Year: 1859

stand and maintain their interests and their rights
.i..r From tho Independent. .'


THE NOVEL COMPROMISE OF SWAP


PING R0GUES FOR INNOCENT MEN.
The recent cotnprbmise enacted IN Ohio,by which
three or four men, accused and arrested for thi
crime of kidnapI ing and committed fer trial. were
suddenly let off without trial, without reprobation
without punishment for SO great wekedness, dc
mands some explanationlt seems these guilty men
guilty of one of the highest crimes known in barbar-
Gus OF civilized in savage Christian society were
swapped off in exchange for four or five times as
many innocent men. accused Of the crime of min


stering cup of cold water, according to the com
mand Of the Savior of the world, to tho outcast
and the fugitive. The guilty men were let off as
innocent,o on condition that tho innocent men might
not be subjected to trial as guilty.


1t was species Of exchange of prisoners, in
this war now waging FOR freedom, between the
people of the United States and the Slave Power.


How the innocent men themselves could have
submitted to the exchange is mystery for It
certainly Of degradation, and the baseDess of
bargain, for some fifteen good Samarians, con-
demned for an act of pure benevoence, to be put
in the scales, and weighed against four mensteal-
ers it being intended that neither party shall kick
the beam but, poised in air by American justice,
they are exactly on a level, go that provided ihe
wretches guilty OF men-stealing be let off free
of the gallows or of State prison, the Christians
charged with the sin of plying the stolen man
may be SET at large in like manner.


1t seems. then, that the sin Of aiding n poor fugi
tive in our country is on par with the crime o
kiSnspring man; that any day kidnapper N a.
be secure from any punishment in his villany, pro
vided that only the government happen to have on
hand in their possession prisoner Of humanity to
offer in exchange. And the people of Ohio seem
to have come 10 that degree of humiliation, that
they accept with joy and exultion; as if it were
great triumph the re!,ase Of some fifteen innocent
Christian men, charged with crime in having had
compassion on an oppressed fellow-being, on con-
dition las Offset for the mercy of such deliver
ance that they let 90 uns,athed the four apprehend-
ed men-stealers! The men-steaers, as we under
stand it. in charge of the State of Ohio, hay
ing been found, in the language of Gov. Chase in
the att of making war against the State. and be-
ing accused of the crime Of kidnapping.


The innocent men were accused Of bowels Of
compassion, in attempting to protect the injured
victim of such kidnapping, cruelty and violence,
and were in power and charge of the United
States and these two sovereign parties and pow
ers propose cartel, or exchange of prisoners we
know not from which side the proposition came
but so it is. or was the exchange was proposed
and has been effected nOI. pros. on the cne side
entered as an equivalent for a noN. pros. on TIE
ether, and SO the whole difficulty settled. We know
not whether to call this tragedy or comedy of in


JUSTICE it is arce,a disgrace, both to Ohio and the
Federal Government, to dignity it with the namc
of justice.


For if the fifteen men, arrested and thrown into
prison for having compassion on the trembling fu-
gitive, were guilty of crime against the just and
constitutional laws OF this country they ought
to be let off on q bribe, on bargain they ought
to receive the punishment due to their crime. II
the sovereign State of Ohio could not justly and
constitutlohaly protect them, it ought not to con
sent to their being released the people at tht
same time going into hallelujahs for this event
as is it were great act aud triumph Of patriot
ism. ..


But if these men were unjusty accused and i'm
prisoned, if the Federal Governmsnt had seizet
them by act Of tyranny, under continuance Of


slave bill, and with pre,etce of rightful law, sucl
law being unconstitutional and void, they bein,
free citizens of the State of Ohio. and subject il
this matter only to her Jurisdiction. and amenabl
to her laws and courts then it was the duty of til
State of Ohio O!have protected them 1t is the leas
and lowest thing that any sovereign State can dt
for its citizens protect them from being seized by
foreign power os their own soil, hurried away


from their families, thrust into Jail, and held for
trial before tribunal that has ri shtful author
ty over them on an accusation for crime tie very
a allegation Of which, and the forcible proceedings
in consequence, were unconstitutional. II a SOW
ereign State cannot protect its citizens from sach
violenee what is its sovereignty worth, what is il
good for IF sovereign State will let its own
free citizens be snatched up in this ignominious
and oppressive way, and wall tamely consent that
it's own judges shall refuse the writ of habeds
corpus for releasing the citizens thus wrongfully
eaptured out of the grasp of such tyranny, and
placing them for trial at least, under protection OF
the State courts, we see not what prerogative Of
sovereignty ii has left which is not mere sham, o
laughing-stock.


John Randolph's toast concerning State Rights
msy be drunk by the shareholders over the dead
body of such a sovereignty, with hip and har-
yah! De n,ortuis nil nisi bonum. Indeed. nothing
need be said, good or bad, concerning such dead