Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1845-03-28
From the Christian Citizen,
THE UNION,

brotherhood to the North, East West and South
has been reduced to the mercenary expression of
figures Elements copied from the ledger of
commerce and manufactures have entered chefest
in the computation The great moral interests of
humanity have filled the decimal place in the es-
innate, and the well-being Of mankind has been
forgotten The Union as it is and as it is to the
present generation, has been the subject of this
profane speculation. Its value to the world; its
capacity OF blessing the race through all the flu
ture ages of their existence upon earth the d.
vinty of its destiny in making this hemisphere
the HEART HALF of the great system of humanity,
thus perflsing the other with elements of new life
and salvation, have been all left out Of this mer-
cenary calculation.
The VALUE of the Union Let Geometry and
Mathematics measure mmensity if they can let
coined copper buy all that is yena in this world;
let every man have his price and his purchaser,
but talk not of the value of the American Union,
as if it might be brought within the comprehen-
sion Of arithmetic. 1t belongs to mankind it is
an institution of God To the whole family of
man it is portion Of inheritance, and priceless
as freedom not indeed, as it is, but as it is to be,
when it shall emerge, with all its moral power
from the short-lived evils incident to the first Pc
RODS of its progressive development. Let no
christian man so lack faith in God and human
ity as to believe that these evils, the vicious off
spring of circumstances contemporaneous with
the formation of the American Union are to be
c,cval with its existence. Is not SLAVERY the
F-1It ,.ol, III
escape who would drive the ruinous ploughshare
ofdisunion through the great requisite Remove
this generic system Of wrong, and the Union
might throw its arms around the whole western
hemisphere and bless every individual and every
interest within its embrace All the diversties
of climate, soil, production, color and custom,
from Greenand's flrtherest cape to Patagonia S
snow-nvested wilds" would be 50 many more
new cords of cohesion, extending and strength
oning the social and moral power of the Union.
But shall we, with Vandal hands, level to the
dust this magnificent social structure, because
the de1th-strcken institution of slavery leans for
support against its walls and, spider-like spins
its webbed vitals from arch to arch
But for what part Of the country would it be
consistent to {" dissolve the Union" i'll order to
dissolve its connection with slavery Where,
within the limits of this republic, live the people
who could wash their hands Of the blood Of that
institution by such an act Can the North Let
Faneuil Hall, that listened to the most llustrious
and grey-headed demagogues of Boston, when
they harrangued the multitudes TO frenzy against
abolition" answer. Let the guilty streets Of
that city which saw the great-hearted Garrison
drawn through them with halter around his
neck, by the mlddened mob, as it were but yes
terday, answer. Let the black ruins of Penn
sylvania Hall, burnt ere it could open its doors
twice to the cause Of freedom, answer. Let the
blood Of the martyred Lovejoy; let every scene
and act of northern deSpotlsm to suppress discus
sion on the subject of slavery, answer,
The North may repudiate, but it cannot dis
solve its connection with slavery by dissolving
the Union. Not by this cheap method ofrelease
can it take up its obligations to the slave. Nor
hern distilleries furnished the red, burning cur
rency that bought his spirit, flesh and blood on
the African shore. Northern ships brought hin
TO this hopeless field Of bondage. Northern votes
have riveted his letters anew and filled his heav
ems with the blackness of darkness and shall the
North shift off the burden Of his redemption upor
others, or dissolve the Union to get rid Of hi:
complaints and leave him TO work out his owr
salvation upon drifting segment of the republic
when no helping hand could reach him
To the virtue of climate, rather than to any
difference in morals, may be ascribed the more
extensive prevalence of slavery at the South thar
at the North, in the early periods of our history
The dark institution was planted in all the Amer
lean colonies. Surviving the revolution, it has
perpetuated its curse breeding existence through
the iniquity of the whole Union; and by nothing
short of the righteousness of the whole Union can
it be abolished BY no such pusillanimous expe-
dent as dissolution, can any State of the Amer
lean family throw off its federal or moral cor.
nection with slavery. Having sinned together We
have suffered together, and we must repent togeth
or. The bonds of freedom issued in our decla
ration of independence were solemnly signed by
the whole Union and by the whole Union mus
they be redeemed, cost what it may. Those
bonds bear this Specification, "All men are borr
Hee ana equal, enttieu W llle, hpeiIy, anu 'ii'
pursuit of happiness" Millions of native Amer
leans have invested all the wealth of their hopes
in that liberty stock and with it clutched in the
fettered hands, they are appealing to the Nortl
TO redeem its promises Of freedom. Shall we dis
solve the Union to repudiate this debt to human
ity and leave the South to pay it alone ?
Dissolution let that treacherous idea b.
banished to the place that gave it birth Their
is no quality of grace or humRnlty IN 1t "hel
the bonds of the last American SLAVE are dssolve'
then let who will talk about dissoving the Union
The North owes to the commonwealth Oh man
kind all that the three millions of Amerc>'
slaves would bring in the market for its adder
cared indifference and dough-faced servility tt
the slave policy fthe South. The losses whicl
the free States have incurred, as the direct ant