Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1847-01-15


with which they apply themselves to dis
prove the existence of the most prominent
feature of our national cOuntenance, which
thrusts itself into our faces every moment Of
our lives. is worthy of all admiration. The
celebrated probocis of The hero Of Slawken-
bcrnius's tale, or even the facial prolnontory
of Prince Nosey himself, in the fairy tale,
would vanish before the logic of these gen
ilemen, should they ever have occasion to
maintdin the theory that THE HUMAN CoUN-
TENANcE Is AN ANTI-NAsAL INsTRuMENTr"
Their dialectic skill surpasses even that Of
Hudibrds himself, who could only
"-------divide
A hair 'Iwixt south and south west side ~
Whereas these gentlemen could box tie
compass about the finest air that ever adorn-
ed the brow of beauty. | have no disposl-
lion 10 deny their Ingenuity, but it seems to
me to be about as much misplaced as that Of
the protector in the Academy at Lagado, who
spent his life in trying to make cloth out Of
cobwebs.
You affirm that | have made several blum
ders in nay letter, to which | mast briefly a.
vert. First, you deny that you ioid ':rhar
the clause in the Constitution relating to the
SlaN e-Tradp provides for its abolition" NV
reason for thinking that you did was the fol-
lowing passage in your letter. of July 18Th,
1911, TO John G.. WhiHier, Esq. You say
that ''lhe colonies, at the time Of the forma-
ton of the Constitution, each agreed with
Its partners, under the new compact, not that
1t would continue this trade for nineteen
years, Chat would have been a prO-st0rtry a.
greemrnt,) but that, if it continued it at all,
it would discontinue it after nineteen years,
and that made it an dnti-sLaUe,y agreement"
If Won cau see anVlhiuU off Thu nntn a., Ia ,l,o
clause in question, perhaps | ought not to be
surprised that you are unable to discern Sla-
very in the Constitution. The States made
no such agreement at all. They only agreed
that, j Congress should prohibit the Sore
TRADE after 1903, then they would discon,in-
ue II. You appeal 10 the history ofthe Con-
vention TO confirm your theory, (though this
Is an assistance which your authentic expos
itor, Mr.. Sposner, rejects with contenpt.l
that the Slave-Erade compromise was one
made by Slavery TO Anti-Slavery. You
have read that history to a strange purpose,
it you do not know that it was the slavehol-
ders that demanded that the Slave-rrade
should be sacr d, even from Congress, for
nineteen years and that only at the end of
that time It should be, not discontinued, as
you afilrTr, but submitted to the power gram
ted TO Congress TO regulate commerce, to be
O"NhN ~ NNN Aai Il . IL Sltulu utBLn
best, Had il not been Tor this prohlh;tion Of
interference, the abolition Of the Slave-Trade
might have bren had i'll 1889, instead of
lSOS. | think 1t must require those keen
optics "w hlch see what is not to be seem"
that can discover any sign Of anti-slavery in
this clause.
The reply to the second blunder you as
cribe to me Is substantially included in tho
last paragraph. You think that this clause
is no obstacle sin the way Of swearing to
support those parts Of the Constitution " hictl
remain operative" since the trade has been
actually abolished under its provisions, diff
fer from you. That clause is not ''obsolete,"
as you think. 1t is not dead, but sleppeth.
AS Congress mi ht have refused to abolish
the Slave-Trade in 1908, under the Cousti-
tuition, so it may re-establish it tomorrow, il
it will. The power to abolish, implies tho
power to continue and to restore. And we
may yet see this done, should the home sup
ply not be sufficient for the demand of the
new markets in Texas, California, and Mex
leo.
| think you are singularly mistaken in the
idea. that the prohibition of tho Slave-rrade
in 1908, was an Anti-Slavery triumph. IL l
know anything of that portion of history, the
foreign trade was suppressed for the benefit
of the trade at home. The patfiarchs found
that it was u better business TO sell their own
children. than TO import those of other men.
1t was, in fact, The germ of the great AMERI-
CAN ~SYsTEM,-the first national movement
for THE PROTECTION OF DOMESTIC MANUFAc-
TUREs!
But my third and worst blunder consists
in holding, that the authentic tribunal TO de-
CHE on the meaning of The Constitution is
The Supreme Court of the United States -
This may be a "very bad blunder - but il IL
one, at least, which | commit in very res.
f p~ectable company. ! do certainly hold, that
| what the Court decides to be the meaning OF
the Constitution is the supreme rule of ac-
ton, which all who swear to support the
r Constitution are bound to maintain. Ii the
decision be a wicked one. il is still the rule
of action Of all, 50 swearing, until it is re-
versed. My remedy is, 10 refuse 10 take
= that oath, TO refuse 10 do The wicked thing
required, and submit to the consequences,
s. and, in an extreme case, like this of Slavery,
TO resort TO revolution.
You reject this view, and by way of re-
Gucii0 Gd absu dunn, you al'egs that '.dignIf-
If ed and authoritative expounders of The Bible
a interpret il to be pro-sldvery :" and thence
e infer that am bound either to accept their
n exposition Of the Bible, or reject the exposi-
i ton of the Supreme Cont OF the Constitu-
l iIon! Dul 40 you really perceive no dlfer-
t ence between the decision of a tribunal erec-
ted under the Constitution, for the i~ntrrpre-
tation Of itself, and of all laws made under it.
and that of a private individual exercising
his right Of private Judgment as to the mean
ing of The Bible! If you do, your ~illus,ra-
ton and your argument fall to the ground ;
for there Is no analogy between the two cas-
es. II you do not, you will pardon me if l
cannot perceive how IT is possible Tor us 10
have any further discussion on this point.
The fourth and last blunder YOU indicate
is my position ''that it is inconsistent and
unfair" for men acting under the Constitu-
ton, to reject a Shareholder as a candidate on
account of his slaveholding. This, also, YOU
attempt to dispose Of by the -eduehio cd ab-
snrdnn. nni nannnt adni. .LAnn