Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1845-10-03
DUTY OF CITIZENS.

bOIA vi
Under a Constitution which has no power
save what the voters give it, which has no
strength save that derived from the people,
which depends upon the popular will for its
existence, its daily support, which is a con-
tract of the many with the one, and the one
with the many, it is certainly all important
that every citizen should know how much of
that contract he is bound to fulfill, and what
obligations rest upon him by virtue of his po-
sition. That the compact is pro-slavery, and
that office holders are bound to maintain it,
we haze shown in our articles upon the Dis
union Pledge; and that the citizens who mere
ly vote are alike bound, it is now our purpose
to prove. We lay down this position as in
controvertible:-
All citizens Of the United States whether
native or naturalized, have the same obliga-
tons imposed upon them by the general gov
eminent, and the same rights granted them
as private citizens; and every voter under the
| Constitution is bound to maintain tie Consti-
tuition.
While we have but one kind of citizenship
in this country, we have two kinds of citi-
zens. The one native born, who is invested
with citizens rights upon affirming his ma
iority; the other foreign born, who cannot
possess them until he takes the oath Of allie
glance as prescribed by the naturalization
laws. The modes Of initiation are different, the
| rights the same. We think no one will as
sert that the United States government de-
ponds more upon its foreign, than native born
citizens for support, that in the hour of dan
ger it passes by. and overlooks those who
were born upon its W territory who heard
the cries of tie screaming eagle in their era
die, and in their infancy became familiar
with its ith of July celebrations, and throws
itself for protection into the arms Of foreign
refugees from oppression. Such an idea
would indeed be Preposterous. 1t requires
no great depth of mind to comprehend that
the oath of the naturllized citizen is design
ID to make him equal with the native born
equal in rights and equal in responsible
lies; to impose upon him the same obliga-
ion to maintain, support, and defend the
Constitution beneath whose agis he chooses
to take shelter, that rests upon every native
born voter. The foreigner takes the oath of
allegiance, and is sworn to support the Con-
5%titution. Is not every other citizen bound
to the same extent! To say that he is not,
would be as absurd as to assert that the vo-
tiers of Connecticut and Vermont when they
cast their ballots for President, are more
bound 70 support the Constitution than are
the voters in Ohio, inasmuch as the former
have to swear so to do before they are per-
mitted to deposite their vote. We'are there
fore justified in saying, that all voters under
the United States Constitution stand upon
precisely the same ground; it matters not
whether they have taken the freeman's oath
| as required in Connecticut and Vermont, the
oath of allegiance as prescribed by the natu-
ralization laws, or the implied oath contained
in every ballot, for these three are one in their
binding force, and those who take them are
equally bound to uphold and defend the us J.
Constitution.
We say equally bound. How far they are
bound, and by what means they must main
tain it we will now examine. First, they
arc bound to maintain it passiue!y, by due sub
mission to all the laws which are based upon
it; second, by aciirc obedience to its requisi-
tons. The United States government is pro-
fessedly a representative government, having
no powers but those which are delegated to
it by the people; it is in fact the people act
ing by and through their agents who are bound
to do their work. For instance, the people
decide that it is expedient to have a Tariff,
and as a matter of convenience they appoint
a few men to act as Collectors Of the revenue.
II any body resists this law which the peo-
pie have established, and the peoples agents
with the ordinary means which have been
placed at their disposal are unable to enforce
obedience, the agents are then empowered to
call upon their employers, the people, to sus-
tain them. So in relation to the agreement
concerning slave Instructions If the U. S
army, the ordinary means which the people
have furnished ,hs President for it. suppress