Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1847-11-19
The Right of Revolution.

We hold these truths TO be self-evident:-
That all men are created equal, that they are
endowed by their Creator with certain unal-
ienable rights (; that among these are life, il
berty, and the pursuit Of happiness. That to
secure these rights, governments are institu-
ted among men, deriving their just powers
from the consent Of the governed that when
ever any form Of government becomes d%estruc-
tive of these ends, it is the right Of the people
to alter or 10 abolish it, and to institute new
government, laying its foundation on such
principles, and organizing its powers in such
form, as TO them shall seem most likely TO eff
feet their safety and happiness. Prudence,
indeed, will dictate, that governments long
established should not be changed for light
and transient causes; and accordingly all ex-
perience hath shown, that mankind are more
disposed to suffer while evils are sufferable,
than TO right themselves by abolishing the
forms 10 which they are accustomed. But
when a long train of abuses and usurpations,
pursuing invariably the same object, %evinces
a design 10 reduce them under absolute des-
potism, it is their right, it is their duty, to
throw off such government, and 10 provide
new guards for their future security.-Deciur-
ation IF Independence.
Resolrcd, That the principles. Of the Liber-
ty party are the same as those expressed
in the Declaration of Independence, and ne
c~essarily involve opposition 10 every form of
oppression; and while we regard the system
of American slavery as one of the greatest
possible abuses of political power, and, On
that account, demanding the united, persever-
ing efforts Of the party to overthrow it, as a
paramount object, yet hostility to tyranny in
every form, and the maintenance and pro-
lection Of the equal rights of all men, is our
great bond of union as a political organiza-
tion.-Bu0aio Liberty Party COnuentiOn, Of
1917.
1t would be unjust to Liberty party to re-
quire OF it hiatt lis action should be better than
its theory, its practice purer than its profess
sion; but we think none of lis adherents have
cause to complain when it is tried By its own
principles. The members of that party have
fallen into the very common practice of aE
frming their belief in the Declaration of A.
m%erican Independence without having any
well defined idea Of manifesting it by theil
actions. 1t is true that in some respects theil
practice conforms 10 their profession, and Sc
does the practice Of all who point 10 that in
strrlnent as the charter Of their political liber
ties. We are free to confess that We canno
adopt the Declaration as a whole. It's theo
ry of equal rights is gloriously orthodox, bu
not SO, we think, its implied defence of Tho
war-spirit. But with Liberty party it is other
wise-it afirms that lis principles are the
same as those of the Declaration.
The foundation principle which the father.
asserted in their noble protest of 1916, wa,
that Of mans equality the superstruciur
they reared upon it, the right of revolution
and this latter idea they dwelt upon at con
siderable length as will be seen by the pas
sage we have placed al the head of this arti
Gle.
No one will pretend that the slaves of thi
country were represented in the Convention
which adopted the us. Constitution, or iha
in any way they s~igniied their consent t
the establishment of the government that WI
afterwards imposed upon them; or that tn
form of government adopted did moi becom
destructive TO their inalienable rights. Tn
Buffalo Convention assumed, and rightly too
that the three fifth representation clause 81
unjust and anti-republican ;" and by thi
clause slavery rules the Senate and the Hous,
I appoints Judges and ambassadors, annexe
. slave territory and makes war to defend it,
this clause is, in short, one of the most prom
, inent, active, and oppressive articles in tn
Constitution, and has ever been used by tn
! South to crush the colored man and keep hiI
r degraded. If then, we make the slaves cas-
? our own, we must affirm that the u. 8. q,