Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1848-06-23

behold the man who is responsible for all
these things. This is the truth | want TO
bring home TO you. 1t is the only practical
truth in the matter. You talk of government
and its duties, and think you have said some
thing true-as if in such a country as this,
there could be n responsibility any where
apart from that individual responsibility be-
longing TO every one! And now we know
with whom to argue, and where TO look for
and expect reformation. You don't want to
go TO Washington. Convert yourselves, and
you will soon have a converted Congress-
Let the reform begin with the people, and it
will soon show its fruits. 1t is perfectly idle
for you to stand with your hand, folded and
talk about government! You speak, and
with great truth, about a want of iirmness and
stability in your representatives, and you cry
'Oh you dough-faced representatives! Why
are they dough-faced 1t Is because they
have a dough-faced constituency at home
Awake yourselves, be true to the right, be
firm, stand up like men, and you'll have no
difficulty with your representatives.
Look back over the history of New York
State-and | speak of New York, because |
am here. | would say the same of New
Hampshire, were there. Look back, | say,
and tell me when you have ever had a repre-
sentative who lost caste and standing at home
by bowling ever so low to the detestable pow
er of slavery. | believe never. CA voice,
neverD 1t was a Roman rule, that a Roman
soldier should fear more the face of his gene
raj than the face of his foe. We may gather
a hint from this. Make your representatives
more afraid of you than their leaders and d.
rectors at Washington! Before Gen. Scott
went to Mexico, he was much worried about
a fire in his rear. What you want is, a fire
in the rear of your representatives. Stand up
and face whatever comes-true TO your obli-
cations, true to your real interests-and if
they fall back, let your fire reach them with
tenfold the vengeance of that they shrank
from. If you convert Congress, what can it
do2 Nothing, SO long as the people are
wrong. I'd rather hear of the conversion Of
one Baptist church up in the North of New
Hampshire, than that of half the Congress.
They would work They would be the ones
to work! This truth ought to be elaborated.
Reflection cannot fail TO establish the idea,
that this is an individual matter. l do not
offer any new truths. What need of new
truths, when the old truth, that all men are
equal, lies literally as dead and ~lifeless in
your archives as the parchment on which il
is written? Let us work up these old truths,
bring them out of their store-houses, and we
shall have enough TO do.
One word about agitation. Many mer
have a fear. if anything is to be agitated, and
say it had better be let alone. Why do you
wish to agitatel Agitation is the bane of So
ciety and life. Is this So Is it true ! Il
is not. Mr.. Calhoun said, the other day, he
did notlook on il so. Nations are much more
apt TO die of indifference and stagnation thar
by agitation How is it with our own con-
stitution? Is it not kept alive by agitation
What agitator is like the human heart, send
ing life, by its incessant throbbing, through
every portion of the body! When it ceases.
death ensues; whenever agitation ceases, stu
por, stagnation, putrefaction, death, follow
Agitation gives to any system life, health
and vigor. We may find the truth in a Chris
I tian illustration. The pool by the temple
porch had no healing virtues till the angel o
= God came down and stirred it. May it no
be so now? We want a li(e-giving princi
pie stirred in us. We want it al the North
, There are enough agitators at the South
They are plenty there, and they will keep VI
the agitation but we want a little whole
some agitation at the North. Your represen
tatives want something to fall back on.
o do not say a word about the character o
e the present government, or about the war.
have said what | had to say before this, ant
g everything / have said is faint and feeble
compared with the deep convictions of m,
understanding and my heart. ! believe tina
g the history of this war will mark this age a
Il one of barbarism, and this nation as infamous
and these convictions | shall never part with
g until my understanding is otherwise enlighl
ened, or that catastrophe with which | hav
been threatened overtakes me.
u How do we stand among the nations {
the earthl The angel of the everlasting Cos
pei of Peace has gone out among the people
1t and the slaves of Europe are rising TO be fret
g The shouts of the regenerated nations Of tn
l. earth are going up before the throne of Etc
e, nifty, and what voice do we send up there
Ut Our shouts go up mingled with the cIank
ut chains, the wall of the bondsman, the shriel
r, of the victims of a war waged for the perp
tuity of slavery. That is the position of OF
re union to-day. That this is the object Of II
n war, no politician dare deny. Go to Wasl
n ington, and ask about it. They will not d.
1t, ny il. 1t has been confessed on the floor
n the Senate, over and over again. There is
h. good deal of verbiage and phraseology use
III to cover it up, but it still stands out in bo
Id relief, and cannot be denied. They feel
| they see it, they know it. If a new revel
n! ton were given us, if the finger of a man
at hand should write on our wall in living Il
st tiers, it could not be palmer, except to tho
nd who are so deaf that they will not hear,
blind that they will not see.
III Where, then, will you be found in the C
. sis which is now approaching The hos
ire of freedom are arming. The angel of Libt
re, ty is marshalling her forces everywhel
~ and her trumpet voice is summoning MS
on the battle of the free. Where will you be
II this contest, the greatest in which the natio
a have ever engaged! Will you stand up
us freedom where your fathers stood, or W
no you be hesitating, faltering, tagging behir
N, fer fear, for fear that you'll--split your p
90 ty! That's the whole of il !-that's YOUR