The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1839-06-29
THE WOIULS OF R1aSRD0EEo
For the Voice of Freedom

terly Meeting OF Friends, committee OF men anC
women were appointed on the question of Slave
ny, &C., which reported to the spring session Of
that meeting as follows-an abstract of which
was accepted by the said meeting -
The Joint committee of men and women, Friends
appointed by the last quarterly meeting to inquire
whether any and what action this meeting can
take on the subject of slavery and the condition
Of the free people of color,
REPORT
That they have paid attention to their appoint
ment, and submit the following draft of a minute
which they propose to be forwarded to our next
yearly meeting to be held in New York.
This meeting has been again introduced into
near sympathy with that portion of our colored
brethren who are in bonds, and cordially unites
in the belief expressed in the address issued by
the yearly meeting in 1887, on this deeply i'm
portant subject" that it is the solemn duty OF
christians to do all in their power to ameliorate
the condition of mankind"
We desire to stand aloof from those movements
of the day which are exclusively of a political
character; we would not participate with those
who are chasing phantom of their own minds
which can never be realzed-neither would we
bs lulled into satisfaction with past efforts by the
encomiums of distinguished statesman. We
would still shrink from offering an apology to the
dealers in the living blood and muscles of their
tellow-creatures, for our confirmed opposition to
THAR pofa i'll,
hold our efforts in the cause of humanity howev-
er feeble they may be regarded: and under a
deep sense of what is required of all, but more
especially of those who are making profession
of christianity we would raise our voices against
the intolerable injustice and SIN of slacery. We
do heartily accord in the belief that e" we should
prove faithless to the cause of our holy religion,
and to that Gracious Being who has so bountiful-
ly blessed us, were we to remain Silent so long
as the land mourns under the enormous load of
guilt consequent on slavery.
On taking view of the struggle now pending
between the advocates of this loathsome stain up
on our national character on the one hand, and of
those who are zealously engaged in promoting its
abolition on the other, we have been led into this
inquiry-Do not we, while we protest against the
system as iniquitous, virtually give our counte-
nance to its advocates and our support to the
Shareholder, in as much as we partake of the fruits
OF slavery, as often as we use or deal in the pro-
duce of the unpaid labour of the slave? And
what will our lamentations avail him that is spoil
ed, so long as we submit to join hands with the
spoiler? Do we maintain our requisite consisten-
cy when we suffer the profits of trade or our per-
sona convenience to induce us to touch the un-
clean thing?
We would advert to the time when our Bene.
zets and Woolmans could fearlessly, in their scru-
pulous abstinence from the use of the productions
Of slavery, in strict conformity with their decara-
tons, bear convincing testimony to their own
strict fahfuness in their exertons for the saugh-
? sred and the manned; but fear has rested on
5dr minds that custom, and an earnest pursuit Of
the world and its enticing enjoyments have so far
blunted our tenderness for the slave, that the
question of propriety seldom occurs to us as we
handle the spoils of oppression Can we say that
we have wiped clean our own hands of the desc
lating SIM so long as we contribute to that patron
age of the STAKEHOLDER which will ever be one of
his greatest inducements to continue in his I'M
haowed avocaton? Let foreign and domestic
patronage be Withdrawn; let the demand for the
produce of slave labor be wholly suspended
the consequent abolition of slavery will be the
inevitable result, as certain as that demand Gre
ates supply in any other department of the COM
mercal world. But as long as we attempt to
measure the prudential character of an enterprise
by the degree of personal ease that it promises to
its yotaries, SO long may we remain blind to du-
ties which would otherwise be selfeyident and IT.
resistibly ours.
We conceive that the tenor of our discipline is
clearly and unequivocally against our being par
takers with those who subsist on the fruits of vi
olence; and as we cannot, consistently with our
testimony against war, share in the spoils of war
SO neither can we, consistently with our testimo-
ny against oppression, share in the spos of OPP
preston.