The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1845-11-20
From Clay's True American.
OUR APPEAL.
Concluded.

concluded.
| In regard to the third allegation: il is
indeed strange stale OF civil society,
when the very basis upon which all asso-
Citations Of men are formed, is imputed
to a man as crime. If elfdefense,
which is so much an axiom to command
ing the instructive appreciation of all men
and times as to be known as the first
law of nature" has TO be defined, |
might as well quit the field IN despair -
| But if it was not virtue of the highest
order, to resist mobs, which are viola,
tors of the peace and in derogaion Of
the dignity and safety of The common
wealth, | need but bring the National
and State Constitutions 10 my defence.
which place the tight of the citizen "to
bear arms in selfdelense," beyond the
power of Legislation, higher and more
sacred than the Constitution itself. !
was threatened with mobs by all the city
papers, before | began to publish the
True American; then, and not till then,
did prepare for defense. Against par
tial mobs, emeutes, and black Indians,
whether one or thousand, | was pre-
pared to defend myself; yes, against the
secret conclave of cowardly assassns'
prepared myself, and dared them TO
the onset, and as ! anticipated in the be-
ginning, by them stood unframed, on
Ily because | was defended. Born Tree
and independent with my name assocIa-
ted elernaIIy with the commonwealth,
whose honor and safety was bound by
the laws of God and nature to support,
l did not come secretly sneakng as
traitor with bated breath, whispering
treason and murder but glorying in my
birth-r right, | proudly spread my banner
" God and Liberty" to the eyes of men,
and vowed by determination to defend
it or die. But in that once proud State
for whose best interests | was ever will
ling to risk my ALL never anticipated a
total overthrow of the cirii p0mer; for
upon that, and the Justice and magnanl-
nifty OF the great mass of my country.
men, relied for security, after had
swept down, il necessary, thousands oil
traitors and murderers who were as much
their enemies as mine. My office, il a
fortified, was not provisoned fort; so
these men not |, arc mad, when they
would represent me as warning against
the whole community. But let no man
misunderstood me. Still in tnat case l
would yield only to superior brateJ0fce' II
every man in the district was against
me do not admit the right even OF
whole community to do an illegal act -
The case of invasion by a FOREIGN power
is not a parallel case-that IS only not
forbidden by law, but these men acted
not only WithO01 the sanction OF law, bu'
az ainst it, and IN violation OF Its most sa
cred purposes, which are to guard the
weak against the strong and many. No,
my countrymen, there is no Liberty here
if every man in This State should join tc
enslave the press, while the Constitution
stands an eternal barrier to, ana IN stert
: condemnation of the crime.
In the fourth and principal charge, th'
editorial already given is urged agalns
me. 1t is true that spoke of Slavery
! as felt and knew it to be. While
! admit now. and ever have, the humanlt!
S of many masters and while have mere
= dea0unced Shareholders as q class, still
e maintain that American Slavery its sys
tenn, lis laws, and its possible abuses
e make it ",he lowest, the basest, and tn
t most unmitigated the world has seen.
. The Jews had their jubiees, the Roman
= and Greeks admitted the freemen at ono
= into the class of masters; the Turk make
C his slave his wife, and admits her equalIt
in the household the Asiatlc, and tn
E African, and the European slave fall no
y to the level of ours. For here color, an
n natural differences of structure and capf
d city, highten the detormties Of Slavery
v and increase its difficulties its crueItie!
e and its dangers On this question spo@
as one man to his equal-aod who sha
be nv censors? 1t can be offensive
none but the basely guilty. If false, le
it be proven iftrue, let ii be RENE
died But as for mere clamor, | COZ
~ tenn il. $50, show your slaves no
" choloric you are, and make your bono
d men trelnbIe. Must budge' Must
- observe you? Must stand and crouc
N under your testy humors ? BY the god
a you shall digest the venom ofyour splice
=. though it do split you" Impartial me
nj must remember that his was written
man Just able to WELD pen, after
N most dangerous and brain depressing {
n yer. 1t is the dreamy abstract specul
A. ton ofth invalid purified by suffern
n. unguarded and unsuspecting, becau
We conscious Of high and elevated motiv
~ 1t is not an invitation to evil, or Woo
ID sloating upon suffering ioreseen but Il
n great yearning OF heart full OF human
av ty, to save others from impending rul
tn there are in it, frankly admit, wor
of which seem to look to serve insure
es ton, and to name such an event is,
nd the author of" A Kentuckian" also Dug
N - t,,, ,o invita- II This | simDly