Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1866-05-19
DAVIS AND CHASE.

DAVIS AND CHASE.
a bill has passed the Senate author
izing the District Court claiming juris-
diction of the case of Mr., DAVIS to hold
special term 1t will become law,
and the trial will proceed, probably at
Richmond 1t is thought that Chief JUS
tice CHASE will preside. We trust that
he will. 1t is eminently appropriate that
the highest judicial officer of the Repub-
lie should preside at trial where the
greatest man of our time is arraigned for
treason. Momentous issues, involving
the structure Of the Government, as well
as the rights of belligerents, will be dis
cussed by the highest legal talent of the
country Such creature as MONROE
should not be allowed to bring odium
on the dignity Of an occasion so great,
nor be perpetuated in history by connec-
ton with an event that will rival in his
torical interest the trial of the celebrated
WARREN HASTINGS. Moreover, the re-
corded opinions of the Chief Justice rem
ders it just that he should preside. 1t
will be recollected that some persons res
cued fugitive slave in Oberlin. They
were indicted at Cleveland and con-
demned to fine and Imprisonment
CHASE was Governor of Ohio, and by his
Attorney for the State he procured from
the Supreme Court of the State writ of
habeas corpus According to the Gin
cinnati Commercial, CHASE openly
avowed his determination to support the
decision of the State Court by the mill
tary force of the State should the prison
ers be released.
At meeting at Columbus Of all the
faithful, in order to drive into submission
the Judges of the Supreme Court of
Ohio, CHASE made speech, in which he
said:
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
to the Court themselves to determine it
is matter between them, the people
and God will only say what have fire.
quently said before, that as long as the
State Of Ohio remains sovereignty, and
so long as l am Chief Executive the pro-
cess of her Courts shall be executed. The
process CT the United States Court must
not be sighted or resisted, but so long as
| represent the sovereignty of our State
will see that the process of our State
Courts shall not be interfered with, but
shall be fully enforced
When am called upon to act, l win act,
Immense applause.
In concluding, he had not given utterance
to all be wished TO say, but what he had
said be was willing to live by and TO die
by.
JoHs LAN0sroN, colored man. was
then called to the stand, and proclaimed
10 the excited crowd
Exhaust the law first, for these men;
but if this fail, for Gods sake fall upon
your natural rights, and say TO the prison
walls, come down and set these men at
liberty
G. P. WALcoTT, CHAsEs Attorney for
the State, said in his speech in behalf Of
the writ
But; again The right of the State TO
inquire into the validity Of any authority
imposing restraint upon citizens, as
against any power-be it State, National
or foreign---stands on even a 6rmer
basis, for it results from the very nature
of sovereignty itself The first and chief
characteristic Of all sovereignty is its
right to the allegiance and service Of its
citizens; a rightfnndamental to allother
rights Of the State, for on this its very
existence, in war or peace. continually
depends. Any nation which has
wholly surrendered the allegiance of its
correlative incidental right to protect
them while in its territorial limits, has in
that very act abnegated every attribute
Of sovereignty, and become the local de-
tendency Of the power to which that al
legiance and right has been surrendered
But Ohio, thank God, is still a sovereign
State, and has, therefore, never yielded
this right-as she never could yield it
and still preserves her sovereignty to the
Federal or any other Government
For it will not be questioned that
the general guardianship Of the citizen
is conhded, not to the Federal Govern
ment, but 10 the State slone-9 Ohio
State Reports, PIP. l03, l04
CHASE sat in the courtroom during the
delivery Of the speech, which he, the
Commercial says, contributed to FIX up
He added:
As Georgia hung GRAVES and TAssELs
over the writ Of error Of this same Su-
preme Court-God bless Georgia for this
valiant and bene6cent example, Ohio
State Reports, p. $50.
Further:
II collision can be avoided only by
striking down every safeguard with which
the Constitution has hedged about the
liberty Of the citizen, let collision come
come nOlr Let the question be set
tied while live don't want TO leave
the alternative Of collision or Of the alb
solufe despofiszl Of the Federal Govern
ment as a legacy TO my children.
. Peace-that would preserve at
almost any cost; but not that peace
which is only the quiet Of the graves
Ohio State Reports, PIP. $50, Isl.
The Ohio STATE Journal, too, the or
gan Of ali the loyalty now in the State of
Ohio, said:
As for the carping criticism Of Gov
CHAsE, we need only say he simply de-
clared his determination TO do his duty as
Executive Of the State OF Ohio, VIZ: 10