Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1845-09-18

Ihev have neYe taken any order on any one point
T church discipline; leaving all that to the missionaries
themselves.
DR. Bacon.-Now the Point in debate, is not the
righteousness or the wrongfulness of slavery. We
condemn and utterly abhor the whole matter of Amer
can slavery, in theory and practice. In this board
is, | trust, but one sentiment on this point But
here Is another inquly-"What constitutes evidence
/ lety" The memorialists maintain that a s%lavehold-
eT, remaining such, cannot give evidence Of piety, or
be received into Christian fellowship. Thele | differ
from them; my respect for the New Testament forbids
me to agree with them; for in the churches that Paul
there were pistol ~despotoi,' believing deS-
Observation-Disclosures and no two ways about it.
We have a right to say to our missionaries, You
lont understand your business; YOU must come back
unless you can conform your judgments to ours but
[ am willing to leave all these questions in their hands.
They knowing best the circumstances of each case,
can best Judge.
With regard to these missionaries among the Choc-
taws lam willing to leave all to their discretion, for
aught that yet appears. The memorialists must make
out a case not yet made out, viz that those slavehold-
ers are guilty of acts of oppression and wrong which
can be made to appear so to them.
But it is not enough to sustain this memorial, mere
ly to show that the missionaries have gathered church.
es that contain shareholders. Paul did the same thing;
and | should like it if the report declared that slave
holding is not intrinsically a sin, and that we shall not
be coelced into acting as fit were.
lbN. fI OICBIcI CIil1tNtl LidL III DtlitNCu JC 6t1F~
timent alluded to was embodied in the report.
Rev. Mr. Root, of New Hampshire, opposed the re-.
port, and took strong abolition ground against it, as
sanctioning slayeholdipg. (No sketch ofM Roots re-
marks is given in any oftle papers9
The Rev. DR.. Dwight, of Portland, Me-, was in ia.
vr of free discussion of the subject. If there were
those present who differed from the committee, it ought
to be allowed to them to say so, without invidious i'm
putatlons. Greatp iUciples were involved in this ques--
ton, having their response in every heart.
He was not a so-called aboltionist; and yet he did
lean to the idea that southern slavery was Inconsistent
with the practice of true Christianity. He believed it
to be at variance with the law Of God, and every dc
tate ofan enlightened conscience. Who could look
on ton the separation Of families it involves-the
principle Of concubinage which it sancticns-the intro
duction of a third color, which would never have ex-
listed had it not been for slavery-men forbidden to
teach their fellow men to read their Bibles-without
being convinced that it was so? 1t was abhorent to
the Bible, and to the principles which lay back of the
Blble-upon which the Bible itself was built-and
which, had the Bible never been written, would still
have existed.
The tone o~ffee}ihg in his section ofthe country was
in favor of good order; and there was no such thing
there as sitting public opinion on this subject, or any
other. The current sentiment there needs no mouth
piece to make it known; and he believed that on this
subject he represented the decided and strong opinion
ofthe people, in his section of the country and that
OihAIJh Nhh-N ~ tiC lhAhhtp u hb1 bpAAA9 All hh NAT
plicit condemnation ofslayery, as a system of breaking
up the social ties, and family ties, and which specific
ally prohibits the reading Of the Bible. With the gen.
eral tenor of the report he agreed but he did hope for,
and he must insist on d more explicit recognition, at
the hands OF this bO1rd, Of the sinfulness of slavery a
more distinct, decided, righteous recognition of its guilt.
He looked at the subject in its Influences on the perpe-
tuity of the Union of tie States. The people of the
State where he dwelt, and all through New England,
were beginning, not to 'calcnlate the value Of the Uni
on but to inquire how long this in c~ongruous Union
can last, and how long it may be desirable; and they
begin already tos1y That their lspinng children may
live to sec two empires. ask said he, that there may
be something to s4tsfy the agitated minds of the peo-
pie that there may be some more plain and distinct re-
cognitlon Of the wrong Of slavery.
Rev. DR.. Wisner, of Ithaca, called the gentleman to
order. This was no time or place to discuss local or
political questions.
The char thought the course of remarks pursued by
Mr. Dwight was within the rules Of order, as tending to-
illustrate the argument on which he had relied.
Professor Stowe was astonished that such interpreA-
tation should be put upon the report. The document
was opposed to the system of slavery throughout, When
ever, and wherever existing, in theory or practice
True, the committee did not regard a mans standing in
1 legal relation to slavery us necessarily involving
Iuilt which should exclude him from the communion.
Evidence of piety wa deemed the only requisite for
church membership. The whole question of slavery
was not before the committed.
William Blown, Esl. of Auburn, thought the report
said enough about the system Of slavery. The COM
nittee gave it avery bad character. But when they
came to spelk Of IN individual who was carTying it out,
they hcsltated and blinked at his guilt, but the feet was
he whole system was unrighteous from first to last, and
he who owned Il slave, was guilty Of wlckedness open
y and above board.
The report was read the second time by Dr. Stowe.
Chancellor Walworth stated the precise questions
which came before the committee in preparing the re-
port to be, not hesuhiect Of slavery in gcnerul, but on
Y as the board had come in contact with it, at the In
dan missions.
Rev. DR.. Cleveland, of Cincinnati, believed there
vas a deep and righteous under-cufrent feeling Of rep
obation Of slavery pervading that body-a strong and
rowing feeling in favor of taking decided and distinct
round upon it. While the hoard should by no means
rect Itself into an anti-slavery institution, it ought to
>e cueftl lot to render itselfa P~o-siayery one, either
lirectly or consluctively. lie looked upon il, as it
stood, in the light off question of confidence In the mis-
,~ionaries employed by this board, and he thought they
ought to be confded in. His view was that this ques-
ion should come up for discussion upon some case,
based upon facts, and not to be made the subject of pri-
or legislation.
Rev. Jonathan Sewall, an aged member from Maine,
lrew a distinction between a ~slnfulness of slavery, as
system, and that of the shareholders. He had trav-
elied South, and had seen slavery as it exists, for him.
self To set the slaves, there at liberty, he believed
would be a curse to both them and their masters
While in South Carolina, he had visited Edisto Island,
and had conersed with the slave of a man whose
house had been lately burnt. lie asked him about his
master. He said he loved him., was kind to him and
that he was "A blessed good man. He had seen slaves
and their masters belonging to the same church togeth-
er, eminent for piety. lie looked upon the masters as
being much more slaves than the negroes; slaves to ap-
prehension and fear, keeping their loaded pistols in
their bed rooms, in dread of Instructions, and the ven
cradle speaker than proposed prayer, for divine direct
ion, before proceeding further in the discussion. This
meeting the sentiments ofthe board, he offered a brief
address to the throne of Divine Grace, in which he
prayed that in Gods good time, the children Of Ham,
who, for Gods wise purposes, had solong been devoted
to bondage by His DEGREES, might be relieved from the
curse resting upon them, &c.
(Conc,uaed nert Htck.)
----
A HonRrBLE SToRY.-The TaIladega Watch
man says that a man by the name of Adam
Whistenant. living i'm Dekalb county Alabama.