New-York tribune., 1921-07-31

preston has been raised against lib
erty, with the same exclamation ms that
made by Mr.. Wilson-it is the law of
the land and you must obey.
Slavery
Slavery was once the law of this
land. They who in "Uncle TOMS
Cabin" pursued the escaping Eliza with
bloodhounds to the shore of the Ohio
River werc government enforcement
agents acting in the interests of the
Law Of the land. "Slaves, obey your
masters" was once on our statute
books. Human law cannot be placed
above the law Of nature, and the law
OF liberty is a law OF nature. Slavery
is wrong and any law in defense of
slavery is wrong. Ard the breaking of
such law is justi6ablc in obedience
to higher law. Any laws against
freedom Of thought, such as laws
against heresy. or laws against natural
law. may be justly broken in obedience
to higher and divine law. The human
laws that proclaimed the divine right
of kings and tho right of the nobility
to mako serfs Of the people were laws
more honored in the breach than in the
| observance.
Tho law Of King George III for the
| taxation of the American people with
| out representation was a law against
liberty-a law against justice and the
fathers of our country who broke that
law did so in obedience to larger law
"a law of nature, justice and of God.
! Any law against liberty, any law
against freedom Of thought or against
the freedom of the individual, that robs
him of his self -mastertbom, is a law
against nature, and any victim OF 1t
has right to break it.
The Eighteenth Amendment is a law
against liberty, the Volstead act is
law against liberty, the Mullan- Gage
law of New York and the Van Ness
law OF the State of New Jersey are
laws against liberty and are as iniQui-
tous and as subvcrsive of human lib
erty and the inalienable rights Of man
as the laws in support of slavery, which
were washed from oar statute books
by the blood of our brothers and
fathers in the great Civil War.
The Eighteenth Amendment has al
ready been repealed.
1t is repealed by the majority opin-
ion of the American people. 1t is re-
pealed by the universal disobedience
and contempt of the people. and no
man-made law can ever compel the
obedience Of the American people with
out commanding their respect.
Natural Rights
The Cenuinc American is notable for
the pride he takes in his work, notable
for the pride he takes in his country
that protects the worker and guaran-
tees to him ownership of his earnings
and the inviolability of his home. This
pride is the chief element of patriot
ism. When, therefore, his natural
rights ere infringed, and his freedom
and his property and his home made
subject to violation by prohibition en-
forcement agent or government bung-
smeller, through Unjust and iniquitous
| legislatio his patriotism is stirred
and his manhood reused in defense OF
his country and his home. He is
stirred to assert his inalienable rights
and place in contempt any law that is
| justly contemplate. The proper answer
to prohibition is being given by the
people. 1t is disobedience-the natural
answer to all laws that are, in the very
nature Of things, iniquitous.
The lawmaker is himself law
breaker who cnacts g law against NOR
ais, against humanity, against any IN
| alienable rights of the people, against
the greatest good Of the greatest num-
| ber. His laws are unlawful and are
crimes against law.
There are unrepcaled laws on our
statute books against the JOY of work
on Sunday, laws against kissing ones
wife on Sunday, laws against song and
laughter on Sunday-laws in universal
contempt-laws that have been broken
with inpunity until they are forgotten.
When Abraham Lincoln was a young