Resolutions: Adopted At The Great Eastern Liberty Convention...

1. Ktsulved, That slsvery is the greaiesi political cvil which aflects this nat ion; tlie arent of most of the other public evils which we suffer, and that the Liberty pnrty is nothng more or lesa than a united politica] effort o throw it off. 2. Resolved, That just so fast as men wh nrefer political good to evil, come to believe thatslavery is the greateat polilical evil our country suffers, thry will join the Iiibcrty party, and nevcr leave it, till thoy either cease so to believe, or slavery is abolished. S. Jifsohtdy That a party spontaneously growing up in 6pite of interest ond okl politi cal ties, to overthrow American lavery as the grcütest violalion of natural riglits, may be trustcd with öthcr questions of human rifhts and public accomruodution, aásafelyas any other pnrty. 4. Kcsolvcd, That those who stnnd nloof from the Liberty party, either bocau6e they fear it will turn aside from its prent and governing object.or because they wish to embraceother objoct,! ick duo confidence in human nature.on the one band, and due Bcnse, on the other, of ihecoinpurnliveimportance of eslablishing the distinction between a man oud a brute. 5. Resolved, Ihnt the Liberty party is unnnimously committed to ihe obolition of American slavery as the firstand higheat duty of the sovfircign people of this Federal repub lic, and that tvhatcver politicnl doc'rines on oiher 8iibjfct8 may be oxpressed by this or any other Liberty Convention, the party cannot be considered as unanimoiiiily coinmitted to any other mcasure. 6. Resolved, That the history of the emnncipated slavrs of the British Colonies, thcir readiness to labor for fair wage?, their 6ubordinalion to law, their diligence in provuling for tlleir families, their advnncement in civilization and veligious knowlcdge, ta'ke away every shadow of apnlogy for deleay i n coliceding to the enslavod of this and, th full riglits of liberty nder law. 7. Resolved, That we rejoico to soe so many signs tliat he cruel and mean prejudice of color is c'iving wrty before the hglit of rea son. and especinüy to the tiohlc exan plos of mananimity and talent displaypd by men ofcolor who hflVc tnversed the frce States ns advocates of liberty, :ind tlmt we Imil ihis as a sure harbinger of victory over thut s)'6lcm of human chattrlisrn, nf wliich this prrjudice s tlie ignoble offepring. 8. Resolved, That it inVolvrs no sncrifice n'. principie to belng to n politici] pnrty havintr )ut-()ne idea,' provided tlmt idea is cleurly paratnount to ony olher. tiik victims bi1 piBRSÍKColíbír. 9. Rrsolvrd, That we cordinllv pytmntliize with the Rcv. Cnarles T. Torrcy, Capínm Jonathan Walker, oud tho numrous othrr persons who liave suíí-red cruel inflictions ai the hands f elnveholdere, for aciing or brnttr suspected ofactinfr on thc impulst? of thcir iiumiriit}',aíHrnii(iir that whatever fauli rnay be found with their condlíct, they Cnnhíit bo j'istly aecused of havin? violated ahy jti-t rijjhs of the slaVclioldurs or people o " lli slavcholding States. TUE BIBI.K DOCTRISR. 10. Resolved, Tlmt, to he.ole, "lie Ihat stcaletli n man and eelletíi him, or lf he be founü in liis hand,; is a manstenler. 11. Kcsolvtd, Thot, norordmjr tn the rxposition of ihis snliject by the loarnod Grotitfe, and according1 to the èSpösition ot thè Gnoral Assembly oftlic Presbytcrinn cliurch down to tlie yenr 1819, 'átea'ers of men are iH they who bringr off, feil, buy, or retan) men n slavery," and "that to stenl or retnin men in slavery, is the highest kind of tlieft.' 12. Resolved, That, nccoruinjj to the Bible, "the law is not made for a righteou.s man but for ihe lawlcsK nnd disobedient, for the ngodly and for sinherS, for the unholy adprofanp, for murderers of iuthers and mtirderu ers of mothers, for ninn -slnyers, lor whnremonpere, forthem thnt defile tliemselves wiih mankind, for menstralers, for linrs, for )iorjnred persons, and if there be any other t hinpr thnt is contrary to eound doctrine, accordner to iho glorious gospel of the bleasedGod." 13. Resolved, That since slaveholding, os it is practiced in these Uni'erl States, does bring ofl", sel!, bnv, or retain men in slnvery. it is man-etealing; nrul therefore, liat llie individuáis who comtnit Ihis crime, in any of U etages or forms, aro men-stealerp, and oüght to beso regarded and trcated in the instrnctions of rcligious teachers nnd in the administration nnd discipling of Cliristian churches. 14. Jicsolvtd, That whenevcr reügious teachers or reügious bodies separate menstealerp, in the matter of religiotis instruction and discipline, from the kind of oifenders witli which God, m the Bible, has classified them. it is a eerious and startling departure from that 'sonnd i'octrine," which is "according to the clorious gospel of the blessed God," nnd ought to be rarnestly and unceasinly pxposed nnd resisted by every friend of tnUh, of God and of man. 15. Risolvcd, Thaf the distinction between individnnl and organic sin, so called, by which it has boen 6ouglit, and especially of late, to mitígate the güill of individual slavin, and even to maintain its entire innocence, as well as its entire consistency witl) an approved Chri6tian character nnd standing, however sincerely and honcstly held, has no foundation in the nature nnd relations of things, novarrant in the Bible, and no confirmation in the actual retributions of Providence; and is in fact a practical license to individual transrrression. a practical support of hu verytem it condemng, and nvolves the bsurdity of maintaining, that jii6t where organized and legalized iniquity is most compact and strong, and social vico most universal and invetérate, and society as such at iis height of guur, and the judgmenta of Almighty God, in the retributions of his providence, nctunlly breaking forth, because even divine forbearance is exhuiiKted, there individual gnüt is lenst, and the individual practice of prevaiüng- . i - imF tions most entilled to the excuse, commig eration and commeiidation, both of Godand man! 1G. Resolved, That thosc interpretations of the lïihle, by which this distinction ie aought tobe justified, and by which it is made to ciijoin nnd demand even of profeseed Christinns only a lowcr tnorolity thnn the common hnne8ty of censing to hold elavea, and a lower virlue than the common deceney of having but one wife, and the like, are inlerprelations which, Uke the traditions of oíd, make void the law, strike a deadly blow at tho confidence of nll honest aad decent men n tho Hible, os the word of God, nnd are themselves the fruitful soil and nvitriinent of genera] skepticisra and u.nbclief. TER CONSTITUTION.17. Resolved. That the principie and paramount object of liujnan law being to establish jusiice betwccn man nrd man, so that cvery man phall be protccted in the enjoyment of nl! thnt is justly his, it is absurd and impossiblo to legalizo a relat ion by forcé of wbich one nmn takfis awny nvery thing, alienable and inalienable, which belongs to another, andnppropriates it to himíelf. 18. Resolved, Thot t!ie interpretation of any legnl instrument, we are not at liberty, if consistcntly with the laws of langauge we can nvoid so doingr, to put a cons'ruction npon uuy par, wliicli makes it absurd, unjust in itself, or coniradictory to the purpose of the instrument; therefbre we cnrnot interpret the Conetitution of the United States as giving any countennnce whatever to slavery, inasmuch as it contnins no clause which by neeessary construct ion binds any one to do any aci in favor of the claim of the stoveholder, while it contains clauses which cannot be mointtiined in force, without resulting in the abolición of elnvery. the act or 1703. 10. Resolvrd, That the act of Congress of 1793, in it9 provisión for orrestiny per8íníl Without a regular warrant, is unconstitutional as rel.atcs to any person, as if appütd to the case of fugitivo sla vee, is unconstitiitionsl in all lts provisión?, and onght to bo so adjudged by every judicial tribunal whatever. TUK ANTI-SLAVKRT PRESS. 20. Resolved, Trnt in the present s-ateofiheantislavciy enterprisn, tho most efficiënt instrunientnltty that rnn be emplnypd in eiw Iijrliieniíiíí and reformiög public sentiment on tho subject of' slnvery, ia iho antislnvery prcee, an t!:r.t il iá llie iniperntive duty of Liberty men to extend the circnlation of newspapers devotcd lo t!ic librty canse. O.VSItJS SI. CI.AT. 21. lies'tlwd, That we tender to ('nasiiis M. Clny. ofKentUcky, onr warmest sympnthy in his trials, our heurfiest npprobation of lus intrepid ond independent spirit, and our best wihos for his restorntion t hcaltli; thnt we mjoice io learii that lie is preparing to resume bis noble efforts ig tlic cause o1' the oppresspd; nnd that, olUiough on some pointe:, ond in some particular} lie lias not adopted inie nntislavery doctrines or ndvocntrd tho ciiiiie of Human riphtP in the way we deem most proper and eflfectnnl for the advancnont hn canso, yet we síkiII redice in the renewol of his luburs and in thé arcompli.-liment of hid anlent wishes for the (elivernuc? of his Statemu] the patina from tlie curse unil disfrace of America elavery. sorní CAnoMrtA. 25. Iit-sol.cd, Tliut we fi'd n virtuon- inilÍL'n:itiin m the Irealmrnt of' n voneru blo ciíizon of this Stiiie by 'lio íorrisl-iti.re of Souh Carolina and The nhabilanls of CFwrlefton. wIipii "m ilmi Siale nnd city ob n public 8ent nnd defemW of citixrnsof MnPFnrhuscttsunc"nstltn'.ion;il!y imprisoneí', and at the sama time dcRp mortification thnt so m'ich npnthy is fi'It by t he peñple of this citv nnd Stnteat tlie perpetraiion of sucli nn indigniiy ngainst a re.-'ppcted ciiizen, and fiíich nn invasión of the righta of the pcople of this Couimonweal'h.