Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1845-10-03
SALEM, o., FRIDAY, OCTOBER 3, 1915

motives for such differences. The true man
does not vince at the dissent or the rebukes
Of his associates, but relies on his being in
the right, and if u~njustly accused does not
cry out impatiently and fly into a passion.
All conccde that it is not enough 10 de-
nounce the system of slavery as sinful. The
shareholders themselves can do that. They
admit it is wrong and a curse, but all that is
not enough to abolish it. War is every
where admitted to be a great evil, but still
the work of slaughter goes on, and men train
themselves to engage in it. But to make
our principles Of any avail, We must hold
them practically, and not in the abstract
merely. 1t is a serious question, who are
the friends of liberty! Are all who profess
to bel No. The American people profess
republicanism, but in their practice are a
blnditti of robbers. We cannot take their
professions on trust. If the State claims to
be republican, we will explain it by the light
Of republican principles, and if its practice is
at war with its profession, we will brand 1t
as despotic. Ii the church claims to be an
ti-slavery, we will try it by the law of God,
and if it cannot abide that, we will treat it as
anti christian and diabolical.
We are connected with various ~associa-
tons, political and religious, and it is hard
" XIV tAChA dBs AAOlS iii w uIp
tation to do wrong for the sake of remaining
in them; to go with the multitude to do evil,
rather than stind alone or with the despised
few for the right, and forego the connections
which have been SO dear to us. But we
must resist all such temptation if we would
be faithful to the cause Of the slave, and sue
cessful in laboring for his deliyefince.
l stand here to affirm that in saying, shat
consistency with our principles requires us to
withdraw from the pro-sldvery organizations
Of the country, not excepting its pro-slavery
government, | bring in no proscriptive doc
trine, nor one which is invidious to any one
on the anti-slavery platfor IL. | hold to the
largest liberty on that platform, for all who
believe in the right Of the slave to be free
Immediately. They my differ as to the
mode of action, and each has a right to un-
dertake his own chosen method. Some be.
lieve in the use of free produce, as an i'm
portant means of aiding the cause, and regard
abstinence from the products of slave labor
as an anti-slavery duty. They have a right
to express that opinion, and to do it in nj
prescription Of those who do not adopt it.
So of our own course in relation to politi
cal parties. Shall the Wing or the Demo
cratic aboli ZIONIST say that we are proscrip
tive, becau Sc We declerc it to be Inconsistent
with anti-s'avery principles to act with thost
parties waile they remain in a pro-slaver,
position, OF to support their pro-slavcry can
didatesl Nay; ne interieres with my right
as an aboliionist, if he prevents Inc from
speaking slch u sentiment; and if he runs OF
because | speak it, he shows that he canno
remain where the truth is spoken. But it i
called prescription, to say that the Constitu
lion is a bloody compact; a league with op
preston, which we ought not to support o
sanction by our oaths or votes. We mus
not call a5olitionis Is inconsistent when the
swear to support such a pro-slavery Consti
tuition. | do not assent to this doctrine
thank any man who faithfully rebukes m
inconsistency. The life of our cause is i
our Willingness to hear all, in the spirit @
manly honesty.
We nave often adopted resolutions that
is not consistent for abolitionists to beloRg
the Wing and Democratic parties, on az
count of their pro-slavery character; and no'
some of the same persons who rave advoc;
, ted these resolutions, condemn us for sayin
it is inconsistent for them to belong to a prc
slavery confederacy, and RSomise support
a pro-slavery Constitution. They accuse
, of doing the anne thing in principle, whic
New organization did in 1889 and 1910, whe
. II sought 10 loIce upon the Ahtl-siaVeTy soc
ETY., the doctrine of the rightfulness of HI
man governments and the duty of voting
create and uphold them;-matters on whic
, it was not our province to decide either wa,
r But the charge is unjust, for we do not teac
= the duty of not voting, or that human go
ernment is wrong and ought not to be SUI
ported; we only say that abolitionists cam
consistently vote for, create, or support
Dro-sLrrsru government. This is a Dure
Anti-slavery doctrine.