The northern galaxy. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1844-1848, 1845-09-23
THE GALAXY.
MIDDLEBURY. VT.
Tuesday, Sept %, 1916.
SLAVERYAND THE CHURCHES.

Methodist aud Baptist Churches have been
rent in twain by the wretched ultraism Of
large bodies of their members at the North on
the subject of negro slavery,t the congregations
alists s. Presbyterians have maintained their
integrity firmly upon the only practicable
ground that could be taken. Nothing can be
more intoerant, and we dare say inscriptural
than to withhold christian fellowship from
man on the sole ground Of his being slave
holder. Suppose such an individual shows
strong evidences of his christian character
and feels convinced that he could not be gull
ty of a greater act Of iniquity and cruelty
than to emancipate his slaves, and then leave
them to be driven from their homes, and to
depend upon the cold charities even ofNorth-
ern Abolitionists for sympathy and support,
should he be denounced as robber, murder
er, pirate, or manstealer, and excommunica-
ted from christian church as heather and
child Of perditionl 1t lis hard to believe that
degree of bigotry like this could exist be-
youd the pertius of ST. Peters, and especially
in republican country which places the
rights Circumstance among the richest jew
els in iii crown OF freedom.
Great as is the sin of slavery in national
character, il does not necessarily attach to in
dividuals whose situation may be, and fire.
quently is such that they cannot emancipate
their slaves without disregarding the rights of
humanity, periling the peace and safety of
himself and community, and violating the
laws Of the land.
The class ofpeople who embrace these ia
ratical tenets in the,church are generally COM
bined in a political party whose professed
object is to abolish slavery in the States.
I'VE do not now speak of the leaders to vex
themselves with unceasing toll and anxiety
to abolish slavery, tremble under the vast re-
sponsibilitiy which rests upon them on this
score, and feel as if they could neither cal
nor sleep until they beheld the whitening
curse of slavery swept from the land.
The error of these people is not in the OBJ
iect they purpose to accomplish, in whichwe
most heartily concur, but with The cverheated
zeal with which they pursue it, the conse-
queut unreasonable measures which they
adopt, aud the frenzied intolerance, and bitter
abuse which they heap mountain-high upon
all those who do not accede to their views, &
regard them as the only chosen instruments
under Ged of bringing about the happy re-
suit.
And yet there can exist no reasonable
doubt that the disease Of slavery has grown
worse under the treatment which these hon.
have bestowed upon it. During the last few
years in which Thirdpartyism has exerted its
utmos, to abolish slaverys we should like TO
know what they have done to accomplish
that desirable object! Nothing we say EN-
phatically nothing But on the contrary they
have done wonders to fix the manaces oil
slavery more firmly upon its victims. Ev-
cry day confirms US in the belief that in Mary
land, Virginia and Kentucky, where ten years
since slavery was rapidly declining, the
alarming interference of these Northern zeal
OTIS has stayed the progress of reform.
They have denounced as engendered in hell
the scheme Of Colonization which is doing
more to mitigate the miseries of the African
race and eventu ally to strike off their
chains than all other schemes which human
sagacity has devised. They have denounced
ministers, discovered churches desecrated the
sabbath, and trampled upon the constitution
and Union Of these United States. They
have Illuminated their anihemas against
Shareholders until at last, alarmed for their
lives and their property they have resorted to
the desperate expedient Of annexing Texas TO
strengthen shareholders az ainst the furiousas-
saults thus made upon them. But to cap the
climax of their Inconsistency and folly, I'M
der the guidance of Birney and others. they
have aided these very Shareholders whom
they previously cursed from head to foot, to
annex Texas which they had ever before de-
clared must be kept out of the Union, .,rhat-
erer be the consequences
But while we sincerely compassionate the
decisions of the followers, we have no pa
lience with the prohsacy of The leaders of
Third pa rtysm. Since Birney and Alvan
Stewart have declared that they would not
vote with the Wings at the last Presidential
canvass because il would have been the vir-
tual abandonment of their party, las see our
first page) it is clear as proof of holy writ
that party domination, and not sympathy for
the slave, is the purpose Of their leaders.
This primum mobile of their souls it is evil
dent they preferred, to the prevention of an
nexation, and all those fatal consequences TO
the slave and the country, which must result
from this abominable scheme Of shareholders
and their Northern allies.