The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1839-06-01
gElz!lS V@IOls OF E1BE1BD@NIo
From the Emancipator.
SPEECHES AT THE ANNIVERSARY.

furnished bv himself and the others from the re-
porers ofthe New York Observer and Evangelist,
Correcting each by the other, and by own brief
notes.
GERRTT SMITH.
GERRrr SMITH, Esq of Peterborough, N. Y, in
moving the acceptance and printing ofthe report,
expressed his hope that when printed, the report,
with all the important statements and convincing
arguments it contained, might reach every portion
of our country. God, he said, would bless these
truths, and would give them efficacy on the minds
of men, in spite of the spurious religion and spur
Gus republicapism which curse our land. ~
MR.. RANKIN.
Rev. JOHN RANKIN of Ohio, seconded the mo-
ton. He said he had been brought up in the
midst Of slavery, and now lives the borders Of
free State, where he was every hour looking over
upon the land of oppression. All my life, said he,
except seventeen years. has been spent in the slave
States, and no person has more kindly feelings to-
wards the slaveholdng States than myself There
my friends and kindred dwell | speak the Ian
guage of kindness, and would do the utmost in
my power to persuade them to put away an evil
which threatens their destruction. | must say |
rejoice in the triumph of the principles of inme-
diate emancipation, because | know, from long
observation, it is the only thing that can relieve
both master and slave from inevitable ruin. The
system of saveholding is calculated to bring ruin
upon the country where it is tolerated and
speak the language of the South when they speak
candidly. Twas member of an Anti-Slavery So
ciety iii Kentucky, twenty years ago, on the same
PRINCIPE as this. The doctrine of immediate
emancipation is said to be new; but societies were
formed all over the country, twenty years ago, aud
many members advocated the same doctrine. The
shareholders confessed that it system that
br;n Tho hut hon
asked why they did not abolish it, they would
say, like Hezckiah of DID, d" it will not come now
we shall have peace in our day." Others said
thew believed, arM tie assistance Of the free States.
they could hold them forever. Yet we ale told,
the free States have nothing to do with the subject.
Shareholders have told me, if separated from the
free States, they would be in the hands of the
slaves entirely.
We feel the hand of oppression not only upon
the slave, but upon ourselves. Where live, my
soul is narrowed continually with the cruel,ies
committed in sight Of my house. where slavery ex-
lists in its mildest form. There, slavery has some
times caused our town TO go i'll mourning. Here,
he related the case of slave lerryman, who was
suddenly and without warning or PREPARATION sold
for $3.50, by his MASTER to go down the river" al
ter having agreed to set him free, and the money
had been raised for the purpose, because an oppor
tunity of getting 5000 more, so that he was sep
arated from his wife and children The details
of the case have been already published.] While
continue to be husband and father must
stand up and protest against this evil.
Laws have been passed in Ohio, imposing a
fine of $500, or imprisonment on any person who
shall knowingly assist slave to escape. There
was an aged mother who had been brought up in the
PRESBYTERIAN church, and WHO sustained an unbem-
iShed Christian character for twenty years, who fell
into the hands others who, it is said, wished to lib
crate her. but the guardians determined to sell
her, old as she was into the cruel slavery of the
South. She was obliged to fly. Now suppose !
this sister in the church had come to me, and
had assisted her to flee from her cruel prosecutors,
the State would have fined me $500 or sent me
to prison. Yet, l. as a minister of Christ should
only have been doing what Is enjo joined by the gos-
pei preach. | am forbidden to do an act of char
ity-I am commanded to do the very thing which
the Bible forbids to do--to deliver the fugitive
servant to his master. | should be bound to take
this sister into my house if she there; and
vet such is the erontery of slavery, that they have
come over and demanded that we, who assist our
brethren according to the acquisitions of Gods
word shall suffer bonds and imprisonment. can
not therefore, but rejoice in the success of this
Society and it shall have my prayers day and
night.
REV. LUTHER LEES SPEECH,
Resolved, mat the system VI aherlCoh el"-
yery usurps the prerogatives of God, tends to blot
the divine image from the soul Of man, degrades
him from the dignifed rank his Maker gave him
In the scale of creation and subverts all the So
cial relations which God and nature have made
essential to his earthly allotment"
Mr. President, were to attempt to give brlel
but comprehensive view Of the sinfuness of sla-
very, would do it in the words of ST. Paul to
Bar-Jesus, Thou full ofall subtlety and mischief,
thou child of the devil thou enemy of all right
eousness wilt thou not cease to pervert the right
ways Of the Lord 2 and then | would answer the
question in a thrilling and emphatic NO, that
would make every heart feel that slavery, bad as
it is, can be made no better. have it not in my
heart so much to undervalue the intelligence, NOR
al sense and humanity of this assembly as to
suppose that they pro-slavery in Judgment,
in heart, and in feeling, yet there is vast diff
ference between believing that slavery is wrong,
and seeing and feeling how great wrong it is,
trust it will not be considered breach of charity
to suppose that there may be many, within
the sound of nv voice, who have never consider