The Sun.
London, England, 1863-01-30 00:00:00

NEGRO EMANCIPATION.

A demonstration in favour of negro emancipation
was held last evening at Exeter-hall, under the aus-
pices of the Emancipation Society. The hall was
crammed iu every part, and hundreds of persons were
unable to obtain admission. The chair was taken by
Mr. William Evans, chairman-of the Emancipation
Society, who was supported bv Mr. P. A. Taylor,
M.P., Mr. Thomas Hughes, Mr. J. M. Ludlow, the
Hon. and Rev. Baptist Neal, the Rev. Newman Hall,
the Rev. W. Landells, and other gentlemen.
The CHAIRMAN, in introducing the business, said
the object of the conveners of that meeting was to
obtain an answer from that audience to this question
—whether the feeling against slavery was really
dead in this country. He believed that their pro-
ceedings would help to demonstrate the hollowness
of the pretence that in respect to the contest now
going on between the Northern and Southern States of
America the sympathies of Englishmen generally
were on the side of the oppressors of the negro.
(Cheers.)
Mr CHESSON, the honorary secretary, then read a
number of letters from gentlemen who concurred in
the object of the meeting, but wore unable to attend.
Among the writers were General Peyronet Thomp-
son (who sent £lO to the funds of the society, " as
the most rational way of contributing towards the
relief of Lancashire distress") ; Mr. W. E. Foster,
M.P. (whose excuse for his absence was that he had
to take the chair at a similar meeting the same even-
ing at Bradford) ; Professor I. E. Cairnes, of Dub-
lin ; Mr. John Stuart Mill, Colonel Salwey, and
Mr. W. Hargreaves (who believed " that Chris-
tianity embraces liberty, equality, and fraternity,
and abhors slavery, although the Beelzebub of the
press thinks otherwise.") A. communication was also
read from the Union and Emancipation Society of
Manchester affirming that the working classes of
that city "are untainted by the virus of pro-
slavery advocacy, and that the sympathy with Jef-
ferson Davis and his co-conspirators, which makes
so formidable an appearance in the columns of cer-
tain journals, is at best a colossus of brass with feet
of clay ;" and that " should our Government, under
pressure from the aristocratic sympathizers with
slavedom, attempt a premature recognition of the
projected Southern slave empire, it will arouse the
indignation of the working men of the north of
England."
The Rev. BAPTIST NOEL rose to move the first
resolution, viz. :

"That the revolt of the Southern States of America
against the Federal Government having avowedly originated
in the determination not only to maintain but to extend
slavery, and having been followed by the organisation of a
Confederacy based upon the denial of human rights to the
negro'race, this meeting indignantly repels the assumption
that the English people sympathise with a rebellion that thu
violates every principle of political justice, or with institu-
tions framed in defiance of the moral sense of civilised man-
kind, and which are an outrage upon the religion whose
sanction has been claimed in their support,"

In supporting this resolution the rev. gentleman
cited facts and arguments to show that if th
Southern people succeeded in gaining their indes
pendence they were not likely to emancipate thei r
slaves. All the official acts and declarations of the

leaders in the Secession proved slavery to be at the
bottom of their movement. Slavery was also the
avowed basis of their national life, and if that basis
went their national existence would go with it.
They maintained that slavery was a divine institu-
tion, that their material prosperity depended
upon it, and that if free the negro would not
work; so that they must themselves be re-
duced to pauperism. Moreover, these proud
oligarchs saw that, with their republican form of
government and the rapid increase of the black
race, they would before long be ruled by their own
slaves. With their views and principles, then, no
wonder if they would rather die than make the ex-
periment of emancipation. Freedom, they asserted,
would be the destruction of one of the races. Did
the Southern whites mean to immolate themselves P
With what bloody determination they would holC.
their human chattels was evident enough from the
sanguinary deeds which shocked us, as recounted
from week to week in the little intelligence which
reached us from Southern sources. At Charleston,
the other day, 19 negroes, for no other offence than
secreting arms in a graveyard, were hanged upon
the spot. At Murfreeeborough, again, the black,
unarmed teamsters of the Union army were
ruthlessly murdered in cold blood by the
Confederate cavaliers. The reverend gentleman,
in referring to these and other alleged atro-
cities on the part of the Confederates, was interrupted
by cries of " Butler !" and " M'Neil !" In rejoinder
he said that M'Neil was not an officer of the Federal
Government, and Mr. Lincoln, so far from sharing
these sanguinary tastes, when he heard of a single
rebel having been put to death, issued an order to
his generals to execute none without first commu-
nicating with him. President Davis's proclama-
tion declared that every captured negro soldier
should be banded over to the authorities of the State
in which he was taken, to be treated according to
their laws, or, in other words, to be executed. All
this evinced a preterhuman thirst for blood, and was
the inauguration of a murder policy. President
Davis pronounced Mr. Lincoln's proclamation to be
" a measure by which millions of human beings of
an inferior race are doomed to extermination."
(Shame.) What did that mean ? It did not mean
if they rose upon their masters. The negroes could not
do that if they wished ; it was impossible for such
unarmed men to rise where there were 500,000
hostile whites with rifles in their hands. They could
not rise except where the Federal troops had pene-
trated, and where those troops had come there was
no instance of violence having occurred. The lan-
guage of President Davis meant that if these slaves
attempted to fly they should all, men, women, and
children, be murdered by those whose powerful in-
tellects were linked with satanic energy. (Shame.)
Now, he and those who acted with him in that
room had been sneered at as being few, insigni-
ficant, and, in fact, mere "nobodies." (Laughter.)
He unaffectedly believed that that was true—(no,
no)—but he said that they were only the " pickets"
of a great emancipationist army scattered through-
out the country. (Cheers.) If these, then,
were their principles, let them carry them through
the length and breadth of the land. Let there
be everywhere such an echo of them that no man
in his senses could any longer pretend that England
was in favour of slavery. Let them proclaim in un-
mistakeable accents that they had no sympathy
with the oppressors of the black race—they were
for no alliance with the murder policy of Mr. Jef-
ferson Davis—for no Alabamas to prey upon the
peaceful commerce of the North in resurn for their
George Griswolds, sent out to feed our distressed
operatives—for no war with the United States for
the sake of slaveholders—no premature recognition
which led to war—no hostile mediation which led
to both—no recognition at all till they emancipated
—no jealous or spiteful wish to see the United
States dismembered, impoverished, and disgraced ;
that they were for emancipation and reunion—
(enthusiastic cheers)—that they gave all honour
to Mr. Lincoln, his Cabinet, his Congress, and
all anti-slaverymen of all parties ; that they
an
a speedy peace throu4h emancipation
reunion, and the mediation of France, England, and
Europe to promote both; that
slave-
were for
- the the
com-
pensation being granted to thetl lave
and, las y,that owners for
y were for
loss of their slaves;
England and America ever continuing friends and
allies in promoting
religion and liberty throughout
the world. (Loud cheers.)
Mr. nionlAs HUGHES, in seconding the resolu-
tion, said the question which was daily becoming
more distinctly visible in connection with the con-
test in America was, which is the side of freedom ?
That question had been answered lately on behalf
of the British people by the Times. (Hisses.)
The issue had been fairly taken up by that news-
paper. In an article published on the 19th inst. it
stated that Englishmen were deeply impressed
with the conviction that the cause in which the
South was gallantly defending itself against the
cruel mid desolating; invasion of the North was the
cause of freedom. (Hisses.) Now, did the voice
of the people of England really endorse that state-
ment ? (No, no.) The same journal taunted them
with being a few struggling obscurities. (Laugh-
ter.)' He accepted that designation frankly, though
that splendid meeting threw some doubt on its accu-