hasitcanmakeamanwithitsblackarts,amereshadowandreminiscenceofhumanity,amanlaidoutaliveandstanding,andalready,asonemaysay,buriedunderarmswithfuneralaccompaniment,thoughitmaybe
“Notadrumwasheard,notafuneralnote,
Ashiscorpsetotherampartswehurried
Notasoldierdischargedhisfarewellshot
O’erthegravewhereourheroweburied.”
ThemassofmenservetheStatethus,notasmenmainly,butasmachines,withtheirbodies.Theyarethestandingarmy,andthemilitia,jailers,constables,possecomitatus,&c.Inmostcasesthereisnofreeexercisewhateverofthejudgmentorofthemoralsensebuttheyputthemselvesonalevelwithwoodandearthandstonesandwoodenmencanperhapsbemanufacturedthatwillservethepurposeaswell.Suchcommandnomorerespectthanmenofstraw,oralumpofdirt.Theyhavethesamesortofworthonlyashorsesanddogs.Yetsuchastheseevenarecommonlyesteemedgoodcitizens.Others,asmostlegislators,politicians,lawyers,ministers,andoffice-holders,servethestatechieflywiththeirheadsand,astheyrarelymakeanymoraldistinctions,theyareaslikelytoservethedevil,withoutintendingit,asGod.Averyfew,asheroes,patriots,martyrs,reformersinthegreatsense,andmen,servetheStatewiththeirconsciencesalso,andsonecessarilyresistitforthemostpartandtheyarecommonlytreatedbyitasenemies.Awisemanwillonlybeusefulasaman,andwillnotsubmittobe“clay,”and“stopaholetokeepthewindaway,”butleavethatofficetohisdustatleast:
“Iamtoohigh-borntobepropertied,
Tobeasecondaryatcontrol,
Orusefulserving-manandinstrument
Toanysovereignstatethroughouttheworld.”
Hewhogiveshimselfentirelytohisfellow-menappearstothemuselessandselfishbuthewhogiveshimselfpartiallytothemispronouncedabenefactorandphilanthropist.
HowdoesitbecomeamantobehavetowardtheAmericangovernmenttoday?Ianswerthathecannotwithoutdisgracebeassociatedwithit.Icannotforaninstantrecognizethatpoliticalorganizationasmygovernmentwhichistheslave’sgovernmentalso.
Allmenrecognizetherightofrevolutionthatis,therighttorefuseallegiancetoandtoresistthegovernment,whenitstyrannyoritsinefficiencyaregreatandunendurable.Butalmostallsaythatsuchisnotthecasenow.Butsuchwasthecase,theythink,intheRevolutionof’75.Ifoneweretotellmethatthiswasabadgovernmentbecauseittaxedcertainforeigncommoditiesbroughttoitsports,itismostprobablethatIshouldnotmakeanadoaboutit,forIcandowithoutthem:allmachineshavetheirfrictionandpossiblythisdoesenoughgoodtocounter-balancetheevil.Atanyrate,itisagreateviltomakeastiraboutit.Butwhenthefrictioncomestohaveitsmachine,andoppressionandrobberyareorganized,Isay,letusnothavesuchamachineanylonger.Inotherwords,whenasixthofthepopulationofanationwhichhasundertakentobetherefugeoflibertyareslaves,andawholecountryisunjustlyoverrunandconqueredbyaforeignarmy,andsubjectedtomilitarylaw,Ithinkthatitisnottoosoonforhonestmentorebelandrevolutionize.Whatmakesthisdutythemoreurgentisthatfact,thatthecountrysooverrunisnotourown,butoursistheinvadingarmy.
Paley,acommonauthoritywithmanyonmoralquestions,inhischapteronthe“DutyofSubmissiontoCivilGovernment,”resolvesallcivilobligationintoexpediencyandheproceedstosay,“thatsolongastheinterestofthewholesocietyrequiresit,thatis,solongastheestablishedgovernmentcannotberesistedorchangedwithoutpublicinconveniency,itisthewillofGodthattheestablishedgovernmentbeobeyed,andnolonger.”—“Thisprinciplebeingadmitted,thejusticeofeveryparticularcaseofresistanceisreducedtoacomputationofthequantityofthedangerandgrievanceontheoneside,andoftheprobabilityandexpenseofredressingitontheother.”Ofthis,hesays,everymanshalljudgeforhimself.ButPaleyappearsnevertohavecontemplatedthosecasestowhichtheruleofexpediencydoesnotapply,inwhichapeople,aswellasanindividual,mustdojustice,costwhatitmay.IfIhaveunjustlywrestedaplankfromadrowningman,ImustrestoreittohimthoughIdrownmyself.This,accordingtoPaley,wouldbeinconvenient.Buthethatwouldsavehislife,insuchacase,shallloseit.Thispeoplemustceasetoholdslaves,andtomakewaronMexico,thoughitcostthemtheirexistenceasapeople.
Intheirpractice,nationsagreewithPaleybutdoesanyonethinkthatMassachusettsdoesexactlywhatisrightatthepresentcrisis?
“Adrabofstate,acloth-o’-silverslut,
Tohavehertrainborneup,andhersoultrailinthedirt.”
Practicallyspeaking,theopponentstoareforminMassachusettsarenotahundredthousandpoliticiansatthe