Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1845-05-29

next prescribe every citizen of the
South who possesses slaves, from the
presidency, and from the bench'' Let
US submit 10 the one, and it may not
be long before ianatieism shall further
set her mark upon us, and cut us off
from an equal participation Of the Off
ces Of the republic.
"You ought to love the Union as
we'll as we DO. You have as much
reason to rejoice in the glories of our
common forefathers. The name of
America ought tosound as proudly in
your ears as in ours. You have as
much interest in the union ofihe States
as ourselves. Have you not the same
interests as we have in preserving it:
Why, then, force us TO separate our
churches Why loose the sacred ties
which bind our common affairs togeth-
1 CT? You do not actually discover, it
is true, the cord which unites our
States together, but you cat one of the
strands which enter into its compost
ton. Our Union ought TO be cemen-
ted by every cause which forms the ell
ement Of social organization. 1t is an
affair of sentiment as wellas Of interest;
and Notwithstanding there are other
ties which bring us together, and we
will fervently hope will lie US together,
yet there is not a link too many in the
chain which unites US. We ought not
to strike one off, lest we weaken the
combination. But where will you
stop? Why do not your fanatics fur
ther say: 1--WE will have no commercial
connection with you. We will not
deal with you. We will suffer our
manufacturesto perish upon our hands,
sooner than sell them to your 1t is
well, indeed, that there are some
bounds to your passions, and that these
are 10 oe found in the interests of your
purses. Will yon next say that your
sons shall not marry our daughters, be-
cause they happen to own slaves'-'
Some of your fanatics are no doubt
willing to fly to this excess; bat, happi-
ly for US, this tender, yet irresistible
link, still remains TO keep US together.
But take care, less the violence of ia
naticism should strike at these liga
ments also, and threaten to separate us
further than ever!
"Ihese abolit;onists tell you that
we ought to be dishonored, because
slavery is unholy; and those who per-
NIT t,are accused Of God and of man.
We will not expatiate IN defence of an
institution which the British govern
ment forced upon US in spite of our
proteStations, and which it is now much
easier to condemn than to abolish
We might appeal, however, to the
Scriptures of both dispensations, from
the days of Abraham, when the servant
was bought with money of any stran-
GER to those of the apostles, when SER
wants were ordered 'to obey their mas
ters.' We might quote these records, |
if not to justify, in your opinion, yet at |
least to soften some Of the atrocities
which you are pleased to charge upon
us. Yet, take the South, along with |
her peculiar institutions, and are her
people decidedly inferior to your peo-
pie? Have they less public spirit, less
virtue, less philanthropy, less of the
true religion of the Scriptures, than
yourselves? What injuries have your
churches sustained from our long and
ancient connection with you? We
know thatwhen old Leland he celebrated
orator of the Baptist church, came down
to Virginia, many years ago, he did
not find less pious Christians than
those whom he had left behind him in
Massachusetts.
"And why now drive US from you.
You only produce discord and divisions
in our churches. You introduce less
kind and Christian spirit into the bo-
som of our society. You fan the flame
of persecution. You bring the bitter
waters Of hatred among the whites.-|
You do not ameliorate the condition of
the blacks themselves. You only de-
feat The accomplishment OF the object
you profess. You force upon us the
necessity of additional rest:ictions.-I
You tighten the chain which you
would relax. FELL your citizens to
act like wise men. Leave Nature to
herself. We best understand our own
situation. We can best apply the
proper correctlonto any evils which we
may sustain. The phlanthropists of
France, when they assumed to become
the anis des noirs, only contributed to
fan the flames in St. Domingo-that i'll
fated island which they contributed to
cover with the blood of their citizens.
We have seen enough to know that it