Year: 1861

is one Of the laws now on our Statute
book.


The volunteer militia arc prohibited
from acting in any manner in the rendi-
ton ofa person GdjWd0ed to be fugitive
from service s9The volunteer militia is the
only arm on which the municipal magis-
trates Of our cities and towns can rely, to
quell organized and dangerous riots.
Every one Of its members is member Of
the militia Of the United States, and they
are armed at the expense and under the
authority Of the United States, expressly
conferred by the Constitution. Yet this
law declares that the arms Of the United
States, in the hands Of citizens Of the
1 United States, who are part of the militia
/ Of the United States, shall not be used by
them 70 protect officers Of the law Of the
United States from laylcss violence In the
streets Of . city, whose peace the Com.
monwealth is bound to preserve.


Fell0w.citizens, is It consistent with tbe
duty we owe to our common country, 70
our State, and to ourselves, that such
laws should be permitted longer to exist


Weknow tits doubtedby some whether
the present Ia an oppOrtune moment to
abrogate them. It is said-We grant
these laws are wrong, but tciV you repeal
them under q MrcdtP We answer no.
We would do nothing under o threat.
We would repeal them under our O1n
lore Of right; under our OwH cOnricti0n
Of the sdcrtdneSs Of cOm1mcts; under our
Orn cSnUictiOn Of tile ineStimaJlo imp0r-
tOnce cfSOcidL order antl dOmestic 1Acace
undcr our feeling Of reqOnsi6ility 10 tie
memory Of our .Eathe's dnd tile aceltare IF
orr children, md not unClcr any threat.
We would not be prevented from repeal
ing them by any conduct of others, If
Such repeal were in accordance with our
own Gense Of right lie who refuses to
do right thing merely because he is
threatened with evil consequences, acts
in subsection to the threat; he is control
led by it his false pride may enable him
to disregard the threat; but he lacks cour.
age to despise the wrong estimate Of his
own conduct, which conduct no knows
would spring only from his love Of duty.
IL every right.Inindcd man must admit
that he ought to govern his own. conduct
by these principles, arc they inapplicabIe
to the conduct of a great and populous
Slater On what ground can it be main
tained that hundreds Of thousands of in
nOcent citizens are to be subjected to suf.
fering, because the false pride of their
rulers refuses to do right? Mankind have
been afflicted long enough and grievously
enough by connections and strifes and
wars springing from such causes. We
had hoped that the nature of our Govern
mcnt would protect US from swelling the
great sum Of human misery produced by
the evil passions of rulers. We had hoped
that inas,nuch as the masses ofthe people
can have no interest but to do right, they
would have the diScernment TO perceive,
and the manlineSs to do It; and would be
too calm, too wise, too magnanimous In.
tentipnally to pcrsevcrc in any wrong;
and VIC hope so still.


But what is meant by the exhortation
not TO repeal these laws under threat?
Who threatens US if they should not be
repealed?


Whatever may have been true in the
past, whatever faults Of speech and action
may have been committed on the one side
or on the other, we firmly believe that the
men from whom tho worst consequences
to our country and ourselves are likely to
proceed, have no wish that these laws
should be repealed, and no disposition to
use any threats in reference to thean. On
the contrary, they desire to have them
stand as conspicuous and palpable breach
Is of the national compact by ourselves,
and as afUrding justification to them
selves, to the world and to posterity, for
the destruction Of the most perfect and
prosperous government which the Provi-
dence Of God has ever permitted the wis
dom, Of man to devise. How far these
acts Of ours arc from affording any justi.
(ication for the enormous Wrong such men
contemplate; how precipitate, rash and
unnecessary are the violent and destruc.
tive measures they are seeking to pursue,
We know but too well. But we know
equally we'll that there are other men, liv-
ing among these last, and connected with
them as members of the same society,
who are struggling to preserve our gov
ernment who are seeking for other relne-
dies than revolution and civil war, who
still love their whole country, however
bounded, and who would not see the glory
Of our fGthers sink into the darkness Of
their children's shame and wc know that
these patriotic, wise and courageous men
are checked and weakened in their efforts
to save the country, by our persistence in
our wrong. They threaten no one but
their labors and their sacrifices for Ovr
common country call on Us in tones more
eloquent than any words, to do our duty,
and not to Obstruct them iH doing theirs.


We have heard it suggested, also, that
this is not the time to repeal these laws,
because, in any future attempt at COM
promise between the North and the South,
We should not have them TO surrender on
our part. But VIC cannot listen to those
who counsel us to make merchandise Of
our own honor. Shall VIC grasp what
does not belong to us, and, when we are
satisfied 1t is not ours, say, We will keep
1t whsrewith to make bargain? And a
bargain with whOm9 With strangers
with aliens in blood and speech, in inter.
est and destiny? Not so. We all have
hut one country, one welfare, one destiny;
whether that destiny be to climb by the
upward path Of peace and union to the
height where VIC should be the envy and
delight Of the nations or plunge into the
gulf Of civil tiscord, and find a dishonor-
able grave. No serious wound can be
inflicted anywhere on our body polite,
without making the whole head sick and
the whole heart faint And he who
should approach an attempt to cure our
disorders, not with spirit Of moderation,
Of justice, Of kindness and frateynal re-
gard, but with dcSpOtisln to seem to
surrender what is not our own, that we
may keep what we have not the courage
otherwise to claim, has but poor kind
of cunning and very little manhood.


We do not believe that such is tho tenn
per Of the people Of Massachusetts.


We know they have In times pust had
great proVocatiOns. And VIE firmly be-
| licvs that n they hn1e SO far yielded to
them as tOlallow their lrrescntment to press
too strongly on their Judgment, it is moi
because thew do not love the FIRht. or he.