I begin by encouraging you to read John Allen’s “Going Green” article in this newsletter. I am so pleased to play a role in Rick Weinstein speaking at May Memorial on September 20. I really encourage you to attend as his updated information about climate change is such an eye opener and very sobering. Second, I am pleased to announce that there are two new additions to the MMUUS History Page. One is a beautiful story Doris Sage wrote for her grandchildren before she went to prison. The second includes the testimonies from Doris and 24 other people during their trials. Six of the 25 people were from the Syracuse area: Nick Cardell, Ed Kinane, Megan Rice, Dan Sage, Doris Sage, and Ann Tiffany. Their bravery and convictions, although misunderstood by the U.S. legal system, is to be forever honored. Go to http://history.mmuus.org/ and find those two links at the bottom of the page.
Their bravery was similar to those of our church ancestors relative to stances they took against slavery. This has been mentioned in various ways before, the most famous being Sam May’s work in abolition and with the Jerry Rescue. Unfortunately, and obviously my biases and naiveté in understanding the law are showing in this article, those efforts also were misunderstood within the legal system. Daniel Webster, a well known figure in U.S. history, was a part of this misunderstanding or, perhaps, it was a misappropriation of the legal system for political reasons. I have spoken before about Sam’s disgust with what had happened to his onetime hero Webster, who became increasingly more conservative as he grew older.
In the spring of 1851 former Senator Daniel Webster was barnstorming the country in defense of the despicable Fugitive Slave Law. On May 26 he arrived in Syracuse upon the invitation of the local Whig party (somewhat equivalent to today’s conservative wing of the Republican party) to speak in the old Frazee Hall (located at Washington and Montgomery Streets). He began talking to a large crowd about the Constitution and the sanctity of law and turned to the Fugitive Slave Law. Here are some of his remarks as noted by W. Freeman Galpin (The Jerry Rescue, New York History, XXVI, January, 1945, pp. 19-34):
I am a lawyer . . . and I tell you if men get together and declare a law of Congress shall not be executed in any case and assemble in numbers to prevent the execution of such a law, they are traitors and are guilty of treason and bring upon themselves the penalty of the law . . . It is treason! treason! TREASON! and nothing else . . . Depend upon it the law will be executed in all great cities, here in Syracuse . . . if the occasion shall arise.
That Law was soon to be tested in Syracuse by the imprisonment of Jerry and his subsequent rescue and transportation to Canada – most of you know that history. If you read the testimonies of Doris, Dan, Nick, and all the others, there are chilling similarities between 1851 and 1997 at least in how some lawyers and judges interpreted the letter of the law versus what was right and just. Given the sometimes ugly tones presented today in many cities in what should be civil discussion of issues, it suggests that from 1851 to 2009 some things have not changed, and perhaps they never will. Sad to contemplate isn’t it?
Rog Hiemstra, Chair, History Committee
Written August 12, 2009
