Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1850-12-28
SOBER SENSE OF MASSACHUSETTS,.

family, children seek release from parental control,
and at the age when most they need the guidance
ofther elders, claim 10 think and act independently,
if not wisely. In the church men spurn reguia-
ton treating creeds and forms Of faith rs inc0nsst
ent with conscientious discharge duty. In civil
society, individuals and even associations assume
to act without regard 10 municipal law, claiming %
act in conformity with what they call . "higher
law" which others deem only another name Tor
sef-Uill. We call this uneasiness under restraint
prominent trait Of the hour, but It is BY no means
q peculiarly. There have ever been individuals
impatient or control, who have not lacked ingenuity
10 devise ana hardihood to defend sheir lswless-
ess We arc BY no means place 10 their class only the
obtse Of pecapon ii uncolvsed The most dangerous
are hoss o ready wit and high Intellectual at
tanmsns these by their blancy attract the moths Of the
community in understanding admiraon To those who
assume that society needs be reconstructed fruit
less to urge the claim which the laws Of society have to their
obedience With such cannot argue, for we have no
starting point in any admitted principle In passing, how
ever we ask what scheme their wisdom would devise which
should not require submission Of to others concession
mutual reciprocal The idea of society association with
out subordnaon of individual will to the corporate will is
absurd a.
IT. then, there is to be controlling power in society, call
it king constitution, "hgher law, its mandates must be
universal in their application 70 suppose that law is to bs
regarded sighted optioaay ssupemey ridiculous The
of law is restraint where there is restraint anar-
chy exists law These principles plain to need
proof but consciousness. 1t is narrow view of duty
which regards only particular and their separate circum-
stances a' .aaa nsf ..4 4#
Equally just sentiments entertained BY many Of our re-
gious exchanges. We take thefollowng in this
ion from the Boston Recordea paper whose predictions
IL ~ oI,
sion is made: '1t.
ssAmong all good citizens there be but opinion
respecting obedience ocvil law. Every individual who
Joys the advantages of society must surrender personal
rights, in order these social advantages BY
teng into civil society be ceases to be an Of his
wrongs His liberty to do what pleases himself best,
having regard for the right of others but is liberty
regulated by law. Law the will of the supreme authority
expressed in definite form. This will, thus expressed,
be obeyed either BY doing the thing commands
suffering the penalty which it threatens.
'Open resistance is rebellion or revolution When our
fathers flung the into Boston hsrbor it rebellion
revolution In this may be usti6abe;
but they must be extreme In aGovementke ours,
where laws be repealed by the people through their
presenaves open resistance to law is higher crime than
in the countries where the will Of sovereign prince is law
And in such cases. Christian citizens will wait patiently
and every possible to have unjust law escnded
before they will raise the standard Of rebellion.
"Whea revolutionary fathers felt that they op
pressed BY the mother country they petioned and
sated from l765 TO 1775. They waited ten years before
they raised the standard Of rebellion AT the present
mary CONSCIENTIOUS eitizsns asking What 10 duty
relative TO the fugitive slave law We answer, while
is law let it be obeyed either by doing whatt commands
patiently suffering the penalty which it threatens We
are, however under obligation consider this law like
the laws Of the Medes and Pesans which change We
forbidden do what have il repealed If
all the influences which God has given to have
expunged from the statute books have modified
to be less oppressive have done duty If the maor
of rptain law we
The guilt must rest npCn hosewho choose to retain il.
81 am not justfying the fugitive slave law It may be
wrong-t may be uzwse and unconstitutional think that
any wise and mo1est would hesitate much to pronounce
unconstitutional after its enactment by body of who
aimed TO abide by the constitution, and who studied the mat
ter most intensely, with every opportunity for nformation
and with minds trained for years the depths OF legal sence
But be wrong-be it unwse and Observation-Disclosures
civil courts decide upon its constuonay, and
has any right decide for himself that is unconstu
tiona and act upon that decision If he had such right
then every would be his law MAKER and public
situton and law would be nothing but bugbear bubble
Be wrongthere peaceful prescribed way Of amending
both law and constitutions and wrong in the law does not
make ae swearing by the uryman and murder by the fug
tive right.
s.Itis most marvellous thing what number Of clergy
north of Mason and Dxons line have all of sudden,
become such great constitutional aWyrs Never before
was any thing like it. 1t Is modern miracle decision
upon great constitutional question is nothing to them
How amazingly these profound ogass these clergyman
urss would adorn the high of the country, il they
would only take their seat upon the bench The
Judges of the United States Supreme Court ought to be
thankful that these cergymen judges have done their duty for
them in advances deciding the law 10 be UNCONSTITUTIONAL and
is TO be done Benevolent men these cergymen
Some have done the duty Of the Jurors for he and others
the duty Of the udgeshe verdict and the decision both
recorded yea, indeed IN advance, and without pay
But seriously, far better that these clergymen
should attend to their appropriate duties, to which their
Master has hidden them than to be engaged in fostering
elements among their people, which result any
good civil religious IF shall have the rebellion dis
union and civil war which these evil principles and these
exctemens tend, the quit Of such clegymen will not be
small i would not have their accountability for oil the gold
Of Ophir rg -esfH,aig t5fs4 tfU. s.H III.
.she and wes, laws ever enacted by man. OF that
will be enacied BY man, may sometimes operate hardly
desuctively, upon particular persons. An nno
may be accused OF MURDER tried convicted and
sentenced to gnominous execution. But cha then May
this man. who kno,cs hisRnocence, justly hmself with
deadly weapons and kali the officer who would the
sentence OF the law upon hm-and thus get of his
hands May this innocent mans neghbors who know his
sous betwxt him and the officer Of law, and thus
him? And may they do this because they have decided for
themselves that this is not case ohere the administration
justice Is concerned? 2? If 90, then all law and govern
met must soon come to end and anarchy mobs and
fusion reign II SO, then each man becomes really his own
law maker and when he thinks the law unjust towards him.
may resist il unto blood H..
"if one man is liberty to be fully prepared for his
own deece, and, calling the legal officer an assaisn
assassin may resist the execution Of one Law which he
deems hard upon him, then smother may do the
thing in reepce TO another law, and the consequence inc
vaby must be that oil government law and security
an end my neehbor may arm himself and kill legal
officer who attempts the discharge Of his duty. then
may arm myseg also when deem the law unjust me- and