The Northern galaxy, and Middlebury people's press. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1843-1844, 1843-12-20

tirely safe. Sparta and Athens turned the
slaves by thousands into freedom with
safety, who fought bruvely for their com
mon country. During the Revolution
many emancipated slaves did good SER
vice in the cause of liberty. We learn
from Mr. Quincy and other sources to be
relied upon, that British West India
emancipation has been entirely successful
and productive of none of those evils
which were so peTiinaciously foretold by
interested pro slavery men. The Brit.
ish have regiments of black men who
make fine protectors, not enemies
of the empire. But above all rely moi
upon sound priori reasoning only, but
rather upon actual experience. There
are in the United States, by the last cen.
sus, 1856, 265 free blacks l70,75s of whom
are in the Free, the remainder in the Slave
States. There are also 2,485, l45 slaves
so that in fact about one-sixth OF the
whole black race in America are already
free No danger of evil consequence has
ensued from the residence of these 1885,
265 freed among us. Who then will be
so absurd as to contend that the Liberation
of the other five-sxths will endanger the
safety or happiness of the whites? L re-
peat then that emancipation is entirely safe.
/ Emancipation must either be by the
voluntary consent of the masters, or by
force of law. | regard voluntary eman-
cpation as the most probable, the most
desirable, and the most practicable. For
the slave-holding laud-ho!der would not be
. less rich in consequence, the enhancement
of the value of land would compensate
! for the loss in slaves. A comparison of
The price of lands Of equal quality in the
Free and Slave States will prove this con-
clusively. If, however by force of law
| the law having once sanctioned slaves as
proDerty,th great principle which is recog-
nized by all civilized governments, that
private property cannot be taken for pub
lie use without Just compensation-dic-
tates that slaves should not be liberated
without the consent of the masters, or
without paying an equivalent 10 the own
ers. 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 common veal
to bay up the lands for redistribution or
culture in common how should the tax
be laid OF course upon lands, slaves and
personal property-in word, upon the
whole property Of the whole people. If,
on the other hand, it should nearly con-
Germ the safety and happiness Of society,
both the slave, holder and the non-slave
holder, that slaves should be taken and
emancipated, then by the same Legitimate
course Of reasoning the whole property 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 Slavery wherever she has jur;sdic-
tion-jn the military places. in the terrific
ries, and on the high seas, and in the Dis.
trict of COLUMBIA, if the contracts of ces.
sion with Virginia and Maryland allow
lay down the broad rule that Congress
should do no more for the pcrpetuation of
Slavery than she is specially bound to do.
The debates in the Federal Convex ton
prove that the Free States did not Intend
to assume 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 10
sustain the rights Of the South in slaves,
except only they are morally bound TO re
gard the contract with the South, and in
The construction Of that coz :pact, the pre-
in all cases of bit is in favor
of Liberty. On the cOn..d'y the United
States are morally bound by all means
consistent with the Constitution TO extin.
guish Slavery. The word slave is not US
ed in the Constitution, because the prom.
ises 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 charter
Of Human Liberty. | cannot agree that
there is any law superior to that of the
Federal Constitution. 1t is the part of
Christians to model human laws after the
Divine code, but the law in the present
state of light from on High, must be par
amount TO the Bible itself. If any other
practice should prevail, the confusion Of re-
ligious interpretations Of the Divine Will
would be endless and insufierable. In
country where Jews, Christians and Inf
dels,and Doists and Catholics and Profess
tants.and Fourierists and Mormonites and
Mlllerltes and Shakers. all are concentrat-
cd into one notion, it would be subversive |
of all governmental action that each sect |
should set up a Divine code rs each un-
derstan1s il" superior TO the Constitution
ITSELF If case ever arises where con-
science dictates different doctrne--that
the penalty of the law is rather to be borne
than its prescriptions obeyed-then also !
there arises AT the same time a case where !
the sufferer must look to God only for ap |
probation and s,Istainmcnt-he has passed i
from all appeal TO mankind.
| dissent, then, from the ultra anti slave.
ry and the ultra pro-slavery men. can
not join the North in the violation of the
constitutional cannot stand by the South |
IN asking the moral sanction of the North:
nor do | regard il as breach of the con.
stitutional compact that she should seek a