Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1847-02-19

principle every day of our lives, and we have
an undoubted right to d. so. When | came
TO this country from the United States, |
came in the second cabin. And why Not
because my natural right to come in the first
cabin was not as good as that Of any other
man, but because a wicked and cruel
prejudice decided, that the second cabin was
the place for me. BY coming over in the
second, did | sanction or justify this wicked
prescription! Not at all. 1t was the best
could do. | acted from necessity.
One other case, and | have done with this
view of the subject. | think you will agree
with me that the case | am now about to put
Is pertinent, though you may not readily par
don me for making yourself the agent of my
Illustration. The case respects the passport
system on the Continent of Europe. That
system you utterly condemn. You look up
on 1t as an unjust and wicked interference, a
bold and infamous violation of the natural
and sacred right of locomotion. You hold,
land so do l., } that the image of our common
God ought to be a passport all over the hab-
liable world. But bloody and tyrannical 90
vernments have ordained otherwise they
usurp authority over you, and decide for you,
on what conditions you shall travel. They
say you shall have a passport, or you shall
be put in prison. Now, the question is, have
they a right TO prescribe any such termsl and
do you, by complying with these terms,
sanction their interference / think you will
answer, no; submission to injustice, and
sanction of injustice, are different things /;
and he is a poor reasoner who confounds the
two, and makes them one and The same thing.
Now, then, for the parallel, and the appli-
cation Of the passport system TO my own
case.
| wish to 90 to the United States. l have
a natural right to go there, and be free. My
natural right is as good as that of Hugh Aud,
or James X. Polk but that plundering GO
vernment says, | shall not return to the Uni
ted States in safeiy-it says, | must allow
Hugh Aud to rob me, or my friends, Of ESQ,
or be hurled into the Internal jaws of slavery.
| must have a bit of paper, signed and seal
ed or my liberty must be taken from me,
and | must be torn from my family and
friends. The government of Austria said to
you, Dare to come upon my soil, without a
passport, declaring you to be an American
citizen, (Which you say you are not,) you
shall at once be arrested, and thrown into
prison. What said you TO that Government!
Did you say that the threat was a villanous
one, and an Infamous invasion of your right
of Iocomotion? Did you say, j will come
upon your soil l will go where | pleas. |
dare and defy your government! Did you
say, Il will spurn your passports | would
not stain my hand, and degrade myself, by
/, touching your miserable parchment. You
have no right to give it, and ] have no right
to take it.. Itrample your laws, and will put
your constitutions under my feet! l will
not recognize them! Was this your course!
No! dear friend, it was not. Your practice
-, was wiser than your theory. You took the
..u- zI.-,,,,J - - nv,p,iaol xvhtla
travelling, and availed yourself of all the ad-
vantages of your 'passport-or, in other
: words, escaped all the evils which you ought
to have done, without it, and would have
done, but for the tyrannical usurpation in Eu-
: rope.
| will not dwell longer upon this view of
. the subject; and | dismiss it, feeling quite
satisfied of the entire correctness Of the Tea-
soning, and the principle attempted to be
maintained. As to the expediency of the
measures, different opinions may well pre-
vail but in regard to the principle, | feel it
difficult to conceive of two opinions. l am
free to say, that, had ] possessed one hun
bred and fifty pounds, l would have seen
: Hugh Aud kicking, before | would have
= given it to him. | would have waited till
= the emergency came, and only given up the
: money when nothing else would do. But
Z my friends thought it best to provide against
the contingency they acted on their own
: responsibility, and | am not disturbed about
/ the result. But, having acted on a true prin-
= ciple, | do not feel free 10 diSarO,o their pro-
; ceedings.
n In conclusion, let me say, / anticipate no
E such change in my position as you predict.
n | shall be Frederick Douglass still, and once
a slave still. ] shall neither be made to for
get nor cease to feel the wrongs of my ensla-
$ we'd fellow-countrymen. My knowledge OF
g slavery will be the same, and my hatred oil
t it will be the same. By the way, | have
never made my own person and suffering the
theme of public discourse, but have always
o based my appeal upon the wrongs OF the
three millions now in chains and these shall
g still be the burthen of my speeches. Nor
intimate that | may reject the papers, and al
l. low them to remain in the hands OF thos'
v friends who have effected the purchase, ant
a thus avail myself of the security afforded BY
n them, without sharing any part OF the res
possibility of the transaction. My objection
to this is one of honor. | do not think i
would be very honorable on my part, TO re
main silent during the whole transaction, an
, giving it more than my silent approval; an
rs then, when the thing is completed, and al
d safe, attempt to play the hero, by THROWN
off all the responsibility in the matter.
e might be said, and said with great propriety
Ie Mr.. Douglass, your indignation is very gooC
ID and has but one fault, and that is, il conn
too later 1t would be a show of Drawer
ID when the danger is over. From every vie'
ID | have been able TO take of the subject, ! al
ID persuaded to receive the papers, if p~resente
70 not, however, as a proof of my right to b
free, for that is seB-evident, but as a proof tha
ne my friends have been legally robbed of El5t
is in order to secure that which is the birth
he right of every man. And | will hold u
those papers before the world, in proof oil IN
Id plundering character of the American govern
i. ment. 1t shall be the brand of infamy
stampinp the nation, in whose name the dee
., was done, as a great aggregation of hypc
ID critics, thieves and liars,-and their condcn