Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1845-11-27
Natural RIGHTS.

The StLouis Gazette, in dwelling upon natural righs
uses the following language.
"Thst talk about natural rights IS as weak as stairs Of
sand. We need not admit nor deny here the right to
self defence. Whatever those rights are, they are
secondary to the claims of society. Rights, at least,
only presumed, are inferred riglts-while the rights of
society, of law, is a proclaimed, connatural ordinance,
as explicit as language can make it-and as clearly ap-
parent, as any doctrine of our religion"
1t is this mistaken idea Unnatural rights which keeps
slavery in existence, and continues on our statute books
laws that would disgrace the most degraded heather
on the globe, nor are those laws a dead letter. In
stead of deriving our natural rights from society, from
Constitutions or laws, we receive them fresh from the
hand of God, with the signet of Heaven stamped upon
them, and whatever has a tendency to abrogate those
rights is at war with mans best interests, and destruc-
ton to the very elements Of good society Laws and
constitutions were designed to protect natural rights,
and never to create or destroy them. God having Civ
en- to man certain natural rights, they become as sa-
cred as his existence and his fellow man, nor society
has any right to curtail or trample upon them. They
become a part of his very being-to destroy them is
to ~annihilate the man our mutual relations to one an
other, the bond that binds society together, depend en-
tirely upon each ones having his own aights secured.
Among these rights is the natural right to liberty, to
the gospel, to ones own family, to his own earnings
and to sefdefence. Destroy any of these rights and
the whole is ieopardized-deprive one man of them
and a whole nation is in danger. Brutalize and un-
create a man of any certain condition or color by ia
king from hin these rights, and society has no safe
guard, and no one has any sure protection.
Natural rights, then, are primary, and are of more
importance than the usages of society, civil laws, or
constitutions, and whenever the latter are not designed
to protect the former, it is the duty of every loyal citi-
zen to resist the latter, rather than see the former sa-
crifced.
1t is on this principle that those men who have as
sisted the slaves to escape from slavery, notwithstand-
ing tile laws of the States forbid it, have done an act
worthy of the highest honor, instead of chains; for we
owe obedience to Gods laws and to the claims of nat
ural rights, rather than to human laws that are direct
ly opposed to both of these. Obedience 20 God is
our first duty mans next business is to protect his nat
ural r~ights,and the claims of society and oflaw are Sec
ondary. Hence, when human law becomes an engine of
destruction to natural rights; it is no longer deserving
of our sanction, but is t tyranny and oppression, and tits
virtue to resist it. Adopt any other principle and a ty-
rants will is supreme, and his laws all must obey; an
oligarchy, such as exists at the south, may enact laws
to enslave three millions of their countrymen, destroy
every vestige of human rights and compel the whole
nation to bow to their will.
We are aware that the opposite of this latter doc
uine would dethrone every king,free every slave, place
every human being upon the platform where God has
placed him, transform earth into heaven. Who will
not do something to establish these principles and roll
back the dark cloud that has long overshadowol the
land and let the light Of truth and liberty into the dark
minds of the e%nslaved, the ignorant and the degraded?