The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1843-12-28

elsewhere that the slavery OF the blacks
in the modern, is more dangerous than
the slavery of the whites in the ancient
system then the intelligent slave was
Incorporated into the high caste of quon-
dam masters, an eternal safely.vaIve,
which yet did not save from explosions
emnentIy disastrous.
The negative Of the second proposition,
then, establishes the third, unless we avail
ourselves of the last-emancipation. II
my reasoning and facts be correct, there
is not sane mind 10 all The South who
would not agree with me. that il we can
be saved from the irsl named evils, by all
means emancipate. Emancipation IS en-,
hrely safe. Sparta and Athens turned
the slaves by thousands into freedom with
safety, who fought brave!y for their com.
mon country, During the Revolution
many emancipated slaves did good service
in the cause of liberty. We learn from
Mr.. Quincy and o.her sources to be re-
lied upon, that British Yves: India eman-
cIpation has been entirely successful, and
productive of none of those evils which
were so pertinaciously foretoId by inter.
ested pro-savery men. The British have
regiments of black men who make fine
soldiers --protectors, not enemies of the
empire. But above all [ rely not upon
sound q pr;ors reasoning only, but rather
upon actual experience. There are in
the United States, by the last census, $780,
265 free blacks; I70750 Of whom are in
the Free, the remainder in the Slave
States There are also 2,485, l45 slaves
so that ia fact about one-sixth of the
whole black race in America are already
free No danger or evil consequence
has ensued from the residence of these
3S626 freedmen among us. Who then
will be so absurd as to contend that the
Liberation of the other ive.sixths Will en-
danger the safety or the happiness of the
whites? Irepeat then that emancipation
IS entirely safe.
Emancip patton must either be by the
voluntary consent of the masters, or by
force of law. regard voluntary eman-
cipalion as the most probable. the most
desirable, and the most practicable. For
the s!ave-holding land-holder would not
be less rich in consequence, the enhance
ment of the value OF land would compen-
safe for the loss in slaves. A comparison
OF the price of lands of equal quality in
the Free ard Slave States will prove this
concusively. II, however, by force Of
av-the law having once sanctioned
slaves as property, the great principle
which is recognized by all civilized gov.
ernments, that private properly cannot be
taken for public use without just compen-
sation-dctates that slaves should not be
liberated without the consent of the mas
;ers, or without paying an equivalent TO
the owners. Under the sanction of law,
one man invests the proceeds of his labor
in slaves, another in land in the course
Of time it becomes necessary to the com.
mon veal 10 buy up the lands for redis-
tribution of culture in common-how
should the tax be laid! Of course upon
lands, slaves and personal propertv-in a
word, upon the whole property Of the
whole people. If, on the other hand, it |
should near y concern the safety and hap.
pness of society, both the Shareholder
and the nonslave holder, that slaves
should be taken and emancpated, then by
the same legitimate course of reasoning
the whole properly of the State should be
taxed for the purpose. If emancipation |
shall take place by force of law, shall it !
be BY the laws of the States or by the law
OF Congress? Let Congress abolish Slave
ry wherever she has jurisdiction-in the
military places, in the territories and on
the high seas, and in the District of Co
lumbia, if the contracts OF cession with |
Virginia and Maryland allow. lay |
down the broad rule that Congress should
do no more for The perpetuation Of Slavery |
than she is specially bound to do. The
debates in the Federal Convention prove
that the Free States did not intend 10 as
sumo the responsibilities of Slavery. In |
the language of Roger Sherman and
others, they could not acknowledge the
right of "property in men," There is
then no moral obligation in the Union to
sustain the rights of the South in slaves,
except only they are morally bound to
regard the contract with he South, and
in the construction of that compact, the |
presumption in all cases of doubt is in !
f,vor of Liberty. On the contrary the |
U. States are morally bound by all means
consistent with the Constitution 10 exin.
guish Slavery. The word slave is not
used in the Constitution, because the
promises of all the Southern members of
the Convention led to final emancipation, |
and a noble shame on all hands induced |
the expulsion of the word from the char
ter of Human Liberty. cannot agree
that here is any law superior 10 that OF
the Federal Constitution. II is the part
Of Christians to model human laws after
the Divine code, but the law in the pres.
ent state Of light from on High, must be
paramount to the Bible itself. II any