Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1843-05-05
RWB PRINSS
PACIFTCUS:
N umber 4.


=, Ma. Eriroa: proceed 10 nolice, briefly, sor,e O
sne instances in which the people Of the free State
nave been involved in the disgrace of slavery II
my nrst number alluded to the UNANIMOUS declarn
uon ny .nese states oil the seTsridem truth, THAI
NAE 10 BORN FACE, Asp IS ENDOWED by HIS cRrAro,
WITH THE isAtfENApLx RIaHr OF LIFE LIBERTY AMI
THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS Every act of Fedora
Government, which denie, to our fellow men thes,
,,gnts, exh'oi's 70 the world an Inconsistency, anc
renoers us oonoxlsis to the charge Of hypocrisy
4 I've nrst act Of gross inconsistency on the part o.
me redefal Government, was the act of Congress
SppI9yoi Z7th February, 1901 by which slavery anc
are now supported in the District of Columbia Tn.
der that law, the people of the free States have oI
forty years been involved in the disgrace of the slave
uade which during that period, has been carried on
In the city of Washington
AT an carly day was found that the slaves Of the
south escaped to the British West India rlands, ia
Mexico, and 10 Canada Our Go,ernrncn, cspouscl
The cause OF the Shareholders and ,rcpoJ n CORES
fonlencc with 6rea, Griain and Mexico IN order TO
OBTAIN an arrangement with those governments for
the return of such slaves thus endcavoring to make
The Federal Government and the free States the pro-
tecors Of slavery, and holding out TO the world tina,
II was national institution, IN pa pa5lc violation OF
the constitution, and " every dictate OF iuscc In
1885 the people OF Florida sent representation TO
General Jackson that the slaves OF ihn, Territory,
nnd OF the adjoining States were IN the hab,. NJ Zoo.
ing from their masters and taking refuge v.iqh the
Seminole Indians. Our troops, paid by the Federal
Government in money draw Rom the people of the
Ecr'h, were ordered there, ahd literally made
IKE csehpoes; thus maxim, the capture Of fugitive
slaves the business Of the nation and involving the
people OF the free States in its disgrace mentioned
IN former nam5cr the fact that, by order of the War
Department. sunhoa, went up the hpalachcoia riv.
er tIr the purpose of destroying fort whc!. tnr-
tive slaves had tnken refuge, and tina. $50 hundred
and seventy human beings were murdered in cold
blood by the agents OF our Government paid by the
ftoeman OF the north.
In this extraordinary transaction cur pco,,e of ,he
free States were involved in the disgrace Of murder
ing fn gi,ire si1res.
The Efforts which our Government np i,r,h 10 OBJ
tam indemnify for the Owners of snvcs " no ESCAPED
10 the British army during the late war led thu, ma.
ton, ana the civilized void TO believe that slavery
was national institution, sustained hy the free
States ms well as the slave States nnd sc were CON
sequcnty involved IN nj! the odum Of slavery. The
exer,lons Of our Government prevent the abolition
OF slavery IN Cuba and thus to stop the progress of
human liberty, involved tie people of the free States
III all the disgrace attached 10 hat extraordinary tran
eactlon. The spirited manner IN which our Govern.
ment espoused the cause Of The slave dealers, who
owned the cargoes of the Comet and Encomun,
brought upon the people Of the free States all the 10.
noIniny attached 10 the supporters of the slave trade
But the honor Of the free States has suffered most
deeply from the restraints placed upon our people hy
the force of public sentiment among ourselves This
state Of public opinion originated IN the patriotism OF
tho northern States Prior Ia the formation of our
Constitution, our people felt the absolute necessity of
9 con!ederated Government with more ample powers
ihan existed under tie old contcderator To obtain
tins, they were ready ami willing to iia sncr fees
Georgia and South Carolina would " adopt the Con-
stuion, unless they were permitted TO follow the
slave trade for twenty years. 70 this TIE nor;heln
States reluctantly consented IN order to hrng them
INTO the Union. The north also conscntct, TO permit
the souh to be represented in Congress proportion
10 the number % their slaves, and TO pursue their fiji
Ere stves INTO the free States and arrest and carry
them back. These concessions were sacrifices of
northern sentiments and northern interests made for
the purpose OF obtaining more efficient government
OF our country. In this manner the Constitution was
purchased by the free States. Since the adopon cf
the Constitution, wc have been Instantly called on
to make further sacrifices TO purchase its continuance,
Thus, in 1920. the slave States demanded an extern
sion of the saveholdng influence, BY the admission
Of Missouri as slave State in order 10 check them.
creasinc pcponderenre Of the free States. The free
States objected The south threatened an immediate
dissolution Of the Unlon unless their demands were
complied with. The north submitted for the purpose
OF preserving The Union. The sacrifice was declared
an act Of patriotism, and an example worthy to he
initiated by statesmen and poucians In 1888 South
carolina demand surren Ter Of the tariff, and dis.
nctly Informed us, that, unless her demands were
compiled WITH she woEd dissolve the Union. The
statesmes Of the free States hesia ed, ,rembled and
submitted The tariff was repealed and the interests
of the free States yielded up, in order to purchase
continuance Of he Union. Tie act is vet quoted by
some as an example Of PATRIOTISM on the part of the
free States. Our press our STATE snan and politicians
treated il as such and our people were thus led 10
believe tla the sacrifice ofnorthern rights to the in
terests Of the slave States was in fact, duty and
virtue.
Whenever the interests Of the north and the south
came IN conflict, southern members We're, for more
than quarter of century, the hah, of threaten
ing ga dissolution Of the Union" as the most eiirc-
tual argument in favor Of their measures; and it sell
dom failed 10 convince their opponents, This prac-
tice became common, that dic,aton appears 10
have been regarded the right of the SOUTH and SUD
mission was looked upon as the duty of the north.
This feeling prevailed so long, and to such extent
that any deviation from the accustomed submission
was regarded as suspicious.
In circles Al home the agitation Of any question
which embraced the institution Of slavery, the slave
trade usually denounced abolition; and
withou, further examination, regarded dishon-
Orable to him who proposed II. Our public men be-
came unwilling 10 raise any question that should ar
feet slavery, lest hey should thereby jcopaldize their
political standing; and the public press discouraged
every attempt 10 assef, the rights Of the free States in
opposition t, tn interests of the siu,h, To support
slavery, it Is absolutely necessary ~ suppress all
knowledge of human nights among those held in bon.
dage.
To the suppression Of such knowledge our people
OF the free Suites became acccssarv Ia DOM this,
rights were lost SIGH, Of; we saw our mon
eY lkrn from our pockets and appropriated to the re-
capture. and even 10 the .natler OF fugitive slaves,
and were silent under the outrage The spiri, Of indie
pendence and honor Seemed 10 have Ned from our
people. We saw Prtsidcnts our Heads of De
partmcns; cur Speakers II the House of Rrpresaii-
natives, and of the Senate; our foiegn mnsteis;-
our ollces IN The army and navy mostly taken from
the slave States, and we meekly submitted to the
abuse We saw our respectful petitions TO Congress
treated with contempt; and our citizens, who dared
thus 10 approach Their servants were insul,ed and
abused by the snPerclIlous advocates Of slavery;-
while scarcely solitary voice was heard in defence
of !hen honor. Even such dared stand forth
in defence Of our rights and interests generally
CONDEMNED by the press, or "damnd with faint
praise" THIS was the point Of our lowest degreia-
ton. History will mark the commencement Of 1912
as he period Of he deepest humiliation Of the fec
Sta'es 1t was the time when the slave power ruled
triumphant and, un,rammecd by the Consultation
held the ireenen of The north in almost wiling sub
fiction lis dictates; when the rights the interests
and the honor of the free States regarded as of
little importance, except az means of promoting the
interests Of the slave Slaes AT this period, when al
hope of supporting the rights of the north appeared
about TO expire noel important, incident lransplred
in the House Of Representatives Of the United States
John Quincy Adams presented a petition TO dissolre
The Union say nothing in favor of this petit on it
was, however, request that Congress would cary
into effect the threats which, for twenty. five years.
had been put forth by southern statesmen. 1t was
request that those States, which had assumed to
themselves the control Of the Federal Government
might be left TO take of and protect ihemselv
The proposition horrife those who had 30 often
menanced US with the consequences now prayed for
by northern men.
The effect produced by this petition was mos, i'm
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