The Kansas herald of freedom., 1855-07-28
pEcLARAr1oN or sENrIMENTs.

DEJLARAIiON OF SENTIMENTS.
The convention of ''Radical Political
Aboliiionists,' assembled at Syracuse, in
! the State OF New York, on the 26th, eth
and 9ath days of June, 1855. improve
the opportunity to declare to the nation
and to the world their convictions con-
corning American Slavery. its relations
to the American people and Government,
the responsibilities resting upon them,
aud the measures they are morally bound
to employ for the deliverance of their
country, and the liberation of the en-
shaved.
Wabelieve slaveholding to be an un-
surpassed crime, and we hold il to be the
sacred day of civil government to sup
press crime. We conceive slayeholding
T, to be the annihilation of human rights,
and we hold it to be the grand end and
mission of civil government to protect
huraan rights.
Ae-aeeerainsly declare and maintain
that there can be no legitimate civil gov
,ernment rightfully claiming support and
allegiance as such that is not authorised
nay, that is rot morally and politically
bound 10 suppress and TO prohibit slave
holding Nay more We hold thas the
government which annihilates instead of
protecting inherent rights should be
known not as civil government, but only
as a conspiracy, a usurpation.
The responsibilities of civil govern
ment in this country rest primarily upon
the people, by whom their own forms of
government are instituted, and who at
tic ballot box provide for their admins
tration in conformity with their wishes.
Ii the Federal Government under the
Constitution is not competent to this task,
then it is not competent to be civil gov
ernment at all, or to secure the objects set
forth in the Constitution itself. 1t can
Isneither form a more perfect Union, :"
nor establish justice" I" nor ENSURE do
mestic tranquility" nor provide for the
common defence" nor promote the
general welfare, % nor "secure the bless
ings of liberty to ourselves and to our
postenty."
But we deny that our fathers ever at
tempted such an absurdity as that of in
stituting civil government without pow
er to protect the natural rights Of its sub
jects-a government to establish JUS
tee" and ''secure the blessings of liber-
ty" without powers adequate to the sup
preston of slayeholding. We challenge
the proof that when they declared it self
evident that all men were created equal
they intended a portion of them to be
slaves; that when they were publicly
proelaiming inalienable rights they were
secretly plotting unparalleled wrongs
that when they appealed to the Supreme
Judge of the world for the rectitude OF
their intentions they were acting the part
of base hypocrites; that when they pro-
posed to establish justice they bound
themselves 10 support the grossest .injus-
ftiee; that under the pretence of ''secur-
hing the blessings ofliberty" they entered
into a compact for the support ofslavery.
Their language in the Constitution indi-
Gates nothing of the kind. but the oppo-
size, and there is no proof that their IN
tentions were in conflict with their Ian
guage. We deem it therefore right and
proper 10 construe the Constitution as il
reads and not as the shareholders pretend
THAT it means. And by such construc-
ton tie Constitution requires the Federal
Government to abolish slavery in all the
States.
More than ali this we maintain that
if it could be proved as it cannot be J
that our fathers mentally intended to
! protectslavery, while their words in the
convention required its suppression, we
should siill hold ourselves at liberty and
andcr obligations to use the Constitution
according to is righteous intentions Ii
men use language for dishonest purposes
sand with dishonest intentions, it becomes
J The 4utyfof honest men who may snc-
seesd them, and to whom their written
Instruments are committed to defeat such
Gshopess purposes and intentions, if they
can, By interpreting the language accord
ing 70 It's natural and just meaning.
Every enlightened andupright jurist will
thus decide, and the decision commits
itotiie Federal Government a ConstItu-
ton that binds it to suppress slavery. :.
We deny that the Constitution could
have contained any valid recognition Of
slavery In the country to be the subject
of such recognition. We deny that sla-
very can be legalized By any conceivable
process whatever. And aside from this
NE affirm that according to the rules and
maxims even of slaveholding jurispru-