Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1853-03-12
From the Liberator.
The SlavehOldlng GuarntieS OF The United
SiattS Constitution.
LETTER FROM HON. HORACE MANN.

" aohANSAoN1 ANOs Slhtt loOOs
WV. L. GARnIsox, ESQ:
DRAR SrR,-I have not seen q copy of you
LIBERAroR of last week. but am told it con
tains a speech of Ma. WENDELL PnrLLiPs, {
copy of which have just read in the Anti.
Slavery Standard Of New York, and in which
are tho following passages relating to me -
'Mr. Mann snid in one of his speeches,
ihat he felt for the fugitive slave as for his
own blood d-broiher-that hc ought to do as
much for him MS for his blood brother; aud
BUT for The Constitution of the United Suites.
he would risk every thing, rather than let
him be surrendered" What Bur'!-lrom
the lips, too, OF a champion of tho higher
law Spite of all constitutions, neither my
mothers son nor any other mothers son
shnll, with my consent, go back to bondage.
Enthusiastic chcersl So speaks the heari-
Mr.. Manns version is that of the politician.
MIR. Mann's recent speech in August, '52,
has the same pon-committal tone to which
have alluded, as MIR. Summers. While pro-
Tossing, in the most eloquent terms, his 10y
atty TO the Higher Law, Mr.. Sutherland
asked, Is there, in Mr.. Mann's opinion, any
conflict between that Higher Law aud the
Constitution? II so, what is IL? II not,
WY hNOhHtC uu tODlC lIlIO lflc
debate?' p Mr.. Mann dpoided anu reply,
and asked not 10 be interrupted! IN Is Tint
she frankness which becomes an aholitionst |,
Can such concealment help any cause p
The design of MIR. Sutherland is evident. Il
Mr. Mann had allowed there was no conflict
between the Higher LAW aud the Constiiu-
uon, all his remarks were futile, aud out OF
order. But il lie asserted that any such con-
fict existed, how did lie Justify himself in
swearing to support that instrument d? - n
question our Free Soil friends nre slow TO
meet Mr. Mann saw the dilemmn, and
avoided il by silence!
The same speech contains the usual dep
Tecatory assertions that Free Suilcrs have
nc wish to interfere with slavery in the States:
that they "consent 10 let slavery remnin
where it Is" If he means that he, Horace
Mann, moral and accountable being, "con-
sents TO let slavery remain where il is,' all
the rest of his speech is sound and fury,
signilyiug nothing. If he means TINT he,
Horace Mann, as a politician and party man,
consents to that, but, elsewhere aud other
wise, will do his best TO abolish this "alI
comprehendlng wickedness of slavery, in
winch every wrong and crime has its natu-
raj home"-then he should have plainly said
90. Otherwise, his disclaimer is but IN
none. lie must have known thut al the South
rare for is the action, not in what capae,iy
she deed is DONE
In the FIRST OF the above passages, Mr.. Phil
lips declares that said in one of my speeches.
that he felt for the fugitive slave as Cor his
own blood -brother-that he ought to do as
mueh for him as for his own Llood-hrother, and
But for Tie Constitution of the United States he
would risk every thing. rather than let him be
surrendered sc. lie puts this in quotation
marks as my language.
Now, the latter part of this sentence, after
the capitalized "BuT," is not my language nor
my opinion. Having said this, no so contrasts
his own lofty sentiments with the mean one
imputed to me, as to get enthusiastic cheers
for himself. at my expense.
Again in his next paragraph, Mr.. Phillips
says Of met
While protesting in the most eloquent
terms, his llyl loyalty to the Higher Law,
MIR. Sutherland asked, Is there, in Mr..
Mann's opinion, any conflict between the
Higher Law aud the Constitution II so,
what is il ? II not so, why Introduce nn ir-
relvnnt topic into the debaie,7 o. Mr..
Mann ovoifsd any reply, and asked not to be
interrupted ~
This assertion Of Mr.. Phillips is doubly
false one. And as though simple falsehoods
were not suificitn. he intensifes them by italics,
and by 'digito monshayi at each ends did
answer Mr. Sutherland, by telling him his in
quiry was not to the point, (as it clearly was
mott; and SO far from asking him not to inter.
-rupt me, yielded to his interruption three
several times. When he had got the whole of
his point out, tiOics OUsr, and was perfectly un-
1t is duo to Mr.. Phillips to say. that the
~ 81 at each end of the italcised sentence,
were not in tho manuscript of Mr.. Phillips, nor
Inserted by hi, rooue,f but wcre addod IN, a.