Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1850-11-30
From the Pittsburgh Visitcr.
The Constitution versus the Bible,

A discussion is now going on between d
correspondent OF the Commercial journal
and writer in the Pittsburgh Gazette rs tt
whether the Bible or the Constitution is the
higher law. The Journal man takes the
ground that the Constitution is the better
work OF the two, aud the Gazette man holds
out, stoutly, that the BlbIu is the best ati-
thority. Who shall decide "Alethes, y
the Journal man, thinks ga solemn act of
Congress" is the end of all strife, while the
Gazette man maintains that Divine com
mands are law paramount. lie aud oIir
friend "Moral" are dangerous herctics, and
withal very prcsuming TO maintain that the
Deity of the old lsroclites can at all ap-
proach in power and glory, to the God of
the American people. 1t is piece of down
right impudence TO suppose that He who
made the Heaven and Earth, was at all equal
to tile trainers of our glorious Constitution.
What is system of worlds compared to our
magnificent, grandifcent, spendii6rous
Union-the union of the stripes aud stars ?
We would just like for TO know how any
sane man could think of preierring the
thunders of Sinai TO the din of our Capitol,
or the man Moses TO our man Footc or Clay.
The legitimate God of the American peo-
pie is American Slavery. As people they
acknowledge no other; and their God is ON
npotent to them. 1t turneth their hearts
"even as the rivers of water are tlIrned."-
Their prophets and leaders are the High
Priests of its temple; aud why should not
their God and their prophets be as much su-
perior TO the God aud prophets Of the lsra-
elites as they themselves are superior TO that
benightcd people who had neither railroads
nor telegraphs?
But this was not exactly what we intend
ed saying. This Journal "Alcthes" who in
forms us he can read Chinese and Choctaw,
and that lie is man Of extensive reading"
tells us that the word :" deliver" means TO
" set free" aud that therefore the text of
scripture which SAYS, "The servant that is
escaped from his master unto thee thou
shalt not deliUer him unto his MASTER" MEANS
"thou shalt mol sci him free, "but shall return
him TO his master. Now you see, we used
TO be on the Bible side of this question, but
hencelorth we go in for the Constitution
Ii says persons held to labor shall be deliv-
cred" when they escape from one State TO
another. So when n slave comes TO our
State according TO the Constitution we are
not to trouble our heads about him until his
master comes to claim him, when we must
Instantly sci him free. There can he no mis-
take about this Interpretation, for Alethes
is very learned man, and says he has
Polyglot Bible, and he gives us nearly
column in close print about "Niphal" aud
"iliphil," TO say nothing about Sniflle and
Whiille, both very dpropo verbs, though not
very good Hebrew, with "llphal" aud
"Ilithpael.n and Iissegger," and lsegaru
and Concludent," y" Concludere," and " Con-
cIudisli" and good many more words we
can't for the life of MS make out But he
talks about Philip of Spain, and Joshua, and
Roman Corrections in Latin, and Hebrew
and DIR. johnson with segar," aud Lit
Teton. lie calls all this "iogOmoehy.' Ig-
norunt people might suspect it was rather
logic-bOtchy; but we are quite convinced
Alethes knows something, IL he could only
tell what it is; aud we do like his nlerpre-
taIion of the Constitution. 1t will surely
clear that instrument from the aspcrsions
cast upon it by disunionists. The third sec
ton Of the fourth article is the free papers
of every fugitive. lie /" shall he delivered up,
on claim of the party to whom such service
or labor may be due"
Well, Alethes says "deliver," is TO "set
free" so he is 10 be set free, and what more
can the most ianatical Abolitionist desire?