Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1836-08-18
For the Telegraph.
COLONIZATION.

Lear DFOlucT
Isit indeed true that almost every slave
who receives his freedom is utterly opposed
10 the Colonization scheme, and decidedly
this known and understood by men who
have sustained the Colonization Society 3
Who then can continue to uphold the cause?
FRAZIER.
The above is from Baptist minister of
standing and influence among the Vermont
churches, who says, in communication &C
companying the above queries, 81 have re-
Gently read some things which have led me
to doubt the propriety of my course, in being
silent on the subject of slavery" If this
brother had taken the pains to read what
has from time to time, to our certain knowl
edge, been before him on the subject now
inquired into, he would long ago have help
ed himself to answer to his present ques-
tons. However, we will not chide him fur
Their, but most cordially extend to him the
hand Of fellowship, in the work OF preaching
a long neglected part of the gospel. One
after another of the Baptist ministers of
Vermont have vowed to preach the whole
Gospel, until those who refuse to open their
mouths for the dumb are left scattered few
Moreover, some Of these are beginning to
exhibit favorable symptoms, having of late
been heard occasionally to calculate pray
err This is encouraging. They will soon
be along. When it can of truth be said
Of man, "Behold he prayeth," it is in gen
eral safe to conclude that he has arrived at
the turning point, The scales will fall
from his eyes presently.
For the benefit Of those who may have
hitherto been inattentive, we here subjoin a
short answer to the foregoing questions.
Allow us to commence by asking some
others. What else could have been reason
ably expected but that manumitted slaves
should be unwilling to go to Africa? Why
should native Americans wish or be willing
to leave friends, relatives, home, the graves
Of their fathers, the atmosphere that is con-
genial to their lungs-in a word, everything
that binds an American to America-and
set his face towards an unknown wild, re-
ported sickly cline beyond the ocean p
Why, because he is oppressed and abused
here at home, is the ready answer, and the
only Que that can be given. But does this
make 1t out that he goes willingly? Ger
tainly not. 1t is choice of evils with him.
When combustibles have been thrown a
round my dwelling and fire get to them by a
band Of monsters who are now stirring up
the flames and tossing the blazing brands up
on my roof, because l escape with my own
life, dragging forth my little ones, my wife
forcibly detained to be consumed with my
earthly treasure or be sacrificed to lawless
lust, can it be said with any show of truth
that 60 willingly2 Perhaps those who
one minute ago answered that they might
be expected to go to Africa because they are
so crushed that they can never rise here
will now turn and deny that there is any
compulsion in the case. This would be
what we should term Colonization consis-
tency, of one piece with that which Mr.
Clay exhibits in that Society's tenth annual
report, where he says that ''of all classes Of
our population, the most vicious is that Of
the free colored;" and then in the same par
agraph, almost with the next breath, no,
twenty lines ahead, he declares that "every
emigrant to Africa is missionary, carrying
with him credentials in the holy cause Of
: civilization, religion and free institutions
C!D
But this is DEPRESSING little;-as the
answer was to be short, let Us now have the
facts. 1t has become matter Of history,
which is in the reach of every earnest in
quirer, that the colored people, bond and
free, from Maine to Georgia, so far as any,
} thing like fair expression Of their feelings
has ever been obtained, have as whole al
, ready manifested indomitable hostility &c
the whole scheme of African Colonization
There are now on our table resolutions from
twenty different associations of the free col
ored people in free and slave states, passed
from year to year, ever since the year that
e the Colonization Society came into exist
ence, praying against its influence, remon
, strating against its interference, and beg
giag to be delivered from its professed be-
nevolence. We have been acquainted with
considerable number of those who have il
divers ways escaped from slavery and d.
: not nowrecollect having seen one who would
e not prefer staying at home to going to Afri
Y ca. To this point the testimony of Mr. Biz
e ney and of all the other abolitionists from
e the slave states, agrees, as whole, most har
!, moniously. How long is it since M
Ad2Elro.r Il l.