Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1847-01-29

" eHliguten tneIn. NelgIbOr Jodb, mordl
power is as much superior to political power,
as the sun is to the moon. You see things
Moral power is as ancientas God,
and as vast as the universe. Political pow
er is certainly not older than human govern
ments, nor more extensive. Political power
Is Just that power which a nation, state, or
body polite exercises when it cumpeIs men
to obey its requirements by an application,
OF, at least, a threat of physical cJercion.-
This narrows down political power to a mere
line. But moral power comprehends every
description OF power, which (without apply
ing or threatening physical coercion) tends
to determine the will, conduct, and charac.
ter of rational beings. Moral power is, there
fore, eternal, universal, omnipresent, and al
most omnipotent. Political power could not
exist but by favor of moral power. Itcando
nothing without the prepardtive and sustain
ing influence of moral power. 1t claims the
credit Of much that moral power has lone at
its own expense. Nine-tenlhs of the best
things done in the name and to the credit of
the government, nave been originated and
matured by moral power. Moral power does
all the perSudding political power only the
driring. Political power makes war, trains
the militia, Furnishes criminals, and uses up
the peoples money-earning less and de-
handing better pay than almost any other
agency in the conduct of human affairs. Mo-
raj power works out the most complex, diff
cult, and mighty results by long years Of I'M
paid and unthanked toll. 1t a%ccomplishes
everything for nothing. The ministers of
moral power are the worlds most self-sacri-
fcing servants, AMI are often worn up and
left to ~starve, while the ministers Of political
power waste enough in luxury to feed and
clothe twice their number.
Neighbor Joab, please tell US whether wo-
men exert any political influence on human
affairs! Vet they have no political power.
Please tell US whether persons under age,
and the mullitudes Of men who are excluded
from the ballot-boX, exert any influence =
Tell us whether education, religion, and ten
thousand elements of moral power, exert any
control over the condition Of mankind ! Tell
us whether Jesus Christ, his apostles and
primitive followers for the first two or three
centuries, when they We're continually per-
secuted by political power, accomplished
anything! Tell us whether political power
light the new Western World, gave us the
steam engine, &C., &c. Tell US whether po-
litical power originated, and sustained in
ilN llliulN iAiV AbilipNIbiINc VIZ
Anti-Slavery Cause, &c. Tell us what great
and glorious improvement political power
ever originated or even patroniZed till after it
could live by the favor of public opinion. In
ine, tell US what great things have been, or
can be done, by the ballot-box, the iury-box,
the criminals box, or the carlridge.box, with
out and against public opinion! Political
power is controlled by public opinion, and
Ittblin opipinn &c tho nra,tnro of moral NO,u-
err. Therefore, when wise and good men
wish to control political power without touch
ing it, they nave only to exert their united
energies in the use of moral power for the
creation of a right public opinion, this will
turn political power which way they will, as
the wind controls the weathercock. THey
govern the world who govern public opinion.
But says my neighbor Joab, "why should
not wise and good men use political as well
as moral power in a good c~ause?" They may,
when they can do it without sin. If the end,
the means, and the spirit are all good, they
may use political power. But if the end is
bad, or the means bad, or the spirit OF &C llon
bad, they must not defle themselves. They
need not, and they must not. All the good
they seek is otherwise atiainable without
evil. They must not do evil that good may
NVlllt. 1 ltO lluSE nave lit lGllOh sup WIN
the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather
reprove them" This is the law for wise
and good men.
Now for the improvement. If the Constl-
tuition Of the American Union tolerltes, sane
tons, and s~ustains slavery if it forbade the
nation TO abolish the slavc-trade for a certain
number of years; if it gave Shareholders
greater weight than others in TIE Electoral
and Legislative branches of government,
proportionate to the number Of their untortu-
nate victims; if it bound the whole people
to deliver up fugitive slaves TO their claim
ants; if it pledged to the shareholders mill
tary assistance to keep their slaves IN sub
lection if all this has been, and still Is, the
practice under this government; and II eve
~ man who makes himself a voter, necesSa-
rlIy assumes the covenant and obligations OF
a citizen TO support the Constitution, or 1t
the candidates he votes for must swear Ia
support 1t then can no man who truly alb
hors slaveholdlng as a sin under all circum'
stances innocently accept office, or assist II
electlng any other person TO Office under The
Federal government. Political power, un
der such a Constitution and snch a govern.
ment, is power exercised to hold millions o.
slaves by brute force, In a " bondage, a mo-
ment of which, is worse than whole ages
of that which the revolutionary founders O
this nation rose in rebellion to resist. Who
ever abhors slave-stealing from principle
must abhor slave-trading, slave-holding, an,
sIave-breeding, together with governments
slave-watchlng, s'ave-ihreateming, slave-kee
ping, and slave-crushing. 1t is all of a plec,
from beginning to end. A man who mean'
to keep his slaves in bondage and TO taxi
part only with their masters, is in principle
no better than the masters, who are in pm
ciple no better than the first man-stealers'
who, according to the divine law, are In prln
ciple no better than murderers.
If neighbor Joab, or any other man, pro-
fesses to abhor slaveholding with all M
heart, does not abhor a compact which holds
three millions of human beings under th'
power Of oppression. let him suspect tnat NJ
d~eceives himself. Let him know that he as