Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1859-08-15

devise no machinery 20 subseryieht 10 It's own
ends as this dolatry Of the forms of law. lis
perhaps the only sentiment which II can rally
to its support in an intelligent and well ordered
people. There is unspeakabe danger as well
as wckedness in thus pcrvcrting and abusing
the wholesome instincts Of men. For a time It
may serve the purposes Of tyranny in the end
it will occasion a terrible recol, crushing the
very framework Of law aud government. Hu-
man nature cannot safely and permanently be
thus cheated and wronged.
Another form Of this delusion is the impress
sion that judges and executive officers and
magistrates are only part Of the machinery of
government with no individual responsibility
for their official acts-that they make good their
official oath, which recognizes God as over all,
when they have subjected their conscieuccs to
human enactments and trampled under foot the
law Of God, upon the plea Of sustaining the laws
OF men. The great patent fact Is denied, that
God holds all his moral creatures subjects of
his government to the extent of their entire ac-
hyity, and accounts as treason against himself
this pretended allegiance to human require
ment There is no such dispensation from in-
dividual e5ponsibility for official acts. The
abdication Of individual manhood t5 become
the instruments Of government is not permitted
TO any Of Gods creatures. The deeds they do
as executors of infamous enactments must come
back with damning guilt upon their individual
couls "whcu hc muketh inqusition for blood
he will remember them"
For this infatuation there is one remedy, sure
and sale-an appeal from mans appointments
to Gods supreme law. Men have consciences
aud they will not fail 10 recognize the validity
OF such an appeal when clearly aud iearessly
made The christians of the land owe it to God
and 10 their country, to rally at once to these
foundations which are threatened with repoyal
RelgiC teachers and ministers Of Gods word,
the constituted eNponents Of his counsels, may,
If they will, bring back the people TO sound
reason, and dsplace this idolatry of forms with
reverence for God and wholesome regard for
haman law. Thus only can tyranny he sup
planted aud government, ordained Of God, be
established
The prevalent teadsncv to overlook the
claims Of the oppressed hems elB,S--the iajUStice
and lolctedaeSS Of SldrcrV, ~ to limit public
concern to qus sstons OF interest tO the dominant
race--the right ard requirements Of free labor,
is an indication of heartles sness iu this work
which gives no promise of good. 1t is the Sin
OF slavery which threatens the welfare of oar
country, which is couupting the life blood of
society, and provoking the wrath OF Heaven
An ill adjusted system of labor, an unp peccssary
burden OF taxation, an unequal distribution of
the advantages of governmental the natural
evils resulting from slavery we could tolerate
and sustain but the debasement of the public
conscience, the corruption of the public morals
the Nemesis which pursues with sleepless vigi-
lance nation of oppressOrs-this burden we
cannot endure One only path Of slf ,ty opens
| to us--that of " doing Justly and loving mercy
and walking humbly with our God This
work is scarce begun. Our politicians are in
| tcresed to provide free territory for free men,
and to lay strong platforms, broad enough for
! . ty.rt., t-.n
| this The great guilt OF oppression with its
impending retributiou still abdes-the great
duty to loose the bands Of wickedness, TO
undo the heavy burdens, TO let the oppressed go
free, and to break every yoke still remains
undonc. We do not wish to undervaluc the
political anti slavery interest which prevails /;
hut how little of it has even the semblancu OF
repentance for wrong dong and Of zeal Tor
righteousness Here is work for the Chris
tian men of the land.
g. Closely allied to this Indifference to the
claims Of the oppressed, is the cold hearted and
repeiing prejudice iohick criStS against The col
orcd ra c, both tond and fee--a standing illus
traton of the truth discovered of old, that men
hate those whom they have injured
There is scarce tendency in our political
movements to abatc this cruel sentiment, or to
correct the wrongs which spring from it. Black
laws defIe the statute books Of our own and
other free States, excluding the coored race
from the polls, from the public schools aud from
other pryil ges of citizens aud no political
party has the courage to demand that the bar
barsm shall be cxpungod. But why speak oi
political parties, when this plague spot maIt
even our "leasts of charity, when Churches
and affairs, and public and private charities are
stained with the deiIementl Let us remove
thls beam from our own eye, that VIC may SEE
pln IN lta frDft ptIt ~
eye. We deny the false science which assign,
Il diversity of origins to the human race shat
we take to our breasts religion which fails L,
recognize that God hath made of one blood al
) nations of men to dwell on all the face of tn,
earth
A. Need we speak of the slaDe trade, whicl
is already lifting It's hideous form in the opel
presence OF the nation the yeriesJ monstros
ity of wickedness which ,ho sun ever luokcl
upon 1t demands the right to be as tine fl
offspring of sla cry, that mother OF abomlna
! tions," and has not slavery been sanctioned an,
sanctifed by two hundred years of Legislation
d Where IL the moral force to grappe with th,
demon Where even the heaven appointc,
STRIPPING, with his five smooth stones to NEE
tins monster that dciies the armies OF the liv
ing Godl" Here and there is raised the feeble
rcnonstrance, "why do ye so wickody;" bu
there is needed the concentrated moral indigna
ton Of the people to blast it with a BREATH
The revival Of tho slave trade is little less than
a settled fact, The public conscience is dali,
. becoming accustomed TO the idea, and the pros
pect is that soon the South ana the North wi,
become alike involved in the practice the prof
its and the shame Of this last invention Of op
preston. "Shnll not God visit for these things
Shall not His soul be avenged ON such natlol
as this !"
In the very presence Of these great wrongs
there is pressing danger in the disposition /,
narrow the basis Of the autF slavery party 10
] principal of general policy leaving am ST un
y touched, the vital questions Of freedom aud sla
yery-danger that the aims OF the peo, 10 will
become as narrow aud souIiess as tho PLATFORM
of the party danger that oven these firm priu
clples will at length be surrendered TO the de
mand for "mofo liberal basis" which shal
sacrifice strength of principle 10 strength %
. numbers, resulting in the uumeaning tiumpl
OF an Opposition that candidates lo
Office will be sought, not among those who hav,
; positive convictions aud a corresponding pruc
= tico, those who have been tried aud lOun,
% faithful, but from men Of uncertain position an
3 unknown puncpes--men who will prove
broken reed in the day of trial. TO those VIII,
trust in them.
10 To preserve the snail remnant Of vitality
which now exists in the anti sliyory party
there Is an absolute need ui higher deman'
in the peope-greater eurneslness o. am
and eilyrt--a full conviction of the wrongful
ness Of slayery-dcep sympathy with tn
slave, and determination that never wavors
|, that the INDUSTRIOUS wrong shall ceaso Wha
power but that of Christian honevolence an,
zeal shall breathe this spirit abroad upon lh
Peoplel
, In conclusion lot US say, that we counsel n,
fanat cism, religious or poltie'l, We do no
expect 10 cast out devils in the name Of th
: prince Of deyio. The Christian zeal and edor