Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1861-03-23

"", '" 'ue philosophical apprehensions OF 4 prS
FOUND and world.renowned statesman Have the
not like angelic powers. stood sentinel at the cate
: oil Freedom, and defed the combined attacks o
desposism and servili,y for more than two hundre,
year" And IL is against this principle Of popula
supremacy, before whose imperial wand hundred
Oh usnrping dynsstiOs have laid down their seer
'ers' mat our infatuated government proposes Il
rush, IN coercing Q seeding State. We propos
70 govern State without her consentl What 4
nis out the re-enactment Of the Identical TRACED,
OF Lord North's attempt to subdue the Americar
8 cOlonissi Whyi even the British Goyernmeot !,
'ns more enlightened parts Of her domain, hal
nearly or quite abandoned that principle. wb,
else does the premier always feel constrained Il
resign his Office, when his measures are defeated
IN inc popular branch Of tho Legislaturef 1t i,
: nothing less than most significant acknow wledx z
ment Of the practical triumph of popular supr ema
cy' The very throne Of free England is supposed
70 reflect the sentiment Of the Ecglish people.
no" long could it endure tho light Of this age IL II
dld nou so dominant is this sentiment in the En-.
glish mind, that if Canada or British Columbis
should to-day vote to become an independent Re
puohc war to reconquer her would doubtless
seriously endanger the British throne. It's too
late IN the day to carry out that principle. In CO.
ercing South Carolina, or any Of her seeding
compecrS you would violate the most approved
sentiments Of modern Europe, and 20 back for
your rtecedents to the grand despotisms Of Louis
AIV. oil France, and the tyrannical usurpations of
James ii. of England. Even Louis Napoleo,
owes his imperial scep,re directly or indirectly to
twenty millions Of popular votes; and almost every
breeze from the classic land OF Italy brings TO our
giaddened ears the crash Of some hoary dynasty,
that has fallen before the imperial march of popu-
lar sovereignty.
| Coerce South Carolina to submit to q foreign
government, and you tear the well-earned laure,s
from the brow Of the brave and uncomfortable
Garibaidl You reinforce the tyrannical garrisons
OF Rome and forge new manaeles for hsr bleeding
patriotf. You pour contempt and insult upon
your hation's late eloquent and distinguished
guest. md give the right hand Of fellowship to
ISsrikin her subjuga;ion of Hungary and her
other Sssaiisfed provinces. The doctrine Of the
coereiaiof an unwilling people, is an an.iqua.ed
dogme& tyranny. and is nothing less than the
old scotrgs Of men, 'khs dipine right Of KIngs"
will even invoke Imperial Russia, hardly ont Of
her childhood Of civilization to rebuks the recre-
ency of the American Republic to the grea, OBJ
jec. of all revolutionary struggles and sscriaoes-
the real political policy of the people.
Let i; 6e understood, and even remembered, and
ruug through the Vorld, to the rebske Of ali ty-
ranny, that government is duty and not an inter
est. There IS no divine right Of Kings. There is
divine duty. Eor any more is there divine
right of Presidents as such. Strictly speaking,
government has no rights. 1t has duties to pcr-
form simply. Its whole object is to protect men
in their rights. Security against wrong" says
Macintosh. sis the object Of all goverament."-
There is, therefore, divine right of the people
but not Of magistrates as such. Says Milton, ste
say, as is usual, the king hath as good right ts
his crown and dignity as any man to his inheri
tanee, is to make the subject no better than .h,
kings slave, his chattel, or his possession, tha
may be bought and sold;" and be adds that, tt
affirm this doctrine, sis q kind Of treason agains
the dignity Of mankind" And surely it is equal
ly absurd and improper for the people of one sec
ton of the country to advance claim Of right tc
the political allegiance Of those Of another section
The most arrogant pretensions OF ancient royalty
are not more preposterous.
Again. the word subject itself expresses a ranl
political heresy, and is unworthy to be applied tc
an American citizen.
According to the true theory Of our government
and Of all free or popular governments, the peo
pie are not subjects. bus sovereigns. They srt
themselves the government-the supreme politica
tribunal. Government is otyselpes, freely acting
foR Nha of
sectiug ourselves against lawless violence and
fraud. Oar object is not to subject ourselves to
political authority. but 10 protect ourselves BY our
own inherent and inalisnable political authority.
The American people have become so degenerate
under the influence of their long and aggravated
violations Of the principles Of liberty that they
seem quite incapable Of forming conception OF
tho true theory Of governments and the rights of
men. But the sentiment OF true political phiio-
sophy is, sthat the law is not made for righteous
man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the
ungOdly and for sinners. for unholy and profane,
for murderers of fathers and murderers Of mothers
for mAnslayers. For whOrsmOngsrs. for them thai
de6ls themselves with mankind, Cor men-stsalsrs,
for liars for perjuTed persons, and If there be any
other thing that 10 contrary 10 sound doc ctrine,
l. g., any other form Of viees IL 10 humiliating
thought. unworthy Of the true dignity Of human
nasase. that an immortal man. created 10 the i'm
age Of his Maker, should require 10 10 subjected
to the authority Of some earthly potentate, to pre-
vent his committing crime against socis.yl hope,
therefore. that the igDoble word subject will be
forever discarded from the vocabulary Of thoss
who maintain the slightsst element Of selfrespec.
or conscious virtue Real virtue will be subject h
no human authority. II molly seOrns the idsa.-
Il s subject only to the supreme authority OF right
It aoQuissees in hnman authority. may, exercises
against the vioious-but is subject only to right
Is it true that men pay their debts because the
are obliged to BY human aushOrityi Then ran
them with whOremOngefs and men-stsalsrss whsst
or in the church or out. IL ID true that men aI
deferred from murder, theft and ether crimes B
. human governmental It simply proves them mo
ally worthless.