Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1858-02-13

of property = y y y to n slave md its In.
crease is y y y before and higher than
any constitutional sanction.
"The American Congress to sanction this The
American Congress to declare that the right to hold
men, Uomen, aud chtidIen, rs property, and sell
them as %chattels, is inyiolable, and before and
higher than any constitutional %sanctionl
l submit, If by any fiction you can convert n
child into property, il is n fact before and higher
than any human law Or constitution, that the
property of the child is in its parents, 10 the exclu.
sion Of the stranger, By e~nacting this %Lecompton
Constitution, you will reverse this great fact Of ma.
ture, and declare it lawful to steal the parent from
his child. If you will by law degrade one portion
Of the human family into chattels, for Gods sake
DO not by law reduce another portion to the still
lover level Of thieves. After you have enacted
your statute, will not the law Of the stone table
still stand, Thou shalt not steal? Alter you have
enacted your statute declaring it lawful to send liz.
lie children to the auction block fI sale, will they
not still be as sacred, whether nm African or an In.
dian. n European or an American sun first burned
upon them, rs they were in that day when the
Nazarene, whose intense holiness shed majesty ov.
er the manger and the straw, said Suffer little
children, and forbid them not to come unto me, for
such is the kingdom Of heaven?
"ln keeping, sir, with the atrOcious provision OF
this Lecompton Constitution, declaring property in
man, is the further provision, which declares that
all FREEMEN, chen then form u social cDmpaci, are
D NHNNA ~ AhS'te . ~ htbNAlbh AbiNt w ~ hHNN
to cay, that the self evident truth Of the Declare
ton, that ALL MEN ARE CREATED EoUAL,' is a
self evident lie n glittering generality; a rho
thorical flourish, unconstitutional and ~democr
ic that the selEesident truth now in these latter
days is. that men are not created, bot, like TupSy
they grow and THEY arc equal in rights only
when they are free, and form q social compact"
allow me to ask the advocates and supporters OF
this %Lecompton bill Of rights-this new declara
ton of selfevident truths-wbat tights men have
before they are free. and before they form a socia
compact? Are they then, by endowment of tbeii
Creator, possessed of the rights of lie and liberty
Or, outside Of your social compact, is there and in
ferior class Of human beings who, ms the majority
of the Supreme Court said in the bred Scott deci
sion, have NO RIGHTS or privileges but such at
those who hold the power and Government may
choose to grant them 2 This is the precise
principle, the bald and athcisiic nverment, of this
Lecompton Constitution ; and we, by affirming it
are only to become the avowed upholders of tht
stupendous lie, that one class Of men have NJ
rights which another are bound to respect anC
hence, the partial and exclusive provision Of thil
instrument,
"'That no freeman shall be taken, or ~imprison
ed, or disseized of his freehold, liberties, or privil
eyes, or o%utlawed, or cxiled, or in any manner de
stroyed or deprived of his life, libery, or property
but by the judgement Of his peers or the law 0
the land
"'No FREEMAN the words Of necessity impor
that any human chattel, may be taken and impris
oned, disseized of his freehold, liberties ard priv
ileges, %outlawed, exiled, and murdered, withOu
the judgement of his peers, and with out the pro
lection Of law. That this instrumen may want IT
no feature of horrid cruelty, it is further therein
provided, that free negroes shall not be permitted Il
lire in this state under any circumstances. Sir, They
are mere visionary theorists who suppose tina
this world was no. made for Cesar, but for man
that it belongs only to the common Father OF all
and is for the use and sustenance OF all his child
: renl By our afhrmance Of ,his instrument, w
I are to say to certain human beings in the Territor.
. of Kansas, though YOU were born in this Terrltor.
{ and born of free parents. though you are hupal
{ beings, and no cbattes, yet you are not free to iiv
u here upon your native heath you must be dissei7
II ed of your freehold, liberties. and privileges, wit
out the judgement of your peers and without tn
protection of law. Though born here. you sha
J not under any circumstances, be permitted to lS
e here. You must suffer exile or death-you cannt
and shall not live here. That sky which you first sa
and to which wea y men look up for bope and col
your humble home like the arms of 9benefcenc
clasping in its embrace The evil and the good, til
Just and the unjust-that sky was not made IL
you you shall not live under it. This land, th
goodly land, with its fertile fields, and quiet waite
y and rustic homes, where you FIRST learned to lis
!, the hallowed name of father, sister, brother. an
where sleeps in humble hope the sacred dust
j your poor dead mother--this land was not mac
for you you shall not rnder any circum stance
be permitted to live upon it 60 hence, never MOI
to return that is our law. Representatives! vi
{ you give to this proposed atrocity your official san
" ;ion? Answer upon your oaths,t to your conscien
to your country, and to yonr God
Here the hammer fell