The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1843-11-30

tue IttleT3 He COulu HlniSell eHplulu iuUSl
better than another We shall not under
take it. AS he was in the Unled States
when the publication was made, and ha(
been for months before, it was obvious tina
he ought 10 have been consulted, ant
that he should not have been brought be
lore the public in that position, withou
his consent, given with the better oppor
tunities OF information which the Edto
of the Reporter knew he had enjoyed :
Had these facts been known 10 Mr.. SIade
however highly he may have thought o
the letter ITSELF he would not, of course
have had any agency in is further pub
lication." -
Your reference to my agency in the
publication of the letter has Induced me tc
ascertain from Mr. Tappan, the Editor o
the Reporter, the real facts in Fhc case
and 10 request that you will allow me a
space in your columns 10 stale them, anC
10 show that the exceeding pain" Of
Mr.. Perkins which you present SO prom.
inenlly, could not have been occasioned
by the publication of This letter, nor-as is
10 be inlerred from your arlcle-from a
change of the views expressed in it.
The letter was received on the All OF
June, l64l, and was, soon after, publish
ed in the Emancipator and some other pa
| pers. This was before the arrival OF Mr..
Perkins in The United States. The ap-
pearance Of the letter in the Reporter, to
which you refer, was republication,
under date of May, l943, two months af
ter Mr. Perkins had left the country. 1t
did not appear in any paper during his stay
here. The "pain'' of which you speak
could not therefore have been occasioned
by the publication in the Reporter, nor by
any publication while Mr.. Perkins was
10 the United States.
AS you are, of course, correct in say
ing That you "know" that Mr. Perkins
was exceedingly pained;' and as it
could not have been at the Republication
of his letter in the Reporter two months
after he LEFT the country, it may, perhaps,
be supposed that it was on account of its
original publication-involvlng a disap.
probation of the act Of publishing, by Mr..
Tappan. That Mr.. Perkins could not
have disapproved of the original pubica.
ton is manifest from the consideration tina,
The letter was evident written for publ
Gallon. This is apparent on its face. 1t
was addressed to Mr.. Tappan as "Treas-
urer OF the American and Foreign Anti.
Slavery Society,"" in reply 10 letter from
Mr.. L. transmitting the Constitution of
the Society, and requesting his scores.
pondence and prayers IN behalf of the Az.
@.SIacery cause in our country" in re-
ference 10 which request Mr.. Perkins
says" That cause has long had my
prayers la relation to correspondence,
it avails little what the obscure missionary
in distant exile may think or say respect.
ing evils that exist in his native country.
AS, however, the very circumstance ofthe
missionary's removal from the din and
camor of controversy, and the excite.
ment of interest or party, may tend to
qualify him. in some measure, to speak
candldly on exciting subjects, | conceive
there may be propriety, or at least, no
Improperly, in his calmly but frankly de.
clarlng his views on such subjects. And
therefore hesitate not to state, briefly, my
own views in this connection, on the sub
ject of antislavery." This is specimen
of the evidence furnished by the letter it,
self that its publication was intended.
But this is no. all. BY the favor of
Mr.. Tappan | have the original of Mr..
Perkins letter before me; at be close of
which fnd the following -" N. B.
Should you make use OF aug part of this
letter, use the whO!e ~ connection, that
may not be misunderstood. J. Pr
This is conclusive as to the intention.
All this is confirmed by the fact that
Mr.. Perkins has never, TO this day, so
much as minated 10 Mr.. Tappan any
disapprobation Of the publication.
What, theo, was the ground of the
pain" 10 which you refer? The i'm.
preston which your article is calculated TO
make, and which, think, it has made,
is, that the pain was connected with
change of Mr.. Perkins views concerning
slavery in the United States, and The zap
alhy" of the Churches in regard to i'll
This may be inferred to be your opinion,
from the fact that you speak OF his having
written his letter "under the impression
produced by reading al distance - and
hat, "Qfter spending gear IN extensive
intercourse Nth all classes Of persons in
he country, the impression made on his
mind by the appearance Of the letter was
IS above stated" And this is followed
by your reference 10 "lhe better oppor-
'umjties Of Information which he enjoyed
while here.
Now it is this, as think, mistaken i'm
preston in regard TO Mr.. Perkins, that | |
am, mainly anxious TO correct, because |
know how eagerly the apoIogists for slav.
cry and the neutrals' will seize on any
change of his opinions upon |
better opportunities of intormaton,' to
1isparage the Anli-Slavery cause.