Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1861-04-27
THE OBJECT. THE RESULT.

AT the time Of the Presidential cam paieu Of lass
fall, many ardent haters of slavery voted for the
Republican nominee, with the hope, il not the ex-
pectatioD, that If elected, his administration would
be such as to greatly weaken the system Of slave
ry. With the views which Disunionists hold Of
the requirements of the U. s. C1nsti:ution-its
obligation laid upon the North to return fugitive
slaves, as abundantly illustrated by disgraocful ex.
hibittoEs Of blood-houndism on our soil, and its
obligation to defend sluveholding in the States
when its permanancy is threatened, as exempliaed
in the capture and execution Of John Brown and
his companions in Yirginia-they of course could
not stand justified in violating their principles,
even had the hope Of accom- plishing good been
much more apparent than it was; unless, indeed,
1t be right to do evil that good may come, and tho
axiom, that "the end sancti6es the means" Be true.
But the abolition OF slavery was not the object
of the Republican Larty, nor was it the design Of
the party leaders; and the Inaugural of tho Presi,
dent gave a gratuitous assurance to the South shat
the permanently Of its peculiar property would nos
be endangered by the new administration
We are now told that the present war will re-
suit in the overthrow of slavery. w earnestly
trust that it will; and we believe !here are those
who go into it with the determination to 6gh. foy
that purpose. But is the overthrow Of slavery the
object of those who give cha racter to the admins
trativn, who decide what it's policy she'll Be, and
who control the movements of its military ma
chinery as wholly as tho engineer controls the
movements of the locomotivef The administra-
ton has announced as distinctly as language will
permit, that the purpose for which it has called
out the troops isr to maintain the laws Of tho Uni
ted States, the integrity Of the Union, ald the per-
petuity Of tho Federal government.
The fact that the government Of the Confeder-
ate States is more syowedly and utterly pro-slave-
~ than the government Of the United States, docs
not make us any more willing to support the lat
ter than We have been for the last twenty years,
though the existence of such fact would of eourss
intensity our hostility to the concentrated slave
holding government of JEFF. Davis. We have new
er recognized the .ightfulness of choosing a moral
evil, though a lesser one, and we cannot, so.
long as we retain our present belief. When We,
are converted to an opposite opinion, we shall re-.
tract all we have heretofore said against POLITICAL
abolitionistS pursuing such a course as they did
in supporting Abraham Lincoln q. the last cleo
ton. and admit that we miejudged the actions Of
snti-slavery Republicans.
If the U. S. troops effect the object for which
the administration has set them in battle array,
the Southern States will, Of course, BIO compelled!
to abandon their Confederate Government, and
resume their old places under the Constitution
and in the Union, and the North will remain
bound, as heretofore, to support the unrighteousr
pro-slavery clauses Of the Constitution, against
which we have for years endeavored to direct the
anti-siavery sentiment. The government viii
come out Of the contest stronger upon these points
shan ever, and having whipped the South into the
traces, will be eager TO evince it's impartiality by
compelling the North to faithfully observe the
guarantees IL has given in the. bond. Whether
such a result 10 desirable, and one which Dis
union abolitionists should labor to promote. each
must judge for himself. We are not prepared 10
aid in uphOlding a government through whose
agency the very life-tloOd Of the slave has been
crushed out ever since it's forces were organised,
and which to-day retains its original construction
and purpose and still less are we prepared TO-
approve or sustain q government SO avowe6iy aud
wholly pro-s%lavery as is shat Of the Confederate
States.
Slavery may 60 down in the general msleO ; If
it does not, it certainly will perish in the event
Of q separation Of the States, unless the separa-
. ton be followed by concessions from tho North
from which slavery can derive its further support.
3 We are content quietly to abide the issue and
even II our Quaker principles did not now Withhold
Us, as they ever have Withheld US from any p%artici-
panoy in war measures, or voluntary support,
T even in time Of peace, Of a government based on
the sword, our views Of policy at the present time
would certainly restrain US from giving active
support tesuch an one.