Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1856-11-15
Che Anti- 5laucrp Buele.
ADDRESS
adopted by the Jerry Rescue Convention at Sy-
racnSr, October lst 1856.
(REPoRTED BY GERRIT sMlru.)

OUR CoUNTRYMEN: Five wears ago this day. n
great lesson taught in this lesson-favored city
of Syracuse. 1t was that right is law and that
wrong is no law.
Every man is under law under law to tho
right. So is God Himself Well may it be said,
that we are crowned with glory and honor and are
made even in the image Of God, since we are to
adjust all our thoughts and words and deeds-all
ourselves-to the same law, which controls our
Maker For infinite must be the dignity of those,
who are made capable Of obeying and of loving
to obey the same law, which God obeys; and who
are. theretoie fellow subjects with God Himself.
The lesson, that taught in Syracuse-the
lesson, that there is law in that only which is
right-needs to be taught every where and contin-
ually.
Usage claims to be law, and exacts universal
obedience. Hence war, the Intoxicating bowl,
Iand-monopoy slavery must not be estioned-
for they all stand in the authority of usage. But
usage is not law. Right only is law. Neither is
political government nor religion necessarily
law. When, therefore, submission is claimed
to the civil power. because it is the civil power
to the church because it is the church; even to
the Bible and christianity, because they the
Bible and christianity, we are bound to resist the
claim. Simplicity and superstition may admit it
but reason rejects it. The childish, lazy, slavish
habit of trusting without examining may admit it.
But it is scorned by that manly Independence
and conscious sefresponsibility, which cares not
to inquire: "lIave any of the rulers or of the
Pharisees believed on him?" to inq uire what
says the State the Church, but, only what is the
right; nor what say even christianity and the Bible
until they are first ascertained to be right.
This supreme inquiry after what is right is COM
ing to obtain widely in day. One of its hap
piest, though perhaps still distant effects, will be
the breaking up of party. For the individuality,
which prompts this inquiry is, in turn promoted
by it:-and it is indivlduaiity-the cultivation of
personal independence and personal responsibility,
which loosens the bonds of party.
The church will yet cease to he a party. Civil
Government will yet cease to be the creature and
servant of party. Each will become the represen-
tative of that absol,te right which will yet be en-
throned in the individual heart. How great, how
blessed will be the revolution ! We pray for it,
We know indeed, that churches ard governments
will be swept away by it,. But reason and right
and religion viii remain, and 1t will he only the
rubbish, that has gone down stream. We say that
religion will remain for where and right
are, there aud only there, is religion. True re-
ligiOn has no other basis, other nOuriShment,
than and right. The doctrine, that true
faith is superior to distinct from reason
is the doctrine of folly. The faith, which is not
identified with our sense and dscernment of the
right is the faith of faraticism. At whatever
point it wars with reason and right, or does not
stand in them, our faith is but superstition.
Whence is it, that though in all the world there
should be not sect, not party, the world is
full of and parties? 1t is because men do
not worship at the common shrine of absolute
right, and what is more do not aim to. Even
right only, do, with rare exceptions allow Others
to judge for them what is right. They allow Pres
byteranism, MethUdism, other tC
be their unquestioned guide and stan lard in the
church, and th0y allow the COnstltutiOn or the
Statute Book, or Judicial Opinions to have the like
contro! over them in the State. In other words
they allow authority instead Of right, to be theil
law.
A crazy world is this The only wonder is that
it is not more so. What would become of the
family, were the father 10 enj ON upon his children
the right and duty to beat and kill one another
HIS inunctiona in all other respects might be fault
less. But this one injunction would nevertheless
be sufficient to distract, demoralize and destroy
the whole family. And what else could become Of
this natun-this superatvely guilty nation-thar
is becoming of it-than has indeed already become
of it? The government of this political family
enjoins the right and duty to enslaye each other
which is worse than to murder each other. ADM
that all its other iniunctions are traught with jus
tice Nevertheless this one, which outrages al
justice, is enough to breed the last degree of cor
rupton and confusion.
The thousands Of men, who we're gathered il
Syracuse on the first day Of October 1851 did wha
they believed to be right. They above theil
education, They rose up out OF their accustomed
submission to authority. They had been taugh
to obey whatever the State enions. They haC
heard the ten thousand claims, that the Bible jus
ti6es slavery. But what cared they for these
claims and these teachings? Education never en-
tirely suppants the nature-entrcly conquers the
heart. Aud now, when occasion had risen
which threw these men back upon their very in
stincts and upon their naked selves, they had tt
judge out of their own unsupplanted natures and
their own unconquered hearts what it was righ
for them to do. judgment from such source
is not to be disobeyed; and promptly and success
fully did they execute it. They believed it wa
right to rescue their BROTHER out of the hands O
kidnappers, and they delayed not to utter this be
lief in action, and to translate the faith of the
hearts into the work of their hands.
To have tried to stay those mutitudes as the,
tnoved forward 20 the rescue cf Jerry, by telling
them that slavery is in the Statute Book or tina
it is in the Constitution, even that it is in tn,
Bible, would have been altogether vain. Nothing
in that great and solemn and responsible hour o
their lives would have availed to break their allie
glance to the law of right, nor to supplant thei
judgment OF what is right. How happ,
were there dozen Jerry Rescues every year :
Then would two or three years suffice to cure mel
OF tho folly of acknowledging the forms of Law
for slavery, to be law The forms of law are moth
ing without the soul of law--and right alone i
the soul of law. Not less happy would it be wer
the instances multiplied hundred fold, in whcl
indignant men and women dash in pieces the cask
and bottles of the drunkard maker. Instances 81
numerous would efectuaiy teach our stupid legis
lators and stupid judges, that there can be no le
gal shelter ioT Intoxicating liquors. that offer
ed for sale for drinks and they would also efectu
ally teach the people not to make choice of sucl
stupid Legislators and judge, as consound witt
law the greatest and most glarng of all nuisan
ces.
Such are some of the ways for educating botl
Government and people, and for bringing them t.
distinguish between law and snti.law and to leari
that right alone be law. What if by thes
ways of resistance to Government-what if b,
such rebeOn--Government would be overturned
There would bo no loss. 1t would be only usur
patton, not Government, that would be overturn
ed. True Government represents, asserts, enforce
right. And that is not Government, which is tn