Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1859-08-13
OBEDIENCE TO LAW.

The advocates and a~pologists of the Fugitive
Slave Law, and those who propose to yield it obe-
dience from necessity, all insist that we must obey
the law because it is law and we hnc MIR. Cor
win, while he denounces the Fugitive Act as in-
human and immoral, proposing to bring a mans
head to the block as a test Of his obedience. In
respect, or even veneration for ldo, we will
20 as far as tho farthest. But we refuse. obedi-
ence to that enactment because it is not law, tap
being the rule Of right-or "a rule of action pre-
sorioing what Is right and prohibiting ,whatna
wrong" This unflinching "Old Roman" style OF
obeying and enforcing laws-right laws-may doi
but the idea of treating all enactments as lao. be-
cause they are printed in the Statutes book, and
awarding them a sanctity above lie ITSELF, ana
that, when they are in violation of every mans
convictions of justice-or 'obhorrent to the plain
est dictates of humanity and the moral sense OF
the civilized world" is intolerable in a man of the
intelligence and mental ability of Gov. Corwin,
We are at q loss to excuse the man, and the dec
~laration by which he defines his position on the
Fugitive Act is wholly inexcusable. Obedience to
lao is not obedience to tyranny and II never con-
semplated the prostrati0n of a mans conscience
before a fragrant violation of justice whose end
is to do the greatest wrong that humanity can
suffer. -Ashtabut Sentinel. @ aaN
The above theory in regard to obedience to law,
looks very well upon paper to every one whose
particular case it just happens to suit. But to
e nd it seriously put forth in a political paper
which advocates a government Of law, and the in
Fiction of penalties for q violation of law, is one
Of the many evidences of the existence of the
loose. slip-shod ideas which a portion Of commu-
nifty entertain of the duty Of the citizen to the
government of which he is Voluntarily an integral
part. If men, in addition to the law Of God for
their rule of conduct, and the penalties he has
aft xed for it's violation. desire to add thereto the
law Of man and its penalties, let .hem do it DELHI
erately and under,tandiugly, and MAINTAIN in good
faith the compact they make with their fellow
men. r .r.f7 .r1u
Governments instituted by the people vary in
the degree of power they possssa. each organiza-
ton having that amount of authority which has
been delegated to it by the individuals composing
it. and no government has a right to go beyond
the limits its constituents have agreed upon rs
its bounds, and no constituent has q right to de-
ny to a government the exercise of the power
which be, in common with others who aided 10.
or agreed to its formation, or continuance. trans
ierred to the government they had created or con-
tinued. .sa
For instance ; a hundred men resolve to form
a government, and agree that the voice of the ma
jority shall be the law of the land, limiting, how
ever, the exercise of that power, so that the gov.
eminent about to instituted shall never be permit
tep to establish or tolerate slavery. Call that
government number l. .,i1
Another hundred men form another government,
agreeing, as in the case Of the first. that the ma
jori:y shall rule. But believing slavery to be q
divine institution, they of course say nothing about
anti-slavery restrictions, but on the contrary de-
clare that the practice Of slaveholding shall be reg
ulated solely by individual preferences. As they
are strongly evangelical in their tendency, they rs-
quirs Of the government the suppression of all
forms Of religious worship except those of evan
gelical professionalism, and direct it to pass laws en-
forcing the proper observance Of the Christian or
dinances. That is government number 2.
A third hundred also form a government, but
believing in both physical and mental freedom,
while agreeing that the majority shall rule, they
further limit the power Of that majority, forbid
ding it to establish or tolerate chattel slavery, and
forbidding it to pass any law for the regulation of
religious worship, Or in any other way to Interfere
with mems rights of conscience in that particular.
That is government number 3.
These three governments are certainly very diff
fsrent in their character, and it would seem as il
the duty Of the citizens was just as different in
character as the governments they have instituted.
But if tho logic Of the Sentinel be correct, the cit
liens Of each government occupy precisely the