Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1855-03-03
THE COvENAN E R
ANGELA, Steuben county, Indiana,
EebrunrY Is. 1861.

Mr.. EDITOR In demonstrating that the Ameri.
can Church is the bulwark Of American Slavery,
complaint is often made by Representatives of the
Church, that we are too general in cur dcnupcia-
tions, and do not give credit where credit is Justly
due. And, although we always except the Old
School Covcnanters, and all independent Churches
of any denominations that take the same ground
that they do, yet we get little credit for these ex-
%ceptions, because so few know the real position of
these Churches. aud the positive testimony they
are constantly bearing against the evils Of which
we complain. | have therefore thought proper to
send you the following extracts from their "Testi-
mony."
"There are moral evils asscnted to in the Con.
stitution of the United States, which render il nee
essary to refuse allegiance to the whole system.
\ n \ 1t established that system of Robbery
10y which men are held in Slavery, deprive of
Liberty, and property, and protection. 1t violates
the principles of representation, by bestowing on
the domestic tyrant, who holds hundreds of his
fellow creatures in bondage, an influence in making
laws for freemen, proportioncd to the number of
his own slaves. This Constitution is, ~nntwitl,-
standing its numerous excellencies, in many in
stances, Inconsistent. oppressive and %impious.
Sinre the adoption Of the Constitution in the
year 1889, the members of the Reformed PresbJ.
terrain Church have maintained Il constaut tcsti-
mony against these evils. They have refused to
serve in any Office which implies an appreciation of
the Constitution. or which is placed under the di.
rection of an immoral law. They have abstaincd
from giving their votes at elections, for legislators
Or officers who must be qualified to net by an oath
pf o1lopinnoo IN tI,, $1,000. -. uI-- Ill
not themselves consistently swear allegiance to that
Government. in the Constitution of which there is
contained so much immortality. In all these in.
stances, their practice has been Uniform"
And again. in their ''hrgumentative testimony
ON chapter xxx, Of the right of dissent from u Con-
Stitution of civil government, they say:
"The Constitution recognizes and sanctions Oh.
preston. 1t is admitted that as it regards the gen
eral principles Of human freedom, the Constitu-
ton presents much that is worthy of commcnda-
ton. As it relates to those already free, the sys.
TEN which it organized is wei adapted to encourag
enterprise and activity or rather, it imposes few
or none of those restraints upon the free action of
the individual citizen, in the prosecution of the
business of his trade or profession, which prevail
in the Old World. But to this there is one grand
and fatal exception. 1t does not recognize the
manhood and consequent rights of all the inhabit-
ants of the land. 1t was made for the favored
class. Slaves are held under constitutional sane
tons. There are four articles of the Constitution
that icfer to Slavery. Art. 5, Sec. 3, prescribes
the rates of representation and direct taxation
directing that in arranging this basis, there shall
be added to all '.fte persons three-ffths of all other
pprsnns Wbn ,,n tlo,o lo -. .I..oo a.
know, apprenticeship only class that could, by
any superstition. belong to the latter cllss-are
JFce persons. The 9th section of the same article
prohibits tho government from legislating against
the African slave trade for twenty years, and left
it optional with it ut the end of that time or not
An article that bound the nltiun to spread its fac
over piracy until 1908, and leaves il Mt liberty ia
do SO now, needs no comment, especially when we
remember that this same document is very careful
to guard against anything in tie shape of an &C.
acknowledgement of Christianity, or national sup
port OF its claims. Allow the Stare trade. bat for.
md any recognition of the religion of Jesus Christ
Art. Nv, Sec. 8. No person held to service or In.
Dor, &c. This is plain, certainly. If in any state
slaves are held by law, they are not to be liberated
on their escaping, but shall be delivered up" ia
their oppressor. How idle to cavil about the word
person. Slaves are persons, and they so speak Of
them. Or about the word due, for by what rule
is this debt to be freed? BY the laws of the slave
holding States-and hy no other or higher law
for the Constitution declares itself to he 'supremc
law" Nor does it avail to say that this articl,
might still be operative, Us in the case of apprer
tees, were there no slaves for while there are
slaves 1t gives Shareholders q national sanction il
their iniquity, and pledges the States or the natior
and it matters not which-to employ their power
in returning unhappy fugitives from oppression t,
their CALLING chains. 1t aggravates greatly the
the shamelessness of the provision, that it is no
inconsistent with the very ends of civil government
the protection of the rights and liberties, partic
ularly of the weak and helpless-but also in direct
opposition to the will of the Most Tho,
shalt not deliver unto his master the servant tina,
is escaped from his master unto thee"
In the fourth article, section third, the State,
engage to protect each other against domestic Vi
"'encs"-a provision manifestly referring chief
to the slaveS-itis ''ds.nestic" viulence-and whicl
I. pledges the free States to employ their resource,
in holding the slaves in chains, should they, as til,
States themselves had just done, seek to procur,
their liberty by an app al to arms.
These provisions. If all else was right in the Con
stitutiOn, would furnish ample reason for standin:
"loof from any active support of the Government
of this country. To sanction oppression, an,
much more to become ourselves o2pressors, as il
the return of fugitive slaves, is to incur the wratl
of Heaven. "Woe unto him that buildeth hi
house by unrighteousness, and his ~hambers b,
wrong; that useth his neighbours service withou
wages, and giveth him not for his work."
1t avails nothing against this to say that tn,
Constitution was established to secure liberty,
&c. This is found in the preamble Of the Consii
tuition; but to ascertain the real character of thi
instrument, as any other, we must examine il
details. For example. the general design of al
nssncintinn for business Of any kind mnz he aIto