The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1839-07-13
THE VOICE FREED ON.

others, exclusively to an appeal to the religious
feelings; and as the number of professedly rel
pious men is comparatively small, they sometimes
90 a step further back, and suppose nothing efIcc
tual can be done till the mass of men are made
speculatively and prolessedly religious. Thus
they step out of the cause, into the work ofprodu-
cling an abstract religion, sort of quinessence OF
humanity, which they bottle up as they 90 along,
to be used when there is enough of it to flood the
land But our immedateism has led us to appeal
to that religion which will go Immediately to work,
and which will work by all lawful and right means,
trusting that it will enlarge and deepen itself by
It's own action. The religion we appeal to, is no
more out of place in politics than salt is in the
ocean. AS the bands, which we call in the aid of
religion to sunder, were politically created and
are politically sustained, they only be POLITICAL
y broken. What needs to be done, is, to excite
sympathy for the oppressed which will make it
self felt through the law-making, and the aw-ex-
ecuting powers. BUT the opinions and feelings of
the people will not be felt in their legislatures till
some effort is made to carry them there The
PROSTATE cause of bleeding humanity will ne
yer rise in our courts of justice till there are pow
erful advocates to plead it. That sympathy for
the oppressed which does not, from the instant of
its birth, operate to reform and purify the abused
and perverted law, is thrown away-lor if it eX-
ponds itself in relieving individual cases, it does
but prune the tree OPPRESSION that it may strike
its roots the deeper in the soil. Political action
there must be. Law must be brought back from
its unnatural alliance with despotsm, before free
dom can be established That religion which
makes man shrink from his political responsible
ity when the foundation principles of justice are
to be brought to their position in the structure of
human society-when the liberties of millions are
at stake, will not we are constrained to believe,
prove support to the soul when God shall ask,
Where is thy brother?
But there is a sort of political action which is
greatly to be deprecated. 1t is the political action
of base and selfish men rising into power by the
generalship ola party Political hypocrisy is so
common, and has been time out of mind, that it
seems to form the rule, and honesty the exception.
1t is to be expected that some political wolves will
put on the clothing of abolitionism, and seek to
elevate themselves and manage the Anti-Slavery
organization to secure their own purposes. But
they ought to be met on the threshold, and strpp-
ed of their disguise. The best safeguard against
their entrance is for abolionists, while they firm
ly refuse to vote for man who will not support
abolition measures, to avoid setting up candidates
of their own. Let every abolitonist follow the
leading of his own political principles so long as
he can do it without sacrificing the paramount
claims of the slave. The fashion with political
party is, to inquire, not whether candidate is him
seftrue to the principles of the party, but wheth-
err he is true to some other man, whom the party
is pledged either to support or oppose. Let it be
understood that so far as we act politically it is
only to carry political measure, and that in doing
this we have no preference to employ the men,
who have been most active and successful in the
moral struggle with the people. These men, be it
known to the world, have not faced all manner of
obloquy and violence for any reward of honor or
office, which the people have to give. While that
aboltionist is unworthy of the name who cares
straw for the victory Of one or the other political
party compared with the abolition of slavery, still
less is he worthy of it. who wears it with any 9TH
er wish than to gain the blessed sight of sundered
chains and broken yokes-and to hearthe loud ac-
claim of a North American Jubilee.-Elizur
W.; 0bt ar