Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1853-10-08

we nave SAID enough 70 Justify our rescue OF
Jerry. We rescued him, because, as we have said,
there was no law and could be law, for cnslave-
ing him-becausg there was no law-and could be
no law, for reducing man from the glorious
heights, where his Maker placed him. to the level
of brutes and things We rescued him, as we
would have rescued any other innocent brother
from thu hands Of any other pirates, without paus
Ing one moment TO make the absurd inquiry, Il
whether there was alaw for the piracy We should
have been monsters, instead Of men, had we not
rescued him. To have stopped our ears, when this
poor brother cried; and to have forborne to deliver
him. when we saw him drawn unto death; would
have been to incur the frown of Heaven and the
contempt of earth. In word, we rescued him,
because we could net help it. All in van would
II have been for us to try to dam up our nature at
that high food time of its feelings Those feelings
would have their way That nature would be true
to itself.
distinction has been set up between rcscuing
fugitive slave from the hands of private citizens,
and rescuing him from the hands Of official persons
Some there are, who justify the the former but
condemn the latter. The distinction, is absurd, |
and should never be madc:--or, if made Il should
be made against the official persons, Tho "mis-
chief framed by law" and executed by the officers
of law, is the worst of all mischief because appa-
rently clothed with the authority of law. No mis-
chief should be SO promptly resisted, as such mis-
chief and no persons should be so promptly pun
ished, they who attempt to legaze it, and they
who officially undertake to enforce it. The abuse
Of law-making and of other official powers is the
most fearful wrong that can bcfal the people; and
tbo 81,
preparation of such wrong is to give in to the false
and impudent doctrine, that Office shelters the A.
busc of Offices and that crime, when committed by
Government, is to be unrcsisted and unpunished, |
because committed by Government. Every mem
bcr of Congress- who voted for the Fugitive Slave
Act and the President, who signed it, and the
Judge, who administers it, should be punished for
this treachcry to their trust, and this conspiracy
against human rights Were the public mind sound
they would be punished. Or, rather, were the pub
lie mind sound, Office would be conferred ON very
different class Of men. We close under this head
with the remark, that crime the part of Govern
mcnt is as much more to be dreaded aud punished
than crime on the part of the individual as Gov
ernment is more authoritative and influential than
the individual.
There was mob in Syracuse, October lst, 1851,
said the newspapers. 1t is true that there was
But it was not what the newspapers represented
1t was not the Of Jerry, who composed the
mob; but it was those, who fell upon that poor and
helpless and inoccnt man. The President and the
Members Of Congress, referred to. were virtually
and prominently among those, who fell upon him
were virtually and prominently of the mob. No
other leader of that mob, unless it were Daniel
Webster, or some very distinguished clerical advo-
cate of the Fugitive Slave Act, was so conspicuous
and influential, as the President of the United
States. Yes, it was the kidnoppers of Jerry, who
constituted the mob. They were the tramplers on
law. The law-abiding men were his rescuers.-
Jerry was rescued not by n mob but from mob.
| Fellow-citzens! we are not ignorant that we
are rcproached and hated. Weare called inf
des:--and we confess that if our deep belief that
the current religion Of this country is infdel
makes us infdcs, then arc we infdes. We con-
fcss that we have not the most distant idea, that
that is the religion of Jesus Christ, which does not
heartily espouse the cause of the slave. We are
called the enemies of law:.--and We confess, that
if to be the enemies ofenactments, which con-
tain not truth nor justice, nor any other element
of law, makes us the enemies of law, then are we
the enemies of law We are called anarchists and
despisers, of Government:-and confess, that, if
obedience to human Government requires us to dis
obey the Divine Government; and if "lIonor the
King" is a commandment to dishonor the King Of
Kings, then are we anarchists and despisers of
Government.
We repeat, fellow citizens, that we are conscious
of the odium that rests upon We feel, that we
are wronged but we are notimpatient for the right
ing ofour wrongs. We bide time. The men
that shall come after us, will do us justice. The
present generation of America cannot Judge right
eous Judgment" in the case of the unccmpromising
friends of freedom, religion and law. They are so
debauched and blinded by slavery, and by the per
verse and low ideas of freedom, religion and law
which it engendcrs that they ''call evil good and
good ev put darkness for light and light for dark
ness; put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter
They have been living out the lie of slavery long
and have been, thereby deadening their conscicn-
ces so long, as to be, now, well nigh incapable Of
/ perceiving the wide and everlasting distinctions
between truth and falsehood.
We are aware, too fellow citizens, Of the peril
in which we are cnvolved by our position and pur
; pose. We have rescued one fugitive slave. We
exhorted our fellow men to trample on the Fugi-
gitiye Slave Act. We must continue TO exhor
them to do so. We cannot recede. We owe it tC
ourselves, our children, our country our dod tC
90 forward. We cannot, for the sake of securing
our property or liberty or any of the interests o
: time, forget that there is eternity. Nor may
we count even our lives dear to ourselves in thu
high and holy cause to which we have cosecratet
our all. We do not claim to have risen above thu
fear of death. But remember, and srtiye to ODE,
the commandments Fear not them, which kill tn
: body but not able to kill tho soul: but rathe
fear Him, who is able to destroy both soul and bO
dy in He'll"
We have, now, said all We wish to say, at thi
second celebration Of the rescue Of Jerry Wha
we shall say on the like occasion hereafter hoy
often the occasion will be repeated, cann ot nov