Randolph County journal., 1858-06-10

implies . voluntary and criminal con-
sent. No matter what the induce.
nsnts Of self interest or expediency
may be. they IAN not change tho eter-
nsl nature and relations of things.
The world is dying with lax mo-
rality. The glorious principle involv-
ed in the Savior's remarkable words.
"whosoever loseth his life shall save
it," is not apprehended. nor practiced.
Men do not believe that "whosoever
walketh uprishtly walksth surely"
nor that "Godliness is profitable. >
They have swung loose from God.
abandoned the principles Of virtue,
and are vainly cndcsvoring to work
out the great problem OF Immortality
upon the psltry msxims Of expediency.
We may tolerate opinions. but crime.
never. Politicians speak of circum-
scribing slavery But will you cir
cumscribe murdere VIII you say TO
a certain portion Of our Republic. you
may enjoy unmolested the privilege OF
highway robbery. or polygamy, or any
other outrage upon national justice
and common law. and you shall be
protected by the General Government.
provided you keep south of a certain
linee The idea is absurd. You may
circumscribe tariffs. banks. and other
mere pecuniary interests. offsetting one
interest against another. But you
may not Offset crime against crime,
nor sell an indulgence to commit
crime. To limit crime by law implies
the permission Of crime within that
limit i am satisfied that the whole
theory of the limitation Of slavery by
law, is false in morals and delusive in
its effects.
am distressed to hear public men.
men Of intellect. position and power,
say, Let the slave States hold their
own slaves-I care not for it; / have
no wish TO interfere with their rights,
but they must not interfere with mine"
o, let not the man be lost in the poll
ticianl 1t is not the generosity of the
Savior's golden rule. Is not slavery
as deep curse and as black a crime
in one State or country as in another?
Is it not crime against the race, and
does not every man sustain relation
of responsibility to his race as well as
his little State? Let not the great
beating heart of humanity be dwarted
into a supreme regard to section OF
country. The obligations that one
owes TO his race are as much more
grand and sacred than those which he
owes TO one section as world is great
er than a neighborhood. and as the
rights of the human race are more in
violxble than the selfish interests of a
section. The right to liberty is above
all laws and compacts- Ii is Gods
immutable will, written by his own
finger upon the noblest of his works.
No time-sanctioned human precedents,
no sacredness of oaths. and no accu-
mutation of sclf-interests. can change
the Divine constitution of things, and
nullify or suspend the rights of man.
5. Slavery ought to cease at once.
and forever. This is the only rational
end of anti-slavery action BY the
highest law of the universe, the ex-
pressed will of the Eternal, it is i'm
mutually wrong. To continue it a
moment, is to commit crime against
God and the human race. Nor is the
crime of On ordinary character. In the
long catalogue of human crimes this
sustains terrible supremacy. 1t is
the most perfect concentration of hu-
man selfishness that is known in sci.
fish world. All other human crime:
are but partial in their destruction
Ordinary theft is limited to property
murder is generally confined to one
victim-even the gigantic crime o
wars of conquest leave untouched the
most sacred interests of society; bu
slavery leaves nothing to its victim
but the hope of death. 1t takes prop
erty. family. body and mind 1t ex
terminates all rights and all interests
Can an individual or nation be guilt
less. and not repudiate such crime
Oh. there is cold heartlessness in thi
sentiment of letting slavery alon'
where it is. that is not to be though
of by a generous soul. The idea o
giving peace to this country while I
slave groans on our soil, contemplate
the utter extinction of our true virtue
Remember, virtue is an AGGRESSIVE
principle. 1t lives to act. When
ceases TO act. it dies. Shall a maj
claim to be virtuous because he doe
not murder nor steal? Shall he, VIII
quietly nestles down in the sanctuar,
OF his own personal interests and graf
ifcations. claim the attribute of fra
ternity. while be neglects the priva