Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1856-07-26

But " dues not mean to be touched Wy conscience
1t is a creature OF s0phstry. aud by soyhStry il
ives 1t is fam ii for the purpose of ctuding eun
science. Ii san ingenious device for taking the
moral elements out OF rgnt aud wrong. ard resolv.
ing all questions into questions Of cxpediencv.--
This middle course rs characterized hy its safety;
and il is it's safety that makes it popular.
Il How popular IL is, every honest man knows Ia
his grief. Here is this gigantic institution OF
slavery, an institution which all who are not bur.
thened under it, and many who are, perceive at
once to lie utterly immoral and demoraizihg, a
lblasshemy upon religion, an outrage upon all
natural rights, an iniquity Of the blnckest die in
the sight of heaven, n crime of the worst character
| in tie eye Of civilized law. Men grant 1t; say
that it ought lie checked in its progress, that ii
ought to bo abolished altogether, sin and n
shame. BUT it steadily gains ground; it Crews
more arrogant day by day: it uses more desperate
weapons. Where are all these npposers Of it, who
| are numerous and strong enough to sweep it from
the whpe Continent in n year,if they choseH Why,
| wheT trying, one and ALL 10 excuse them YES
from striking II blow against IT, They are all busy
IN paltering trying to secure the reputation of
being its enemies. while they secure the fruits that
come To Its friends. Duty says upon it; choose
! your weapons, march with your company, select
| youe own point of attack, wear your own cnlors
sail ynurself Wing Republican, Know Nothing,
what you please; only fight Compromise a~
much as you choose about your fashiun Of fighting,
but fight. If you get into the wrong troop. you
will soon dnd it out. or they willby your tyhtiHg.
Desire says, "Oh, no don't fight: march in the
COMPANY get u wUUde. sword and flourish it about
make speech, shout hurrah but don't fight
keep the peacc restrain the zeal Of your comrades:
cOntrive to give II deadly stab in the back to their
leader; declare fDr God, and allow the Devil to
win. only make it appear that your declaration
for Gud is since"e and that the Devil wins in spite
of you." There are many ways of dnng this.
| One man c0ntrveS to gain reputation for man
IInpSS harmless
against slavery in the abstract; he endorses his
neighbors : Op lions, takes IN antl.savery paper.
occasionally writes for tattendS anti slavery meet
ings, signs anti-slavery petitions, contributes II
dollar towards sending fugitive into Ctnada A.;
and having thus Ut trifing of time and means
got himself clnsSed among the friends of Justice lie
quietly substitutes this general repnte for private
moral sense smuggles under it rs il 1t were good
conscience and perSuades himself that he Is doing
his duty, whcn in fact in the men he associates
with, the measures he votes for the Withholding
pf his influence at critical moments he is looking
sharp after his personal interest and cherlshing
tenderly his personal comfort Another, fully SEN
sible, he says, of the Nervousness of the wrong,
depluring with all his suul the existence of the in
stituton, convinced that every good man ought I"
put forth his influence against it, is extremely
sorry that the cause should have fallen into such
un .s,rthy and unhnly hands. These pestent IN
fdels these iunatIcal Abolitonists they do mere
harm than good: he cannot identity himself with
them. lie cannot labor with them, ~ he must 1t he
labors ut all. As for the Free Suil men. they are
on the lookout for the public spnilS, an m better
than auybndy else. 81 he, flltterlnS himself that
he is kept inactive by his very truth and sancty.
casts upon tue faithful servants of the cause the
llaUe of his own recrcancy, and gues on his way
cOmiurted and rejoicing a third is perfectly cen
vinced that the evil of slavery is more widely and
deeply felt than commonly Imagine; he has
reason 20 believe thai ever, ody is anxious and inn
:. IT,. IT,,
selves are gruaning under it dali and w"ult make
great sacrifices To throw it off Ii the madmen ut
the North would only leave them free to act their
own wisdom in the matter, ambition would he
slow but surely and saIel " accomplished. Mean
while. all active opposition is unnecessary and
even preudrial he would gladly do something
if it were called for but il is not. As for any ex
tension of the evil. the danger of that is out "f
The question. The laws of climate and soil are
against il. So he makes over to an imaginary
Southern conscience the work of his own Northern
conscience, is happy to find the cause so far ad-
vanced not to require his services makes his
politest l,ow To duty, and subsidies into ease. A
fourth declares that slavery is great wrong and
SIM no doubt il shou. he done away. But why
treat it as if it were the only evil in the world !?
Why allow it such an unreasonable share of at
tention Here evils, quite ms great, nearer
home let Us do our duty tv these. Let us help
the laburers improve the condition OF the perish
cry and en- 2ital Certainly by all means. This
nught we IL do. and not leave the other undnne
The more we give, the mare we have to give. The
more Justice and charity we exercise. the more e
have exercise. This. however. is mt the palter
er's inference. His protested regard for the poor
at home is only an a2ology for his paying 40 re-
gard To the poor abroad Not that he cares ut III!
for the POOR at h"me only. if he did care for any,
he ought to care for these FIRST. Thus on the pre-
teire of bestOwing upon slavery only Its proper
share of attention, he pays 1t none whatever.
Pously recognising multitude of obligations, he
releases himself from every special duty. Spite
,ully insinuating that others have not completed
the whole round Of obedience. he hlandy excuses
himself from beginning it. But is tauntng our
neighb0rs justilying ourselves? Is the cnnfeSsinn
that u hundred claims upon conscience are valid
equivalent to the satisfaction OF one? Is conscience
appeased by the bare acknowledgement OF thou
sand debts, while dollar leaves the purse? 1t
is better to discharge the smallest and repudi-
ate the rest than IN make their mum 'er an excuse
for repudang all. A fifth says. Certainly. slavery
is a grievuus wrong and would cheertully do all
in my power to remove it. But | am only Il
private person, my influence is small my circum-
stances are peculiar. and am not in condition tu
do all | would. As if he had not II conscience to
lie faithful to well the public man whose cir
Gums ances we're not so peculiar? Why does he
not confess that cannot means ,cW not? that the
plea of humility is the plea of fear ? Because he
is not quite ready to discard conscience, though
he never means to obey 1t.
The merchant considers slavery an institution
Of barbarism which is doomed to perish with the
advance of civilization. The cause of civilization
is the cause of Trade. Let us extend pur com
merce let us develupe our resnur es let us dem
onstrate the advantages of free labor. So he re'
tires to his counting room, and devotes himself
tn the holy cauae of civilization not disdaining tn
take the pay of faithful soldier, in the shape OF
II few thousands. quite incidentally dropped into
his pocket ms the result Of some cotton operation.
lie is an Abolitonist. only he does not work in
the same fashion with thnse who assume the name.
because their acton is suicidal tending TO disturb
the relations Of trade, whose cause is identical
with that of liberty.
The lawyer is sure of one thing: that the entire
safety of suciety depends on the maintainance "f
Law. The laws NAV be imperfect they may seem
wrong; hut they must be supported. The ony
chance of getting better is to obey such as exist
lie is an Abolitionist; he abhors slavery. But
with the Slave States none can legally Interfere ;
the extension of the system cannot be legally re-