Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1848-10-27
Responsibility of MinOrites.

Responsibility Oh Mln0rlteS.
The rights Of minorites is something that
is freqently heard of, but their responsibility
is a matter but little understood, or if un.
derstood is disregarded. We hold it to be a
sound axiom that the minority in any sect,
party, or organization, whether religious or
political, bearing the cognomen of Church or
State, is responsible for every act Of the ma
jority which is in accordance with the rules
or Constitution of the organization. The
form of government which an organization
adopts, is but the rules by which all who
compose it, consent 10 governed. The Offices
it creates are clothed with the authority of
all its members; the power Of the body 10
conferred by them conformity; and the various
ways in which it may be exercised agreed
upon by mutual consent. WhO shall be its
official agents, how its power shalt be exer-
cised, and ,phen, depends upon the c~onsiiiu-
tional majority to say. the minority having
pledged itself TO abide by the result as de-
termined by the mode agreed upon. Hence
the necessity Of abstsining from membership
in all organizations whose rules Of govern
ment confer upon its officers the right to ex-
ercise in a certain contingency a power which
is wrong in itself.
No one has a right 10 become a member Of
a company whose capital is to be invested in
the purchase Of a ship, with the undersian-
ding that it is to be a pirate vessel or a mer-
chant-man as the majority of the company
may decide. All who believe piracy wrong,
can readily see it would be sinful to enter
into such an agreement.
No one has a right to unite with others in
furnishing money TO purchase weapons of
war. TO be used in such a manner and on such
occasion as the majority Of contributors shall
direct. Even admitting wars of defence to
be just, it will be seen that to empower 9th
es to commence a wal of aggression in an
contingency whatever, would be a palpable
wrong.
No one would have a right to consen. to
have decided by a game of chance or skill,
which of four persons should be appointed to
navigate a vessel in which hundreds were
embarked, if but one of the number was
competent to take charge of it, or even if all
but one was qualified for by so doing he
would stake the lives and property Of others
upon the turn of a card or a throw of dice,
an act from which every man with the slight
est pretensions to morality would instructive.
ly shrink.
Now what ia the United States government,
but a company of men who agree that if the
majority shall deem it expedient, the strength
and authority c. the organization shall be
used TO sustain piracy on the coast of Africa,
or what is worse than piracy? II was judg-
ed expedient 10 continue the practice Of slave
trading for twenty years. The operation Of
the article Of agreement under which it was
done, was then suspended but the prohibi-
ton may be removed and the traffic resumed
whenever the majority so wills il, for such
is the agreement Of all. Thus every yoie
cast for a Congressional candidate confsrs
upon him power to say whether the African
slave trade may or may not be carried on. 10
this a just power! Has any man or body Of
men the right to say TO republican freeboot-
ers, "you may run up the American flag,
land upon the coast of Africa, burn her viii
lagos, lay waste her hamlets, kill her chill
dren who resist, and enslave those who sub
mit!" Certainly not. And yet the mem
bers of the American Congress possess this
power, having received it from their consti-
tutients, all Of whom consented TO confer it
upon them. But it may be urged that they
do not now thus use this power. Admit il
but does this fact establish the right Of their
constituents to bestow it upon them p
Should the next session of Congress rs-es-
tablish the Foreign slave trade, should the
nations representatives decide that the pro-
per time had arrived for the exercise of the
power so to do, which their constituents had
conferred upon them, those who were repre-
sented by tho minority, and protested against
it, and begged, and prayed, and implored
the majority not to decide that Congress
should SO act, would still be implicated in
the crime, for they joined an association
whose every member was required to agree
that the Foreign slave trade should be car.
ried on under the circumstances supposed
And though their wrong doing may not gel
have brought forth its most bitter fruits, vel
they have no right to take credit to them
solves because their agents have not shoseI