Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1842-06-13
For the yvalehman and Journal.

TOT the Nachman ana Journal
NATURAL LIBERTY.
The authors of our declaration of lndepen.
dence say, 1--WE hold these truths TO he sel.eyi-
dent, that all men created equal; that they
are endowed 10y their creator with certain ina =
lIenabIe rights; that among these are life liberty
and the pursuit of happiness" II there nre any
to he found who deny TO the African, the appeIlu-
ton and the attributes of humanity, we shall not
presume TO reason with them; for such men
must he too far gone in absurdily 10 be affected
by any thing that approaches within the confines
OF rationaiy But the African he a man he
was created Free His natural right TO freedom il
as complete and perfect us is the right of his
brother OF IA paler countenance II whittier skin.
BY no net Of his has he ever lost his natural right,
and the statesmen OF l776 have declared it to be
inaienabIe. Man can acquire no moral FOR nat
urai right TO property in the "bones and sinews"
OF fellow mortal, excepting by u" bill of sale
from the ALMIGHTY"
Natural liberty consists of the power of acting
as one thinks fit, without any constraint or con-
troll. except from the laws of nature. The law of
nature is rule of conduct, arising out OF the
natural relations Of human beings, established by
the Creator, and existing prior to any positive
precept.
Human governments are established among
men, not for the purpose of dvesting men of
their natural rights, but for the purpose of
protecting and securing them. II is hot true
all restraint, Tor man is moral being, and in
whatever condition he may be placed, is under
obligation TO render obedience to the law of ma
lure Whatever rights man possesses, in state
of nature, government is under obligation TO pro-
tect and secure, unless he has forfeited those
rights by the commission Of some crime against
the good and wholesome laws OF the community.
Legal writers have considered our natural rights
as consisting ofthe rights of personal liberty, per-
sonal security and private property. These rights
can only be violated by the power of n despol or
tyrant, and whenever any persons rights have
thus been wresled from him, he may at any time,
whenever opportunity presents reassume his
rights and disappoint the tyrant of his claims.
By what right ilen can one man claim another
ms his slave? What rgh,ful authority can one
man show, other than arbitrary law of the
sate, for reducing his fellow being state OF
helpless bondage? Men are the same at birth.
Nature, in the bestowinent OF her fuvors knows
no distinction between them. Is there an indi-
vldual on Col ioolstool who can, at birth, show
any better calmto liberty than his fellow? What
ever distinctions may subsequently arise, are and
must be created by the act of man himself Indi-
vldual instances may happen, when, 10y reason of
CRIME or insanity, tie safety Of community re-
qnires that an individual should suffer The Gepr.
walton of personal liberty but where or from
whence arises the right to extend this deprivation
TO his innocent pOserlty? Let us ask the advo-
cate 0 slavery, on what is this right founded at
is PLAIN" says DIR. Charming, "tIlat if one man
may he held as property, then every other man
may be so held. II there be nothing in human
nature, in our comman uuture which excludes
and iorbds the conversion of him who possesses
It INTO an article OF properly; il the right OF the
Tree to liberty is founded, not On their essential
attributes, as raona! and moral beings bur OH
certain adventous, accidental circumstances in D..
to which they have been thrown; .hen every hui
man being, 10y change of circumstances, may
la h.I bali
II one man may he rgninly reduced to slavery,
then there is not human being on whom The
same chain may not be imposed" "tas nature
conferred distinctions, which tell us plainly who
shall he owners, aud who be owned? Who Of us
can unblushingly lift his hend, aud say that God
has written Master there? ar who can show The
word, a Stare engraven on his broher's brow"
"A recent writer attempts the justification of
slavery in the following language "As to the
right Of slavery, look upon it point com.
pletely settled that all right is founded upon pow.
er, and ali obligation upon self.ineresI. v hat
right have we 10 seZe and casrare horse or un
OK, and condemn the one 10 perpetual slavery and
The other to slaughter? The question about the
abstract right OF making slaves is u futile discus
sIon IT one being has the power of suhjecng
another to his dominion, service aud control, why
should he not? Let the answer 10 this question
be gwen, and pursued 10 its ultimate term, and
the dispute is al an end. In fact throughout all
nature, this is The law."~
So much of the argument as depends upon The
comparison between the slavery of men aud the
slavery of horses, we deem all insult TO the com
mon sense and intelligence Of humanity. The
sordld wretch, who is unable 10 perceive any dis.
Junction between the natural right Of the brutal
creation ond his own Species has taken leave of
so large portion of his rational faculties, that
argument with him must be wholly useless The
only possible mode Of enabling such an one to
discover hp of n ha Inn
ing II into his heud with wooden cudgel.
Right, we are told, is founded upon poDer.-
Human beings, then, haveno accountability 10 The
Supreme Ruler OF The Universe. One villain
meets another III tie street, aud attempts TO nfct
upon nm horse whipping. II he has the po,Uer
to execute his purpose, il his physical strength is
SUFFICIENT to enable him to perform the task, this
gives him the right. 1t his opponent should
chance 10 prove the stronger man of the two the
assaant thereby is proved TO be in the ,Orong. He
who makes gross miscalculaion OF his power,
and consequently unsuccesslnlIy attempts the per-
petration OF vlalny, becomes thereby criminal
The successful freebooter, pirate or slave trader
can be no other than righteous man. According
to this system OF ethics, all laws for the punish
shment of crime are radically wrong, for indie
pendent OF all legal considerations, such n thing ms
successful villainy must be altogether unknown
All obligation, too, we are told, is founded upon
sell interest. Admitting this proposition to be
unqudlifiedly true, we yield TO the slave owner no
advantage IN the argument. God has wisely con-
nocted in one indissoluble bond, the dniy and tie
interest Of mankind. Slavery is an evil to the
mnsler as we'll AS TO the slave. Distinguished
statesmen of the South, well acquainted with its
nature and lis tendencies, have ackno edged this
TO be true Se)t-interest properly understood, ur-
ges upon the South, the obligation of remedying
.GOOpors Justinan Note 4l9 quoted in Chapman on Gov