The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1839-11-30
From the Emancipation.
Mr.. Birney's Emancipation Act Examine,

have noticed, of late, in some of the public
journals among them the Vermont Chronicle
and the New Haven Record, extracts from which
were republished in the last Emancipator-s some
thing of a controversy on the question, whether
Mr.. Birney in receiving his late fathers slaves,
with view to their immediate emancipation did
not make himself a Shareholder and depart from
the principles of the Anti-Slavery Society.
) This controversy reminds me of another-part
and parcel of the present-not less important,
which we had TO engage in at an early stage of
the anti-slavery movement with some of our pug:
nacious opponents, VINO seemed chiefly to value
themselves for their skill in hair-sptting Thew
brought us up compleely-at least so they
thought-on the word, immediate" as applied
TO the aohen Of emancipation. I" What !"-sad
learned gentleman, since made d. D. by pro:
slavery college, in debate" do you allow ofnoth-
ing preParative for the act of emancipation
suppose, then, if should find my OK fallen into
a ditch, and it should become my DUTY, as 1t is, to
extrcate him, you would have me do it izanqedi-
ately-no allowing even time enough to run as
fast as my legs would carry me to the house for
a rope to haul him out with 2" The argument
contained in this ilIustration-and 10 be found in
the thousand and one illustrations equally peril.
nent and conclusive, which our sagacious adver-
sarcs keep always on hand ready for use-hac
been deemed by them, up to the presen, day, IN.
answered and unanswerabe. YET strange to
tell, the controversy has passed away and although
they remain, as they think in possession of the
ground the whole country-at least all the sober,
sensible part of it-agree with the aboliGonists,
and perfectly understand what is meant by innme.
date emancipation. So, in all LIKELIHOOD it will
be with the controversy now on hand.
10 what have read on the affirmative side of
the qestion about Mr.. Birneys conduct there is
much that is Observation-Disclosures
The conclusion to which the writers affect them;
selves, to be brought, is rather an independent as.
serton, than the Legitimate consequence Of their
premises. Their obscure views are owing, think,
to nistake-a fundamental one-ino which
they have fallen. They consider slaveApzding as
something paSSive-aad not as an uninterrupted
seres-a continuous succession of acts of force;
either real or constructive by which he slavehold-
er maintains his usurpation. Now the slavehold-
err must do to the slave what may be necessary to
hold him in bonds=@or, he must inspire him with
dread, that he icW do it, if the slave ohte move
toward assuming any of his rghts-now merged
in his serviIe condition, or, appropriated by the
'aveholder himself If one or the Other of these
things be not effected by the slavehoder-there
being neither actual force, nor the apprehensions
ofH, to prevent-the slave, of consequence, be:
comes free, and may walk abroad and do for him.
SELF
With this principle to guide us,a very brlefstate:
ment will serve, if mistake not to dispel the mist
which has gathered about The minds of The ohiec:
tors.
Let US suppose, that A. migrates to Kentucky
where there exists law empowering all of his
complexion 10 use acts OF force adequate 10 the en-:
slavement of such of the inhabitants as are of a.
different complexion; that, using the white mans
perogative, A. possesses himself of some twenty
or more ofthem and dies misunderstanding 1--WE
will suppose in order to avoid confusioh,} but one
heir at law, B., who resides in New York.
Let US fix the precise state into which the
slaves fall at the decease of A. If the Law
made no provision, as to who might occupy the
place Of force in relation to the slaves, now va
would Of course, go free, there being
no one to prevent it, But the law does make
provision; it confers it mot on B. by name. butt
on the heir at La,c, whomsoever, on dae inquiry
he may turn out TO be. In the interval between
the decease Of A. and the completing of this in
curry instituted by the law, the State regards and
retains the slaves as Sl0reS and would continue
10 do so, if B., before he was ascertaind to be
the heir a. law, or afterwaFds, should declare, he
would not move in the matter any way. 1t is
the STATE, them that potentially holds the slaves
in the interval between the decease OF A. and the
Identification of the heir at law ;-whoever does
it actually is but its agent The State does this
for two reasons: 1t assists in keeping her "sqs:
tenn" compact, by preventing the Introduction of
a distributing force; and she has contingent
interest in the property TO accrue or the no,auser
Of it by B;-for should be- after his identity as
heir at law has been duly established, persist in
not exercising a masters control over the slaves;
they may be apprehended, as going at large a.
gainst the aw-or taken up as "Runaways" by
the first white man whom they meet-cast into
jail-and eventually IN form, sold To some one who
loW exercise the masters contro-the price paid
for Them going, in SOME way, to the public:
1.-THE State of Kenthcky disaowed altogether
to her cilizens-ds some Of the slveholding states
do-the right to emancpate, she might be consid.
cred as, in effect, thus addressing B. on his being
ascertained to be heir at law: Either yoi. MUST
come into The place O. force Which am rea4y I'd
relinqui@ to you, or I the State) ,ciU CONTINUE
in IT," The only reply which b., with good con.
science as one opposed to slavery, could make,
would be wholly to reject the proposition
letting the iniquity rest on the actual perpetrators.
But the CONSTITUTION Of Kentucky secures TO the
citizens the right to emancipa,e; laws have been