Year: 1860




5 nor cast these most precious pearls before swine
= No. They are trusts for which we are account.
able, for in the proper exercise of them alone can
we develope the nature with which we are endow-
ed, and become what God made US to bo.
We must, we do condemn utterly, we denounce
as fearfully false the doctrine that we ought some
times, even now, to obey man rather than God a
cruel enactment of the government of our country
rather than the eternal righteous, morcful law of
the Sovereign ruler of the Universe This is
doctrine that would throw distrust over the moral
government Of the world, and lead men directly TO
AHeiSm. 1t is doctrine that casts reproach upon
the noble army of martyrs, both political and re-
ligious, whose blood has been the seed of the
highest improvements in church and state. It
would condemn the prophets Of the Old Testa-
ment the Apostle Of the New, and Jesus Christ
himself. All these set at naught the command
menis Of Princes, Governors, Kings because they
require that which was wrong, contrary to the
will Of God.





Bur, say the abettors of the Fugitive Slave
Bill', the demands which this enactment makes
Oh us, are in pursuance Of the compromises OF the
Constitution. Then, we reply it was a compromise
which ought never to have been made. It could
not have been binding even upon those who made
it, unless men have power to abrogate the law
of God. Much less could any obligation to con
form to such requirement have been transmitted
to their posterity.


Here we may be told that few years later, in
li93, Congress enacted law expressly designed
to carry out that part of the Constitution said to
have been intended to ensure the recovery Of lu-
gitives from slavery and it is added, the provis-
ions of that bill were almost as a5horrent to hu-
manity as those of the Bill of 1850. What does
all this pro7eP Taken in connection with the his
tory of the last flry-seven years it proves that
such law cannot, as it ought not to, be enforced.
The enactmont of 1893, all know had become a
dead letter.


Yet the advocates Of this Mason and Webster
Bill reioin, "because the statute of 1893 had be-
come imperative, it was necessary to enact the
Law of 1850 with more stringent provisions and
this LaW must be obeyed, or tie Union ioU certain
ty be dSsotred All we can say in reply to this is
that il indeed tho union Of these States cannot be
preserved but by our consonting to do the grea,
= unrghteousness which this "Bill of abomin atoms
requires, then it is plain that our union is at ar
Q end on such a condition it ought not to be- il
cannot be continued. "Let justice be done thong
the Heavens fall" is old maxim Cften quoted
from the Latin, as embodying great principal Of
, morality. Surely, then, may say, without be-
ing .ranscendental in our uprightness-"Let
this great injustice not be done, though tile Union
I.JaHs."


Ye! again, though the upholders of this horrid
Bill have the grace to allow that wo may do all in
lour IN prO ha repeo1 pf ,ot o,l
the Lar, yet they insist that un til it is repealed
we are bound and shall be compelled 10 obey it,
Truly this is queer way Of getting an atrocious
enactment repealed, to keep on obeyng it. Their
reasoning is this --bscause an unjust law is sn.
acted we must obey it as law, and yet Go nl we
can to repeal it because it is unjust and ought not
to be law. Seeing that iniquity is established
by Statute, we must keep the statute until we can
destroy it; uphold il until it can he overihrown
Such beetle logic may safely be left to confute it
self. Because the majority have resolved to sin, we
must go with them, and keep on SHINING to the
end of the chapter, and then right about ard
sin more, because we have a. length succeeded
in convincing the majority. If 50, we are miserable
Sinners especially we who know better and so
have added the guilt of hypocrisy to tho guilt of
cruelty"


But as this writer says, still more conclusive
answer may be drawn from history. Experience
teaches us that obedience to an unjust law ne'er
procured it's repeal. The actual method by which
communities have gotten rid of unrighteous laws
has been by protesting against them, disObeying
them, and thus coming into conflict with the gov
ernment at the bar of public opinion, the common
moral sense Of mankind, which is the great
pire on EARTH to whom majoritjes and monarchs
mus. ultimately bow. First, the people have
thrown unjust laws aside, and then the Legisla-
ture has a5roGated them because they were thrown
, aside First the law has pershed because of its
Injustice and then boen buried by statute because
it was dead"


What would 10 the effect on those who used "all
, their personal and official influence" to procure
, tho enactment and enforce obedience to this Fug
q tive Slave Bill what, ask, would be the effect
on them, if it should be known that we the peo.
pie of Central New York, who have from the first
protested SO loudly against it, were nevertheless
every where consenng to obey it in all its provis-
ions? Would they not point to the fact, as sig
nal evidence, of the eminent success Of their
''peace measures. 1t the people of the North
will only become "the setters", 1.-The terriers,
"tbe bloodhounds". Of the Southern men hunters,
thew will not care how much we bark and howl
4 about the decree that would make US such dogs.-
But when we turn upon them ami drive them from
the field, they are made to know that we will not
be their creatures, and moreover, that they cannot
uursue their game our dominions, which
are consecrated to liberality and humanity.


Once more, it is urged by the abettors of thi'
great iniquity, that we are very presu@p'ions ii



to the enlightened wisdom Of the greatest states
I men of our country, the majority of our legisla
4 tors and Of their C nstituents. Now, this is no
e stating the case fairly. The Fugitive Slave Las
lis not an offence to only here aud there few in
= divduals. Millions and acknowle ledge it to b
Q most Aagrantly unjust and cruel. The minoris