The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1839-11-09

: none," and between two evils choose the least,
I you would vote for this candidate, in case his ri
val were opposed to all the anti-savery measures
in other words, you wonld fall in with, and sustain
: this scheme Of partial justice. But in vain
would it be for you to search in Bible ethics for
justification of the policy of according their rights
10 one portion of men, and of conserving that the
rights of another portion be withheld. Who is
The ruler that consents to a denial Of my clear,
natural, essential and inaenable rights You
will not pretend that he is the Just and "righte-
Gus" man, that God requires, that you, therefore,
should require the ruler to be. But is his un-
righteousness toward me at all diminished by his
admission of the rights of another? Neither will
you pretend this. What is the ruler, in Gods
sight, who will deliberately consent to leave nno-
cent men in bondage that robs its subjects Of
every right, and even denies them the ownership
Of their limbs A monster of wickedness! 1t
is, of course, implied, that the candidate or mem
Der of Congress referred 10, is aware of the in
Justice and wickedness of slavery; for if it be
not, in the view of this injustice and wickedness,
that he adopts some of the anti-slavery measures
If he be entirely insensble to the moral charac
ter OF savery-you surely would not think him
entitled to the suffrage of his constituents. And
is the rulerin question any the less guilty because
he is willing to release some other portion of
his fellow men from their unrighteous thraldom
Surely his guilt in wrongng The one is in no wise
aeviated by his right doing towards another.
lfhe trust to his own righteousness and commit
iniquy, all his righteousness shall not not be re-
nembereG."
You are political partizan-and this accounts
Tor the fact that man of your excellence of head
and heart, should continue so blind to truth and
duty on the anti-savery question. Like other po-
litical parlzans, you overrate the moral worth of
your party and entertain expectations which no
political party will ever fulfil.
You doubtless believe that the Wing party,
should it come to be in the ascendant, would abo-
ish American slavery But how vain to hope
that either that, or the rival party, will ever be
found capable of such fearless, self-denying JUS
tice! Do you suppose that our political parties
have more honesty, more fidelity to principle, than
characterizes the American church2 But you
know, that this church is too time-serving and
corrupt to espouse the antslavery enterprise.
You know that American Christianity instead of
performing the offices of Bible Christianity and
with the oppressed, is actually the
wicked ally and base tool of the oppressor, and {
constitutes the grand pillar of American slavery.
Would you, my dear sir, have clear abolition
vision? You can have it. But YOU must first be c
,ruciGed to political party, and cease to hope that
II VIII ever eXnlDu one partlcle OF honesty III any
IF the great contests between the principles of
heaven and the corruptions ofearth. "Then shall +
by light rise in obscurty, land thy darkness be as
he noon day." L
You know that have not written this letter 10 r
wound your feelings. You know that to rebule
| brother for the sin that's upon him, is amongst
he highest evidences of true friendship My
'hef motive however for writing you is to be found
n my love of the slave. The influence you are :,
sXertng on his dear cause is most disastrous; and
ust so far as abolitionists are brought under this
should all rational hope expire, that A
nerican slavery will die bloodless, peaceful,spee-
ly death 1t will be only when abotionists shall
ome 10 regard it as absurd and as wicked TO rote
or American slavery, as TO talk, acrite print, or
'ray for it. that this giant wckedness shall cease
o live. 1t will be only when we shall invite the c
blessing of Heaven on such consistency and self a
Ienial, that God will crown the ant-savery en-
erpriza with triumph. il
| remain d
Your friend and brother n
GERRIT SMITH.
|