The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1852-09-09

4
come abettors and champions of slavery! Yet
such is the morally hideous spectacle our coun-
try now exhibits
When. before. in the history of the world,
have the most influential minds in the commu-
nifty labored and striven to blot out theoretl-
cally and practically. the ineiiaceable dlstnc-
ton between a man and brute. between a
human soul and an inanimate chattel, to plant
and enroot in our civil polty vast, expanding
system, in which conscience. reason, the capa-
cities of religion, and the Unborn convictions OF
accountability and immortality are made SUD
seryent and secondary to bones ana muscles
and put upon auction blocks as incidents 10
the body that perisheth When, before IN
all our history, have men OF eloquence ana
power ever traversed the country and scatter
cd letters and speeches, like the flakes OF Il
snow-storm, to subdne and harmonic the pub
lie mind to such stupendous wrongs When
before, since the May-FlOwer crossed the ocean
with her precious burden, has any one minis
ter of the Puritan stock ever dared or ever
desired to put on priestly robes and enter the
house of God, to defend slavery, or to palhate
it! Sir, such things were never known before
IL is new spectacle for men and angels IL
must give a new Joy in the world OF darkness
Another collateral effect which slavery has
produced, is the PRONUNCIATION from the Halls
OfCongress and also trom-what in such cases
is not the sacred but the protdne desk--that
there is no Higher Law than the Constltu.
ton, or than any Interpretation which any cor
rupt Congress may put upon it. Such doc
trne is nothing less than pal pable and fiagrant
atheism. If | am bound to obey any human
law or Constitution, as my paramount rule OF
duty, thencetorth that rule becomes my supreme
arbiter, Judge and god and am compelled,
by logical necessity, to abjure, renounce, and
depose all others There cannot be two SUI
preme rules of right If acknowledge my
self bound by the divine law, and that comes
in conflict with the human law, then | must
disobey the latter. But if the human law be
the Higher Law, and if it conflicts with Gods
law, then | am bound to disobey the law OF
God. If the Constitution be the Higher Law,
then we, on taking our seats in this House, and
all magistrates and legislators, when entering
upon the duties of their respective Offices ought
pot to take an oath before God to support the
Constitution but ought to swear by the COnsti-
tuition to support that first and God after
wards; provided it is convenient. | say then,
that this doctrine-which is one of the off
shoots Of slavery--that there is no higher law
than the law of the State, is palpable and prac-
teal atheism. And yet it is perfectly well
known to all who hear me, and to all who fire.
quent the purlieus of Congress, that there is no
butt of rdicule so common here, nothing which
so readily and so frequently raises the loud
laugh that speaks the vacant mind, as fling
or ieer at the higher law
Sir, it is of fearful omen, when the laws of
men are made, even in theory, to take prece-
dence and override the laws Of God And the
last aggravation is added to this iniquity, when
the politician DISCUSSES himself beneath the
garb of priest, and cloaks his wickedness I'M
der the show of religion
No person feels a profounder reverence, or
would pay a sincerer homage to godly, sim
avoiding, sin,exposing priesthood, than myself
But have no adequate words to express my
adherence for the clerical hypocrite, with
whom religion is neither a sanctifcation of the
soul, nor publication of the body, but only a
kind OF policy Of insurance against the retribu-
ton in another world for sins committed in
this, accompanied all the while by knavish
tricks on the part of the insured to cheat the
Divine Insurer out of his premium.
MIR. SUTHERLAND. ask the gentleman
from Massachusetts whether it is possible that
the higher law of God can come in conflict
with the Constitution
MIR. MANN. think it would be better to
ask whether the Constitution comes in conflict
with the higher law
Mr.. SUTHERLAND ask the gentleman
If every American citizen does not obey the
higher law of God when he obeys every part OF
the Constitution! And can any good result
come from discussing these immateral abstrac.
tons! Is not the spirit of the Constitution in
accordance with the higher law. Can you
point to II clause in the Constitution which
when fulfilling to the best of my ability would
make me violate the higher law of God
MIR. MANN. That is not to the point.
MIR. SUTHERLAND 1t is the very point
You and others say it with all possible re
spect-dlsturb the harmony of this House anC
the country by trying to get up issues upon alb
stract questions of morality, which have moth
ing whatever to do with the proceedings of this
House, or with correct public sentiment Ii
should undertake to make an issue between
you and me upon the subject of slavery, it
would he wrong. Yet you get up here and at
tempt to make this issue before the country.
You get up an issue upon an mmaterial qucs-
men without any practical benefit
Mr.. MANN hope the gentleman will not
interrupt me further His argument would
have answered Just as well in the time of
tlerod, the Tetrarch, when he issued the order
for the murder Of all the children under two
years OF age The murderers doubtless got ten
dollar commissioner fees for the deed So those
who masSacrcd thirty-sx thousand Protestants
ON st bartholomew day, at the ringing of
sgnal-bell, went by the Higher Law of the
Pope, or OF ms vlce-gerent, the King; and had
not they Their Union to save by it, And
our Pilgrim Fathers were driven into exile by
the Higher Law Of a hierarchical Parlia
ment And SO if you admit this doctrine. there
is no enormity actual or conceivable which
may not be perpetrated and justified under it,
The gentleman says am discussing "imma-
terIal distractions, and raising issues that
have no practical bearing Is the Fugitive
Slave Law an "immaterial abstraction Il
law which violates both the divine law and the
constitution OF the country. Ask the free man,
Gibson. who was sent into bondage under it
when ~ much entitled to his liberty rs you or
!, whether that law has not some bearing on
practical question Are not the Baltimore
edcts before the country And have they no
practical bearing. when their very purpose is
to suppress free speech and when that pur-
pose has been executed again and agan--and
the attempt has been made here within the
last half hour, upon me, to enforce iti
Now, sir, do not believe in preaching against
theoretical and distant sins and letting real
and present ones escape. do not believe in
denouncIng Hindoo suttees, because they are
on the other side of the globe, and defending
the extension of slavery in our own land That
sin has the beguiling defence of Office and prof
its not less than ours. But that sin destroys
only the body; ours the soul. The modern
cergymen of the CLOVER law school can Sc
lcct some monster of the Old Testament-Da-
RUS, Nebuchadnezzar, or Jeroboam-and hold
them up for execraton, while they suffer the
greater moral monsters of their own parishes
to escape with IMMUNITY. They have no mercy