The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-08-29

We publish in another column an account o
the arrest and imprisonment of Mr.. Chaplin, for
merly editor of the Albany Patriot, for assisting
the escape of the slaves of Messrs Toombs ant
Stephens from Washington city. The Nationd
Era is out in condemnation Of his conduct, W.
have no heart to join in this censure The slave
holder is simply pirate, holding by thiefs It'll,
his fellow man in bondage, who has precisely the
same right to be free as himself This being the
case, it is not only the right but the duty of the
slave to get free whenever he can by lawful means
The onlV lawful means in his power is to run
away Ii is therefore his right and duty, whenev.
err a chance of escape is presented, to embrace it
If it be right for him to make his escape, it is OF
necessity righ 10 assist him. Therefore the act OF
Mr.. Chaplin, for which he has been arrested and
committed to prison, was, we honestly believe,
pleasing in the sight OF God.
- e.. s.ss. = - 49, - At this 49,
from an article written by the editor, in Cincin-
natl, commencing thus: "The human mind is so
constitntea' that Il Win atrath eoSistaafng ifs-
honorable to that which has to be done in the
dark or by stratagem"
On this principle, the editor would condemn
the primitive Christians, who assembled sin
| the DARK in the "caves and dens of the
earth,n to worship their Saviour Hewould con-
denim the Waldenses and the Albigenses Of
| France the Covenanters of Scotland, and the Pu-
ritans of England, whose only freedom to wor-
ship Godu was obtained by meeting " in the dark
and by stratagemn Would it be " dishonorableo
for a man taken captive by Algerine pirates to
escape I" in the dark or by stratagem Z" Then
why is it wrong for the captives OF Toombs and
Stephens and other Congressional pirates to do the
same thing? Was it {" dishonorable" for the per-
sons taken prisoners by the Indians, during the
! first settlement of this country, to avail them
| selves of "stratagem and darkness" to escape
Yet slavery is more intolerable than Indian cap
tivity; for who does not know that one object Of
| the Seminole and Florida wars was to recover
the slaves who had escaped from the tender mer-
ciesn of Christian civilized slavery to the hor-
rors of life in the wgwam2" We fancy that
if DR.. Bailey's wife and children were reduced
to slavery, and he had chance to recover them
" in the dark or by stratagem," his scruples would
vanish marvellousy soon. II Mr.. Chaplin shall
be doomed TO follow the lamented Torrey, 1t will
be for an act on which we have no doubt Jesus
and Angels will smile with approbation.-Free
Presbyterian.
We have not censured the slaves of Messrs.
Toombs and Stephens, or any others, for attempt
ing to escape from slavery They are bound by
no moral obligation, no compact, no law to which
they or their ancestors have ever given their as
sent except the law of physical necessity. In at
tempting TO achieve their freedom, they have only
done what every man with an honest impulse in
his breast will say promptly, that he would have
done. We have not and shall not condemn them.
But the case is different with an American citi-
zen who assists them in escaping. He has incur
red political and social obligations which forbid
all efforts open or covert direct or Indirect the
object of which is, to help a slave in running
away from his master He cannot free himself
from these obligations by any mental resolves he
may make, by saying to himself, the law unjust,
and therefore will not obey it; BECAUSE if such
doctrine were allowed, there could be no such
thing as organized society. Every man would be
his own lawgiver, and universal anarchy pre-
vail. Every citizen is protected by the laws, and
therefore he is bound by them. His liberty, civil
and religious, is protected, as well as his right
to enjoy and dispose of whatever property he may
possess lie is therefore morally, socially, and
politically bound to obey the laws Of the land
whether he believes them to be just or not. He
is further bound to obey what he believes to be
unjust laws because he is privileged to remOn-
strate, petition, and vote against their contin-
uance
In all these respects the condition of the slave
is different He is unprotected, debarred the
right of petition and complaint, and therefore he
is not morally bound to continue under govern
ment which thus tramples on his rights.
The only way for an American citizen to throw
off the obligations of the Constitution and laws
of the land, is to leave the country. Or, If he
chooses to disregard those laws while he remains
within the territory of the United States he
should by all means, if he would maintain char
acter for good faith and honor, make declaration
of war. He should not skulk about as law abb
ding citizen, claiming and enjoying the protection
of the laws, while the business Of his life is to
violate them.
The Free PYeSbyterian remarks, that Z" on this
principle the editor (of the National Era would
condemn the primitive Christians, who assembled
ain the darkn in the caves and dens of the
earth to worship their Saviour. He would con-
denim the Wadenses and the Albigenses of
France, the Covenaiters Of Scotland and the
Puritans of England whose only "freedom to
worship God" was obtained by meeting in the
dark and by str,tugem.n Not at all. They were
not protected by the laws in most sacred, natu-
raj right-therefore they were justi6able in ex-
ercsing that right in violation Of the law and
these, by the way, are the strongest possible ex-
amples which we could desire for illustrating and
enforcing what we have said, in regard to the
right of slaves to recover their liberties.
We have spoken of the duties Of the Ameri-
can citizen towards the slaves of the South
ClsiminO and EXERCISING the larvest liberty of
discussion upon the merits of slavery, and hold
ing it to be our right and duty to assist in bring
ing about state Of public feeling favorable to
the peaceful and legitimate extinction of that in
stitution, we at the same time, while the law of
slavery exists, feel bound to acquiesce in its
enforcement, and disclaim any purpose or right
to violate it, To the eTpedimey of all efforts at
its violation, we have expressed decided OBJ
jections. The effect of more than half the Of
forts that have been made to run off slaves from
the border States, where the institution is COM
paratively mild, is to prccipitate them and their
posterity into the hopeless and cruel bondage
Of the sugar plantations Of the South while
the whole community in the vicinity Of the
transaction becomes alarmed for the security
of their property" and ships off dozen or
twenty more. SO much for the philanthropy
of such transactions. Their effect upon the
public mind is evil, and only evil. They cause
the name Of abolition TO become bugbear
through the whole Southern country, where II
is most desirable. to disseminate right views
upon the subject Of slavery. Men in that re-
gion, who would otherwise freely and gladly