The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1871-05-04

have all the powers OF the circuit o
district judges in term time or vaca
ton; could issue their warrants 70
the arrest Of any citizen, and the war
rants would be good in any portion o
the State; could summon every mai
in the county to assist in serving thei
processes, and if any refused to obey
their mandate, could fine and impris
on them for 50 doing; could include
in that posse cOmitatus such portion
of the United States, as might bt
within the territory over which they
exercised Jurisdiction, and would pos.
1 sess powers more than ample to secure
peace, and the most perfect protection
10 life, liberty and property in every
State in the Union; and the constitu.
tional power of Congress to confer
those powers cannot be doubted, fol
has not the party whose Representa-
tives on this floor have so often assur-
ed US Of their devotion to the COnsti-
ton, stamped the seal of approval up
on all its provisions, enacted into law
all its principles, and enforced and
maintained that law by all the ma
chinery of the Government d? And
the Democratic party, having enacted
this law and sustained its cOnstitu-
tionality before the adoption of the
amendments to the Constitution
which have certainly conferred some
new powers upon Congress, cannot,
/ presume will not, attempt to question
/ its cOnstitutiOnality now.
1t was good Democratic cOnstitu-
tiOnal law to empower an unlimited
number of comparatively iTrespOnsi-
bic United States marshals to use the
army and navy of the United States
to enforce United States laws when
chose laws were in the interest of the
Democratic party; and now, sir, We
witness the remarkable spectacle of
this party, which conferred such pow
ers upon these no fears as to any de-
structiOn of our liberties-With no
doubts as to their entire constitution
ality-nOw boldly denying that this
Congress has any constitutional right
to give the President of the United
States power to use the army and
navy, of which he is the constitution
al cOmmander-in-chief, in protecting
American citizens from outrage and
death; the party who, under the fug-
itive-slave law, marched United States
soldiers over the very spot where the
first martyr for American liberty shed
his blOOd-and the blood of Christie
pher Attucks was as red as yours or
mine, sir, though his skin was black.
The party who sent their troops
over the spot which this martyrdom
has consecrated to force back into
slavery one poor wretch who had sue
aannan in ArrfU, =. 1oR,I nh faI, h.,
supposed to be a land of liherty-the
party that did this act dares to tell the
American people that there is no con-
stitutiOnal way to use the army and
navy of the United States in protect
ing American citizens from outrage
and death, unless the Governor and
legislature of the State in which
these offences are committed should
call for assistance. Sir, l Ihavesearch- |
ed in vain for the call made by the
Governor or legislature of Massachu-
sets for troops to assist in the rendi-
ton of Anthony Burns. Every gen.
tleman on this floor knows that the
United States soldiers sent to that
State by the Democratic party to as
sist their blOOd-hOunds in tearing from
soil that poor, tremb- |
ling fugitive, were not sent there at
the request of that State, but by vir-
tue ofthe law passed by a Democrat
ocratic Congress, enforced by Dem |
Ocratic administration, and interpret |
ed by a Democratic Attorney |
General, whose Interpretation has
been sustained by the courts and 1 |
know the American people well |
to know that no legal sOph- |
istry can make them believe that it |
was constitutional to use the army |
and navy of the United States in re-
fugitives to slavery, but that |
no constitutional means can be found |
to use these agencies for the protection
1f life, liberty, and property of free
American citizens in every State in
his Union.