Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1859-02-26

tiles Of the Underground Railroad, and lift it ny
into Daylight Loud applause. Nay, is it not
time to go yet a little further than that, and break
the connection between the Underground Railroad
of Massachusetts and that of Vermont or New
Hampshire, and establish here the terminus, right
under the shadow Of yonr State House? (Enthu,
siastic cheering. Let that granite obelisk yonder
upon Bunker Hill be the boundary that says,
'uither, but no further ! Nay, rather, only to
him who comes along the ocean track let this be
the terminus, but just as soon as the land traveller
crosses the line Of Connecticut, and the air Of Mas.
sachusetts breathes into the open windows Of the
car, let it be understood the journey is ended.
Renewed applause.
Is not that the true response to the demands of
the Slave Power for larger concessions to slavery.
when, with chief Justice fancy for her mouthpiece,
she asks you to permit her to carry-no. not asks
you to permit her, but insolently demands thar
you accede to her claim-a claim not included in
the terms Of the constitutional carry her slaves
all over the Free States, to Bunker Hill and Fan
euil Hall, to every place consecrated by the blood
Of ireemen, aud sacred to the memories of the past
demands the right Of carrying slaves wherever
she will, and Of holding them as property wherev-
er they are borne-is not this the true response
No man shall be recognized as property on the
soil Of Massachusetts no man shall DO taken as
property from the soil of Massachusetts p The
people moan it, the people desire it, the people
have deliberately p~urposed it in their heart OF
hearts, and why should they not say sol That is
the ayowal Of each of the parties, and Of all, taken
singly why should il; not be the avowal of all,
speaking collectively? Lest the voice Of the Com
monwealth, expressed through so many organs OF
speech, should fail to reach the ears of the farthes;
South, why not utter it in one grand organ blast
through the trump of your Legislature2 Carolina,
Florida, Texas, can hear that, for they tremble
sometimes at even its faintest whisperings.
But the %argument is not complete by this state'
ment of It and so | 60 back to the starting point
by the next statement which | make. | ask all
these people of Massachusetts, who tell mo that
they do not mean to give up a runaway slave,
What, do you dare disobey q law of the land p
You are "a law. biding people, l have learned
that from your earliest history. 1t is in the very
bones and blood of your Anglo'Saxon race to be "a
law.abiding people, A Saxon man is only a sec.
ton of a circle, q fraction Of an integer, and the
recognition of the State is essential to his complete.
ness, and he acknowledges its authority according.
ly. He is "a law.abiding' man. But, somehow,
you have come into a position here which reveals
another side Of the Saxon character. You are
practically Conforming the law doing it secretly,
if you will. not because you are ashamed to do i
openly, but because only so can you do it effective.
ly; you say that you do not 90 about this work Of
charity and mercy and humanity and justice, in
the manner one would go about robbing hen.roosts
and stealing sheep, because you think there is any
thing germane 10 such transactions, but because
so only can you make the benefit efFectual that
you desire to confer. Very good then comes my
ally, additionally, edueationally, habituaily law.
abiding as you are, why do you now break away
from the ties which Constitution and tradition and
education and habit have imposed upon YOU, and
tread the law under your feet, break awav from
the constitutional requirements, and give liberty
to him whom law and Constitution have branded
as chattel and property? There is but Just one
answer you can make there is but just one an.
swer which measures itself adequately with the
terms OF the question, and that s-Conscience-
God! You know it as well as 1. God and Con,
science will not let US do otherwise. We are not
law'abiding, because we are law-abiding. We are
not abiding by the lower law, becaue we are cog
infant of the higher [Applause.1
There, then, l leave you, where | began. I be.
gan by showing you that this compact is not bind,
ing by reason Of its immortality l conclude by
showing you that you feel it not to be binding by
reason of your consciousness of its immortality.