Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1847-04-02


dissolve their connection with parents who
refuse to perform the duty of parents; that if
the master has a right to discharge his appren-
tees who will not serve him with fidelity, APP
prentices have a right 10 leave the master who
will not do his duty by them if governments
have a right to disown such of their citizens
as fail in promised allegiance, the citizens or
subjects have a right 10 repudiate the govern
ments which fail to secure TO them their
rights-the object for which governments
are, or should be, established among men,
This certainly is no more than just and rea-
s%onable, if, as is generally admitted in The abb
stract, the obligations resting upon The par
ties in the relations named, are equally bind.
ing upon both and grow out of reciprocal du.
ties.
1t has often been asserted by the opponents
of Disunion doctrines, that no member Of the
U. s. Government can possibly cease TO be-
come a citizen Of it by his own act, and most
certainly notif he remains upon its soil. The
points we here wish 10 present for considera-
ton are these: (I.) If the US. Government
claims a right to excommunicate one of its
members because he violates regulations, the
violation Of which involves no deviation from
principle, has not the individual a right to re-
pudiate that government if it fails to secure
the ends for which all just governments are
established, and becomes oppressive in its
aa,, ,-I .-;.:--t Z. "a. ~ IL
the U. $. Government can excommunicate a
citizen while residing upon its soil, may it
not be practicable for a citizen to repudiate
the government without leaving the coun-
try!
Itwould seem TO be unnecessary TO attempt
to argue this, especially when we remember
that the government Processes to have no 9TH
er power save that which is delegated TO it
by the people; and if The aggregate has the
delegated power TO eXcommunicate one, we
should think the one possessed the original
power TO e~Xcommunicate the aggregate. Now
for a Constitutions fact to show that the po-
sition Of The Disunionists in this respect is
tenable. The 18Th article in the amendments
of the L. S. Constitution reads thus -
"lf any citizen of the United States shall
accept, claim, receive or retain, any title of
nobility or honor, or shall, without the con-
sent of Congress, accept and retain any pre-
sent, pension, office, 5r emolument Of any
kind whatever, from any emperor, king, prince,
or foreign power, such person shall cease to
be a citizen of the United States, and shall
be incapable Of holding any office of trust or
profit under them, or either of them"
Now is any one so silly as to believe that
although the government claims the right to
deprive of citizenship the man, who without
humbly asking the consent of Congress, re.
tains the snulf-box with which Louis Phil.
lipe presents him as a testimony of his re-
'membrance of the kindness he received at
his hands when an exile in America, that that
man has no right TO withdraw his allegiance
from a government that is crushing millions
of his brethren, and trampling even upon his
own rights? We can hardly credit it. 1t
will be observed too, that the government
does not think it necessary to exPel a man
from the country in order TO disfranchise him,
but it is done on the soil.
We think this amendment is sufficient to
convince at least every one who believes that
the rights of the individual are not wholly
absorbed when he becomes a member of a re.
publican government, that inasmuch as the
government claims a right to repudiate hin,
he has an equal right to repudiate the govern
ment and as the government can do it with
out driving him from its territory, so he can
do it without leaving his native land.