Year: 1860

in and out of Congress, oxecrate the law, at the


same time that they insist upon obedience to IL.


Indeed, it would be hard to end a person, not
stepped in the Gin of slaveholding from bis BIRTH


who would undertake to show the justice, much
less the morcifulness of this outrageous law.
: The question then before the country is, wheth-
or law, which vast majority allow to be a wick
ed one, which the most unsorupuious a6her-
cnts Of Mr.. Webster, at first recoiled from with
horror.-a law which outrages oil the natural, in
defeasbe rights of those against whom it is direc.
ted, and does violence to every good feeling Of
those who called upon to execute it,-the ques-
ton is whether such law ought to be obeyed,
merely because by legislative management ma
jority of the members of Congress was obtained
Tor it. IL the will Of the majority be absolute-
if there be appeal from tiff there be no natu-
ra eternal principles Of right and wrong upon
which we may fall back in such emergency, We
see not how own liberties are more secure un-
der our form Of government that they would be
under a monarchy or even deepotsm. The way
in which the supporters of this law have 1outed
at conscience, and the moral sense Of mankind,
shows how little fitted they to help forward
our great experiment of sef-government.


Men differ much on minor questions of morals,
and there is room for honest differences. But the
glorious principles announced in the Declaration
Of American Independence were selfevident to all
men, And wherever, 10 our Northern States, the
people could he brought to witness an attempt to
take from a man his liberty, and reduce him to
the condition of a domesticated brute, thousand
voices would cry, shame upon the deed for every
one, that would attempt to justify it,


If Or,rt IN.
divdual couscieuces against the conscience OF tho
nation. A vast majority abhor this law, though
there may be majority that, for certain political
reasons have concluded it is expedient to sustain
the law or pretend to sustain it, bad as it is. We
have the heart of our nation with us, though the
bead may be against US.


The followers Of the expedient rather than the
right would iain make it appear that our opposi-
,iou to this enactment tends to the subVersion OF
| law. We know better, and so do they. The only
claim which an enactment Of our State or Nation
al government can have to our respect and obe-
dience is is justice. II it be unjust only to our


property II il subject only to pecuniary loss OF
30 personal inconvenience, we may, tor the sake
of peace, We ought to ST bmit to it. But when II


requires u.s. as this Fugitive Slave Bill does, to in


hct the greatest injury upon others, 'oe are not al
liberty to obey. We are bound by our obligations
to God and man to set the law at naught-to pre-
vent its execution. "Disobedience to unjust laws,
so far from subvertng tends directly to establish
Lq,o by honoring the only true source OF its
claims The only real upholder of Law is he who
sirenuously opposes all unjust enactments' mas
man who blndy or passively obeYs all the beheste
Of human rulers. right wrong, mercltul or cruei,
i not the friend of Law but of arbitrary rule, OK
tyranny"