they stand, by their
,,rcriouS record and expressed opinions, on
;denticoRy tie same PLATFORM"
"Chiei Justice Chase, their great leader,
together with Greeley, it is known, advised
President Lincoln to let the slave States
90 rather than resort TO armed coercion,
which was in violation of the State rights
theory he had preached all his life, from
the case of Jones Us. Van Zant, in McLcan's
reports in 1912, TO the celebrated Obcrlin
fugitive slave rescue cases, or pdrte Bush
nell, er pdrte Langston, in 1859, reportcdlh
Ninth Ohio State Reports, when, as Go
vernon of Ohio, through the Attorncy-Gcne
raj, C. p. Wolcott, he prosecuted writ OF
habeaS corpus to release prisoners convicted
of a violation Of the fugitive slave law from
the Cleveland Jail, and openly declared
that he would sustain by force the decision
of the Supreme Court OF Ohio against that
of the Supreme Court of the United States,
even if il resulted in collision with the
General Government.
.To understand fully why the Chlei
Justice touches the subject OF Daviss trial
so gingcrlv, il is well TO cXaminc his record
rs Governor of Ohio in the Oberlin cases.
The writ of haJeaS corpus had been made
rcturnablc before all the Judges at Column
bus ON the 18th of May, 1859. The day
previous, Nav a, an immense convention
assembled at Cleveland where portion OF
the prisoners were confined III JAIL"
After describing the meeting, this 'most
talented Republican 1--WE likcto cite good
authority proceeds TO quote from aspcech
made to the crowd by Mr.. CHASE, who was
then Governor of Ohio, as published the
next dav in the Cleveland Herald. Mr..
CHASE said:
81 do not wish to say, nor is it proper for
, YOU TO say, what the decision OF our court
should be in the case. That is left 10 the
court themselves to determine; it is a mat
ter between them, the people, and God.
will only say what have frequently said
before, that as long as the State OF ONO
remains as a sovereignty, and so long rs
am Chief Executive, the process oil her
courts shall be executed. The process OF
the United States courts must not be
sighted or resisted, but so long as repre-
sent the sovereignty of our State will see
that the process OF our State courts shall
not he interfered with, but shall be July
enforced. - When | am called upon
to act, / will act. Immense applause
In concluding, he had not given
utterance to all he wished to say, but what
he had said he was willing to live by and to
die by"
This speech was, of course, censurcd Dy
those persons who were in favor OF exc
cutting the fugitive slave law. To which
censures the Ohio State Journal, published
at Columbus, and speaking in behalf OF
Governor CHASE, replied as follows:
AS Tor the carplnS cTltlCisiiion oo'sihoI
Chase, we need only say he simply declared
his determination to do his duty as Execu-
tive of the State of Ohio, viz: To see the
Judgment of the Supreme Court executed.
We have no doubt he will make good his
word whenever the occasion may offer, and
in whatever shape that occasion may pre-
sent itself.
But if collision is to take place, we can
say with our contemporary, let ii come-and
woe he to those who have forced it upon
the outraged people of Ohio"
"Such were the MEANS" continues our
talented Republican, "taken to educate |
"the people up to backing Governor CHASE
Gin a contemplated armed resistance to the
Federal Government, in regard to the
execution of a law that had been held to be
constitutional by every department of the
Government from its organization; and
"the Governor [Mr. CHAsEl repeatedly de-
"clared, in conversation, to a former law
"partner of Chief Justice SWAN, and other
prominent citizens of Columbus, Ohio,
"hat he could, II necessary, resist the Fede-
"ral Government by force if the court re-
"leased the prisoners. Colonel HARRINGTON,
"now OF the Eighteenth Infantry, the then |
Adjutant- General of the State, if cx-
"amined under oath, would doubtless |