Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1847-12-03
The Buffalo Convention.

The following extract is from a letter Of
Henry c. Wright, who thus discourses up
on the action of Liberty party atits National
Convention, and its plan Of reform.
The Convention refused to say, tina, the
Constitution empowered Congress TO abolish
slavery in Virginia and other slave States
1t asserted in one Resolution, that slavery
had no Constitutions existence in any terri
tory over which the General Government had
Jurisdiction, but admitted by implication,
that il had such existence in the slave States.
The following Resolution was passed:
'Rs.oipcd, That the aiio1oance TO slave
States of a representation in Congress and in
the electoral college for threeJffths Of their
ought to be abrogated with the least possible
delay
Here the Liberty Party admit that the
Constitution gives support to slavery, by al
lowing shareholders political power and in
fuence in proportion to the nuaber of their
slaves. No greater support could be given
TO slave-breediDg, slave. trading, and slave
holding, than 10 assure the perpetrators of
these atrocities that they shall have power
in the government in proportion TO tho num-
v VI hAtll " liOlil wy NuAl WV WV blO
record Of humanity and herd with beasts
BY this clause of the Constitution, 100000
slave.breeders in the South, holding 3,0O0,-
900 of slaves, have as much power and inhu-
ence in the government, as $500, 900 free
persons in the North.
1t was ad limited that, if the sLrgislative OF
Executive power of any state Virginia fol-
instance) calls on the President 10 suppress
domestic violence, even though it should
chance to be a servile instruction, he is
bound by the Constitution to obey that call,
and put down that violence. Yet these men,
with such views of the Constitution and Of
the official, specified duties of President, de.
clare that they can swear faithfully TO exc.
cute the Constitution and discharge all the
fixed, defined duties of the office of PTesi.
dent, and then refuse to execute the Consti.
tuition in reference to the three-ifths repre-
sentation, TO domestic violence and to fu-
giliyes from labor u! The Liberty Party,
through that Convention, admitted that the
Constitution was a pro-slavery document.
and the man, who says it is pro-slavery, and
swearsto execute it, and then refuses to do
80 in reference to slavery, must Of necessity
be a periure1, unprincipled man. Such is
the position of every Liberty Party man who
admits that the Constitution ia pro-slavery-
AS THAT CONVENTION, AS A BODY DID.
The only consistent Liberty Party men, are
those who take the ground that tho Consti-
tuition Is Anti.SlaveTy-in word and intent
throughout. And these, following the lead
of Lysander Spooner, Gerrit Smith and VIII
liam Goodell, while they invest governments
with deaih-deahng power, are the advocates
of despotism, absolute and unmixed.
They lay it down In their writings and
speeches, that no Constitution, no legislative
enactments, or judicial decisions are Ian, I'M
less they are in accordance with natural JUS
tice. They assert that each President. as
he enters the office, and every executive Of
icer under him, must decide for himself
what lie NATURAL LAW, and leave all Organ-
ie and statute law TO his own interpretations
of right, and then execute his own, and only
mis- own interpretations. They concentrate
all Legislative, judicial and executive powers
in one man,-invest him with the whole mil
i,sry power of the nation-and then authorize
him to enforce on every man, woman and
child his own interpretation OF hight and
wrong! Tho Legislature and the Supreme
Court have no control over the Liberty Par
" President, for with him there Is no law,
but bis own views Of what 10 Just and prop
srt and when he means to support the Don
stiiution. he only means 10 support and exc
cote his own Interpretations Of 'NotvrGLIss6.
Liberty Psrty PNsidsnt. tASi 70 10 b, o.
frames his owr opinions OF what Is right ant