Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1838-08-08

Nh"HUlSc' LII pIOol VI lLlS, 4uOtS ltOtIl
tie Southern laws, that, Slaves shall be
deemed, sold, taken, reputed and adjudged
IN law to be chlLeLs personal, in the hands
OF their owners and possessors, and their
executors administrators and assigns, TO
all antentS constructions and purposes
loAatsoecer." TraIy, If ever men were
Migrant AMI undesirable robbers, and
that too, by their own showing, as law
yers say, then are Southern SHAREHOLDERS
such robbers.
Need | say more to make it plain, that
the Shareholder is, in truth and in fact,
robber? | meet man, aud he robs me
Of my money. The next man | meet
ro5s me of myself The last robbrr is
the sIavehoI1er.-and sure y the robbery
which he p3rpetrates, is as much more
than that which suffered in the first in
stance, as immortal. Go1llke man, is OF
more value than gIitterIng dust.
The pa nphIet before me takes the 2o,
<Iton. that " A portion, and obvlouSi y a
considerable portion too, Of the products
of plantation, does not belong TO the
slaves who work il, AMI does belong TO
its owner and manager. and when appro-
prated to his use, is not to be regarded as
the fruits of robbery, or oppression, or in
justice" This position, winch is taken
TO show that Shareholders may be honest
and suitable cont lbutors to the Lords
treasury, is utterly untenabIe. The whole
Of the products Of the sIavetiled plata
ton, and the plantation itself, belong, with
exceptions, 10 the slave. The wealth Of
the South, q except, of course, that which
is gotten by the honest toll of the Quaker,
aud some others,) is the fruit of the coeIc'
ed and unreQuit, labor of the slave, and
hence does it of right belong TO him ; and
not to the Southern freeman who disdains
labor, earns nothing, and ccnsumts, with
oul rtcOmpense, the earnings Of others.
Suppose that from the first recp}ing OF the
State Of Vermont, the dark haired persons
in it had refused to labor, and had COM
pvl!eI the Ight-haired persons in it to
cam tie subsistence Of both; and sup
pose further, that the former had lived
Iuxu,iou>IY, aud that The Latter had been
confined to coarse, sraut, and cheap pro-
vision for their primary Wanis-W hose, IN
this case, upon principles Of honest ard
equitable dealing, would be the wealth,
the fields and houses, of that state ? The
que lion is TOO plain TO admit of a doubt
iuI answer. And yet he, who believes,
that the negro is man and entitled to the
rights Of 4 man, can as readily answer
the question-to whom the wealth Of the
South belongs-as he can the other ques-
! ton. Revolutionary and startling, rs is
the doctrine, that the wealth of The South
does, in general belong to the present
generation Of her slaves, it is neverthe-
less true. What Of that wealth they have
not earned is righteous y theirs, in virtue
Of their being the descendants and heirs
of the laboring race Of the South.
Think yon, my dear sir, that they, of
whose sacrifice God expressed his abhor-
renee, because of their robberies, We're as
enormous robbers as Southern slavehold-
ers are ! There is not a man in New
England who believes it, How then can
your Board be wholly obedient to the
Lord, whilst it not onIy refuses 10 express
its adherence OF the Gifts, which slave
holders make to his treasury. but actually
courts and welcomes these gifts.
NV answer to the question, whether
| your Board should send collecting agents
! 10 the Sou,n, my be anticipated from what
have already said. If your Board were
TO deal faithfully with them, Shareholders
would not give to its treasury: and, again,
! they have nothing to give to it, Justice
precedes generosity, aud their first duty is
TO renIer justice to their pundertd 81 ives
The pamphlet you sent me says: one
important question TO be settled, on this
subject is. h010 much Of sin must be in
volved in the acquisition of a mans prop
ertv before we shlIl be bound to reject
, it?' But if | am right in my general
proposition, that God requires his ,reasu
ry to be kept open, then this is not qncs
lion to BE- settled. 1t has been shown thai
he has a more excellent way 10 shut ouI
! Improper gifts from his treasury than to
| depend on the filIibIe Discrimination OF
! lis keepers. admit that there may be
crses, in which this discrimination might
! BE- properly exercised: and have in the
first part of this letter, supposed "a case
! the case Of the thIet-in which it would
! be right to close the treasury Of the Lord
The question may here be put to NE
"but If the Shareholder be as clearly a
robber as you say he is, why should not
the Lords treasury be closed against the
gifts Of the South, as well as against the
gift of the thief in the case supposed p
answer because, in the first place, the peo
pie of the South are rot all shareholders
and because, in the second place, some
of the gifts Of the Shareholder, may, BY
possibility, consist of property honestly
acquired. For instance, a STAKEHOLDER
may labor day for his neighbor, and thu
wages he received might be as honesty
acquired money as ever passed into any
=