OUR GOVERNMENT | AdventAI

Publishing Committee · Battle Creek, Mich. · Apr 22, 1858

OUR GOVERNMENT.

"And he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon." Verse 2.

The profession of this Government in both its civil and ecclesiastical branches is LAMB-LIKE, but many of its laws are DRAGON-LIKE. Protestants profess to take "the Bible and the Bible alone" as the standard of their faith; and yet they have several hundred creeds, and many of them are but little better than the Roman Catholic. Republicans profess to be governed by the Constitution, and to carry out the principles of the Declaration of Independence; but whether or not, they maintain this high profession, let the following facts testify:

I. LAMB-LIKE PROFESSION.

Declaration of Independence.—"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

Constitution, Art. 9, Sec. 2.—"This Constitution, and the laws of the U. S. which shall be made in pursuance thereof, . . . shall be the supreme law of the land; and the judges in every State shall be bound thereby, anything in the Constitution or laws of any State to the contrary notwithstanding."

Constitution, Art. 4, Sec. 4.—"The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union, a republican form of government, &c."

Guaranty 1.—"To warrant; to make true; to undertake to engage that another person shall perform what he has stipulated.—2. To undertake to secure to another at all events.—Webster's Dictionary.

"The true foundation of republican government is the equal rights of every citizen, in his person and property, and in their management."—Thomas Jefferson's Definition.

At the Congressional banquet given in honor of Kossuth, Judge Wayne, of the Supreme Court, is reported to have given the following sentiment: "Constitutional liberty to all nations of the earth supported by christian faith and the morality of the Bible."

"No person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due processes of law."—Amendments Constitution, Art. v.

Says Lord Blackstone, in his commentaries on the common law: "Those rights which God and nature have established, and are therefore called natural rights—such as life and liberty—need not the aid of human laws to be more effectually invested in every man than they are; neither do they receive any additional strength when declared by the municipal laws inviolable. On the contrary, no human legislature has power to abridge or destroy them, unless the owner himself shall commit some act which amounts to a forfeiture."

The New York Tribune, of Feb. 18, 1854, says: "The whole world has been steadily advancing toward the overthrow of African slavery for more than a century. Nations have abolished it. England has emancipated her black population. France has done the same. Even Russia herself has abolished serfdom in every territory, she has added to her empire since the beginning of the present century. The trade in slaves has been denounced as piracy by all nations. The remains of the barbarism of slave-holding now linger in the world under the protection of the decaying kingdom of Spain and a portion of the States of this Union."

Amendment of the Constitution, Art. 1.—"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."

The Congressional Committee of 1830, on the intent of the Constitution, report: "We look in vain to that instrument for authority to say whether the first day, or seventh day, or whether any day has been made holy by the Almighty. "The constitution regards the conscience of the Jew as sacred as that of the Christian, and gives no more authority to adopt a measure affecting the conscience of a solitary individual, than of a whole community.—That representative who would violate this principle, would lose his delegated character, and forfeit the confidence of his constituents. If Congress should declare the first day of the week holy, it would not convince the Jew nor the Sabbatarian. It would dissatisfy both, and consequently convert neither. "If a solemn act of the legislature shall in one point define the law of God, or point out to the citizen one religious duty, it may with equal propriety define every part of revelation, and enforce every religious obligation, even to the forms and ceremonies of worship, the endowments of the church, and support of the clergy."

The following letter of Geo. Washington's, written to the committee of a Baptist society in Virginia, in reply to questions as to the design of the Constitution, says: "If I had the least idea of any difficulty resulting from the Constitution adopted by the Convention, of which I had the honor to be President when it was formed, so as to endanger the rights of any religious denomination, then I never should have attached my name to that instrument.—If I had any idea that the general government was so administered that liberty of conscience was endangered, I pray you be assured that no man would be more willing than myself to revise and altar that part of it, so as to avoid all religious persecutions. You can, without doubt, remember that I have often expressed my opinion, that every man who conducts himself as a good citizen is accountable alone to God for his religious faith, and should be protected in worshiping God according to the dictates of his own conscience." GEO. WASHINGTON. Aug. 4, 1789.

Hon. A. H. Cragin, of New Hampshire, in the House of Representatives, says: "When our forefathers reared the magnificent structure of a free republic in this western land, they laid its foundations broad and deep in the eternal principles of right. Its materials were all quarried from the mountain of truth; and, as it rose majestically before an astonished world, it rejoiced the hearts and hopes of mankind. Tyranny only cursed the workmen and their workmanship. Its architecture was new. It had no model in Grecian or Roman history It seemed a paragon, let down from heaven to inspire the hopes of men, and to demonstrate God's favor to the people of the new world. The builders recognized the rights of human nature as universal. Liberty, the great first right of man, they claimed for 'all men,' and claimed it from 'God himself.' Upon that foundation they erected the temple, and dedicated to Liberty, Humanity, Justice and Equality. Washington was crowned its patron saint. "Liberty was then the national goddess, worshiped by all the people. They sang of liberty, they harangued for liberty, they prayed for liberty. Slavery was then hateful. It was denounced by all. The British king was condemned for foisting it upon the colonies. Southern men were foremost in entering their protest against it. It was then everywhere regarded as an evil, and a crime against humanity."

DRAGON-LIKE ACTION.

"Slaves shall be deemed sold, taken, reputed, and adjudged to live, to be CHATTELS PERSONAL, in the hands of their owners and possessors, and their executors, administrators and assigns, to all intents and purposes whatever."—Law of South Carolina, 2 Brev. Dig. 229.

Judge McLean of the Supreme Court of the United States, says: "While the State statutes treat the slaves as chattels, the Constitution can only treat and act on them as persons."

"All negroes, Indians, (free Indians in amity with this government, and negroes, mulattoes and mestizoes, who are now free, excepted,) mulattoes or mestizoes, who now are or shall hereafter be in this province, and all their issue and offspring born or to be born, shall be, and they are hereby declared to be and remain for ever hereafter, absolute slaves, and shall follow the condition of the mother."—Act of 1740, 2 Brevard's Digest, 229.

"With the consent of their masters, slaves may marry, and their moral power to agree to such a contract or connection as that of marriage, cannot be doubted; but whilst in a state of slavery, it cannot produce any civil effect, because slaves are deprived of all civil rights."—Judge Matthews of Louisiana; Martin's Rep. VI, 550.

The following will illustrate the action of both Republicans and Protestants: "A Slave Burned to Death.—A mob was collected together, and a lynch court was held to determine what was best to be done with a negro who had the impudence to raise his hand against a white man. The lynch court decided that he should be burned at the stake. "Nearly four thousand slaves were collected from the plantations in the neighborhood to witness this scene. Numerous speeches were made by the magistrates, and ministers of religion, to the large concourse of slaves, warning them, and telling them that the same fate awaited them if they should prove rebellious to their owners."—N. Y. Tribune, of February, 1854.

A Boston paper speaking of the return of Burns into slavery, says: "We have seen our Court House in chains, two battalions of dragoons, eight companies of artillery, twelve companies of infantry, the whole constabulary force of the city police, the entire disposable marine of the United States, with its artillery loaded for action, all marching in support of a Prætorian band, consisting of one hundred and twenty friends and associates of the United States Marshal, with loaded pistols and drawn swords, and in military costume and array—for what purpose? To escort and conduct a poor trembling slave from a Boston Court House to the fetters and lash of his master! This display of military force the Mayor of the city officially declared to be necessary on the occasion. Nay, more, at a public festival he openly took to himself the glory of this display, declaring that by it life and liberty had been saved, and the honor of Boston vindicated."

Mr. Robert McLean, Presbyterian minister of Mississippi, says: "We have men in our church who buy slaves and work them, because they can make more money by it than in any other way.—And the more we have of such men the better. All who can, own slaves; and those who cannot, want to."

Law of the State of New York.—"There shall be no shooting, hunting, fishing, sporting, playing, horse racing, gaming, frequenting of tippling-houses, or any other unlawful exercises or pastimes, on the first day of the week, called Sunday; nor shall any person travel on that day, unless in cases of charity or necessity, or in going to or returning from some church or place of worship; nor shall there be any service laboring or working on that day, excepting works of necessity and charity."

Most, if not all the States in the Union have laws essentially agreeing with the above.

"The legislature of Texas, has passed a bill to establish the 'Christian Sabbath,' which provides for the punishment, by fine, or imprisonment of such persons as may perform any labor or procure any to be done on Sunday."—Watchman and Reflector.

The following "Notice" was published in the Northern Republic, of Wisconsin: "Notice.—Whereas by the 21st section of chapter 139, of the revised statutes of the State of Wisconsin, it is enacted among other things, that 'No person shall open his shop, warehouse or work-house on the Lord's day, commonly called Sunday,' and whereas Justices of the peace have jurisdiction of offences mentioned in said section, now, therefore, we the undersigned, Justices of the peace, in and for the town of Fort Winnebago, Columbia Co., give notice that we shall take judicial notice of all offences against the provisions of said section 21, as specified above, without respect to persons, from and after the date of the publication of this notice. H. R. Pettibone. A. Dunn. L. Vanslyk. W. E. Waite. Fort Winnebago, July 21, 1852.

A late writer acquainted with the circumstances, says: "Eight seventh-day Baptists, at one time, in Ephrata, Pennsylvania, were fined each four dollars, and if they refused to pay the same, were subject to imprisonment. The great crime alleged to them, was working on Sunday—obeying their own consciences. How shall we explain the acts of Pennsylvania, and other States of this Union, unless it be a fulfillment of the text, 'and he spake as a dragon.'"

Dred Scott Case.—The Independent of the 11th publishes the following letter from the well known English preacher and author, John Angel James, dated Binghampton, May 9, 1857, to his friend, W. Patton, D. D., of New York City: "The decision of your Supreme Court fills us with astonishment, horror, and indignation. It is, indeed, the most terrible outrage upon humanity that has been perpetrated for ages, and will do more to lower the moral character of your country than even the present system of slavery. All Europe and the whole civilized world will blush for you. It is the first time that I know of, when a whole race was put without the pale of social life on account of the color of their skin. Will your country submit to it? Can it be perceived that the descendants of the Pilgrim Fathers will bow to so horrible a rebellion against the precepts of Christianity and the dictates of reason?"

Are you republicans?—away! 'Tis blasphemy the word to say. You talk of freedom? Out for shame! Your lips contaminate the name. How dare you prate of public good, Your hands besmear'd with human blood? How dare you lift those hands to heaven, And ask, or hope to be forgiven? How dare you breathe the wounded air, That wafts to heaven the negroe's prayer? How dare you tread the conscious earth That gave mankind an equal birth? And while you thus inflict the rod, How dare you say there is a God That will, in justice, from the skies, Hear and avenge his creatures' cries? "Slaves to be sold!" hark, what a sound! Ye give America a wound, A scar, a stigma of disgrace, Which you nor time can e'er efface.—Ray.

Pilgrim, Go On!

Go warily, for dangers surround thee. Go boldly, for nothing can harm thee. Go bravely, for Jesus is with thee. Go trustingly, for he will not fail thee. Go cheerily, for the city is near thee. Go Pilgrim! Thou goest to heaven, thy home. [Am. Pres.