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Moral And Political Action

Moral And Political Action image
Parent Issue
Day
12
Month
January
Year
1842
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Exery act, voluntariiy perfurmed by a moral agent, is amoral oclion, w heiher it be voting or lecturing agaiiist rum and slavery. Those who make a disünction between moral and polilical action, doubtless understand by moral action that kind of action which influetices the mind by means of arguments and motives addressed lo the understanding and conscience, nd in this sensc there is no differeneo etveen moral and political action. Vo ing and legislating upon the subject of rum nd slavery are called political action, vhile lecturing, passing resolulions, and rinting books and news papers, are called moral action. Now, with us, nolliing i more plain than that this dislinction exits nly in imagination. A few illustraüons vill show this. Suppose we meet in a ;reat convention, and p.s? resolutions gainst rum and slavery, and say that no nan is fit to make laws who will not log slate against them; this is good, moral ction, because it is ntendcd to iniluence ïen's minds,but wherein is it less moral the same persons deposite their vote9 in ie ballot box, withholdingsnid vo es fiom ertain candidates because they will not egislate agaiust rum nnd slavery, and iviog them to certain other candidates )ecause they will legislate against rum nd slavery ? At the last Presidcntial elcc onthere were seven thonsand antislavery otes cast. Now, suppose these seven jousand men had assembled in seventy iffereut convcnlions, at different pointj f the country, and passed resolutions that Vm.ll. Harrison and John Tyler were et fil to rule over this nation in conse uence of their proslavery principie?, it would have been good moral action ;but ve are unable to see why it was any less moral, when they gave the same votes hrough the ballot box. Would it have een saying that slavery is wrong to have )assed such resolutions inconventions? - t was no less gaying so when they gHve ie samo votes at tUe election.