Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1837-07-31

Of misery and WOO in foreign lands--while, at the
same time, she has been utterly Indifferent to tho
still greater suderDgs Of her own children at homel
She has sent out armed forces to deliver the Poles
and the Greeks liOm the hand Of oppresson-.w while
at the same time, (more cruel than the ostrich that
leaves her young to grow or be crushed, as chance
may detcrmine,) she has crushed some Of her own
children, in the very streets of her glorious and dig
nhed city! She has sent, and is sending out mis-
sionafies to convert tho heather Of other countries
to christianity has expended millions Of dollars in
spreading the knowledge Of the gospel Of peace
that very gospel which enioins the doing unto all
men as we would that they should do unto us--and
at the same time has neglected he own heather at
her own doors Or, rather has fofcby withheld from
them the bible, and all other outward means Of re-
hrous instruction No wonder that we as n ueo-
pie, have become a bywoid and reproach among
the nations! No wonder that our friends pity us x
filed with shame for us or that our enemies RI
dculc US and point the finger Of scorn.
But besides the condition Of the enslaved, s. our
national inconsistency hypocrisy & guilt, there arc
other considerations which ought to be taken into
our account IN estimating the character of slavery
Ofthesc, the misery to which the Shareholders are
themselves exposed from fearful apprehension Of
personal danger, is not the least.
That the Shareholders live in continual danger q
dread Of slave nsurrections is too well known 70
require any proof Nor we wonder that it is So
when reflect that the slave, as well as the mas,
ter, is MAN. The natural tendency Of Cypress on
u.s. to excite the part Of the oppressed the shirt
ofrevenge. Tho inherent love Of liberty, winch ma
ture has implanted IN tho human breast, may be
smoihe-cd, but ii can never be quenchcd: Sc hence
the tyrant never be safe, till he shall set his cap
tive free.
With respect to the sin of slavehodinp it were
hardly necessary for me to bestow passing remark
inasmuch as the proposition is self eydent,--had
not the advocates of slavery ut last sought refuge in
the Bible ehdeaYoring to maintain that saveholdinr
IS sanctioned by that holy BOOK. But there is no sin
more strongly testified against In tho scriptures of
truth, than the sin Of oppression as will be seen by
turning to few Of tho many passages they contain
which 60 to establish this point. Thou shalt nel-
thcr vex stranger nor Cypress hm'-'Yo shall not
Attic, any widow or fathcrlcss child. If thou aflct
them in any wise, and they cry at all unto me- will
surely hear their cry and my wrath shall wax hot
and will kill Won with the sword and your wives
shall be widows and your children fatherless Ex-
odus xxi, 81, 90 %, 24) Thus saith the Lord Let
my people 90, that they may serve me- Exodus viii
~ Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil
of your doings from before mine eyes cease to do
evil; learn to do well seek judgment, relieve the
oppressed, judge the latherless, plead for the widow
--(lsaiah j, l6, III Behold ye fast for strife and
debate, and TO smIte with the fist Of wickedness Is
1t such fast that have chosen day for man
to aiiiict his soul Is not this the fast that have
chosen to loose the bands Of wickedRess, to undo
the heavy burdens and to let the oppressed go free,
and that we break every yoke Is il not to deal thy
bread to the hungry and that thou bring the poo r
that are cast out, to thy house when thou seest the
naked, that thou cayer him and that thou hide not
myself from thine own flesh? If thou take away
from the midst office the yoke, the putting forth Of
the finger, and speaking vanity; and if thou draw
out tiny soul TO the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted
Souls then shall thy light rise in obscuriy, and thy
darkness be as the noonday'-(Gsaah yiii, A. 5, O. l.
9, lO) Thus hath the Lord of hosts sa d, Hew We
down trees, and cast mount against Jerusalem ;
tins IS the city to be visited she is wholly oppres-
sion in the midst Of her AS a fountain casteth out
her waters, SO she casteth out her wickedness vio-
lence and spoil is heard in her before continu.
ally IS grel and wounds. Be thou ms tructed q Je-
rusaem, est my soul depart from thee lest make
thee desoate, a land not inhabted'-( Jeremiah vi
6, T. s.) Woe unto you, Pharsees for ye 1.-THE
mint and rue and all manner ofherbs and pass over
judgment and the love of God these ought yo to
have done, and not to leave the other undonc 'Wo
unto you also, We lawyers for ~ lade with bur-
dens greVous to be borne and we yourselves touch
not the burdens with Of your fingers Luke xi
~, 46.) And SO might 90 on quoting passage aft
or passage but time will permit, nor is it noedul
that should, For nothing can be palmer than is
! the fact at glance that the Bible denounces all
oppression a sin. How fearully great, then, must
| be tho Shareholders guilt
| But the effect Of slavery upon the public morals
| remains yet to be noticed. While slavery debases
lis victims TO level with the brutes-places them
nearly at the mercy Of tyrants-subiecs them to in-
| expresslbe bodily hardships- Them nearly
| or quite to state Of brutal gnorance-and throws
| open before them door TO almost every species OF
| wickcdness-it, at the same time exerts upon the
| slave-holderS a mos, demoraizing influence. i
| puhs up the mind with prejudice against the color
ed Incorporates idlenoss, that nursery Of dss
patton and vce--fosers pride and self concelt-
| produces austerty and haughtness Of manners--
and hardens the heart. But the characteristic trai
in the MOI ais Of the South, is licentiousnegs. A.
malgamaton is carried 10 an enormous extent
as appears from multitude of authentic accounts
And what marvel that such is the fact, since slaves
of mixed color sell higher III market than the cleal
| black? Here IT is proper to obJerve that abolition
lists are accused Of seeking amalganate the races
| but the accusation is unfounded-l know not an alb
! orlonlst who desires amalgamaton. On the con
trary, aboioRists are seeking to do away amalga
nation. And believe, that if slavery Shout,
! be abolished 1t would remove nearly oil the temp
tations that lead to it. Moreover, the few instance
| Of amalgamation which might then occur, would b
! lawful and amalgamation of this character wer
| far better than that which is brutal.
But, to return, the system of slavery is in fac
calculated to nurse, in the slavehodng community
every propensity to evil. And, hence, the morals
| the South have become exceedingly corrupt. We
had 1t been for the people of the North, had the dc
morallzng influence Of slavery been circumscrbc,
by the boundaries of the slaveholdng states. Blu
unhappiy, it has extended even unto them. b
the means of social, political and religious inter
course between the people Of the North, and thos
Of tho South, the morals OF the free states hav
also become greatly deted. And hence, SLAYER,
instead OF being confined in is operation upon ia
morals Of the people to the limits Of the states il
which II exists, has contaminated in a greater o
less degree the morals of the people, throughout III
whole wide spread territory Of the United States.
We have now that slavery has rendere
the morals of tho people oorrupt but it will b
proper for us 10 prosecute inquiry little fur
thor, and examine some of the consequences wh,c
have resulted from, and are growing out o: thi
vltiated state Of the public morals Ono of thes
effects is The spirit Of domination, exercised by til
people Of the South in their treatment 10 each olhe
and 10 the people Of the North. Look at thei
conduct at Washington every winter during IA
session Of Congress-heir abuse of Norther
members, threats Of violence, sc. Who does nc
remember the iDsocnt treatment with which on
: Representative in Congress- Hon. William Slad
was assailed during 4 former session by Souther
member? Again, look at their frequent threats
separaLion. desenod 10 nwe Tho n nrlh inin hcnn