Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1844-06-26
CONTROVERSY.
From tie IHcstera Republican.
no TIE REV. LUTHER LEE.

" =
Rep. SRI addressed you "a card on
the 22d oflasi January informing you that
/ would pay my respeclsto to you I'm due
,;me. That iimc has now arrived, and
that promise l am now about 10 fulfil.
But in redeeming my pledge | may not be
altogether as respectful as hatlery would
dictate. or as YOU or your admirers might
possibly require. The respec, however
which / intended to pay you is the hon.
age of TRUTH; and if, in drawing your
picture you dislike the portrait, You must
blame the originai--not the painter.
When YOU seeded from the Methodist
Episcopal Church youhad right to. pub
li,h, if YOU thought proper 10 do So, your
1easous for your 'swi,hdrawal," ;" but in'he
exercise of your ecclesiastical rights you
had no right 10 assail The ciuiEinstitu,ions
of the Southern SIales,> or TO trespass on
the RIGHTS of4ohers. Your attack then
nnou Southern Institutions was perfectly
gratui,ous, ,apd yourcharges against South
ern- men were NOT only unjusli6able but
they were false. Had you cdofned your
sell, in assigning your reasons forsws'h-
drawing from ihe church, 10 what were
YOUR legitimate rights, perhaps5po South
ern man would have thought OF noticing
the production Of your pen. But as your
article contained false and scandalous char
ses against slave holders, representing
them 10 be guilty of crimes "worse than
horse stealing. gambling or whoredom," /"
a moments reflection might have taught
YOU these charges were TOO gross TO be lis
iened 10 in silence; and too deeply affected
the characters Of the living aud the dead 10
be passed over without rebuke. Pursu-
ing the mldesl course which presented it,
sef,o my mind, /, as one Of those whom
YOU had thus grossly assaied, proposed TO
offer you my views on the subject of do
mestic slavery. if you would admit my
conmupicaions into your paper; IN which
I, in common with others, had been so vi
oleplIy assailed. In this way | hoped 10
be able TO correct the errors into which
YOU had lallen. and consequently roll away
from slave holders the charges and re-
proaches which you had beaped upon
ihem. -.
To one who admitted The possibility OF
his being mistaken concerning a subject
which he never had an opportunity of in
vesliga,ing-toa heart. generous. jus, and
kind. who would not wantonly sport with
the feelings OF bis fellow man, or unneces.
sarly assailthe reputation Of a neishbor--
TO a christian who would not on slight
evidence, much less on no evidence al all,
propagate an opinion against his fellow
christian, deroaa,ory TO the christian char
acter-bnt above alto the minister Of The
gospel Of Jesus Christ who would dread
TO violate any oft sacred precepts, such
nm overture would have been acceptable
and oy snch would have been received
with promptitude and pleasure. But how
wasmy proposition met. aud in what man.
ner was my application treated, A briei
review of YOUR conduct in the premises
shall constitute reply.
After publishing slave holders OF whom
am one, as being guilty of the bases1
crimes, you refused to admit my defence
in,o your paper, unless l would engage
to have your arguments as extensively CIR
culated among slave holders, through the
medium of some southern paper, as my ar.
guments would be circulated among abo.
}i,ionists through The medium Of the True
Wesleyan. Aud was this proposition Just?
If YOU think il was, your goddess wears nc
bandage over her eyes, nor does she hold
in her hand an even balance. I'VE incline
the balance as elfectualy by lesseniug The
weight 10 one scale as by increasing j; il
the other" You first preferred scanda
ious charges agains. me, and then deniet
me The right OF defending myself, IA righ
held sacred by Hea,hen, Jewish & Chris
tian Law, unless would engage to com
ply with condition with which you kneN