Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1846-05-14

reject with contempt the Gospel, which, as he may }
think, justifes his master in eXactng his sweat and
toll. How can he be any thing else than a tempter OF
the ~dark-minded slave, if he %porseyere ? In the Ian
guage of the eccentric Rowland Hill, the slave must
be tempted 10 "suRpose that Christians are deUiS, and
that Christianity UaS forged in hell" if it s~ustains them
in robbery. Hence it subjects him to the peril Of dy-
ing a despiser of the Gospel ofthe grace Of God. How
can such a temper escape the charge Of "laying an
occasion to fall in his brothers. way y
() He tempts others to partake Of the same sin of
which he is guilty, He sins, "andhis example and in
fuence encourages others" to sin. Hemay hold slaves
but treat them with all the possible kindness which
such a relation will allow. The most shocking cruel
ties OF the system, he may abominate. But others are
emboldened by his example, and fall into the deepest
abyss of crime and outrage. lie laid the stumbling
block" and they fall. In the day that shall try mems
souls, the plea, that he "unly sustained the mere rela-
ton in its midest forms" will avail no more than the
plea of the temperate dram drinker-"I only sip at the
poisonous bowl temporarily" Both are refugees, which
the hail shall sweep away Fit be a crime to lead a
fellow-being, by an example of moderate drinking,
down into the ~loathsome gutter, can it be less than a
crime, to lead others into the horrid enormities and
curse of slavery. If the tempter be a man Of unblem-
lshed character, In other respects, so much the more
fearful his influence in causing many to fall. If his
sons and n~eighbors practice those cruelties at which
humanity %shudders, he will be held responsible for ii,
so far as his example and influence lead them into
these crimes.
3. Brother Walker fortifes his position by showing
that " the man who deals out spurious liquors for 9th
ers to drink, or provides the means for doing it, puts a
stumbllng-block or an occasion to fall in his brothers
way" Every friend of Temperance grants the truth
of this position. He that tratics in this kind Of poi
son for the sake Of gain, knowing the effects of it,
stands rcprobated at the bar of conscience. The same
is true of all those who traffic in the bodies and souls
of men for the sake of gam, lie that bugs a man for
the sake of making him his slave, or sells a man for
the sake of the reward of unrighteousnesS, is "%putting
an occasion to fall in his brothers way" The traffic
In these human chattels ia a necessary part Of the in
iquitous system of oppression. 1t could not be contInu-
ed without the liberty to buy and sell. How long
could Vermonters live by raising stock if they were
not allowed to either buy or sell! The traffic in hui
man beings is not an " abuse" of slavery, it is insep-
arabic from the system. According to statistics given
by Southern papers, there were imported in a single
year-lS36-into Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana,
and Arkansas, no less than tho hundrGd and .ffly thou
sand slqUeS! !! Brethren in the bonds Of Christ, mark
the fact! Our own laws have pronounced the foreign
trade piracy. By the almost universal consent of
Christendom the traffic on the coast of Africa is treat
ed as robbery upon the high seas. lie that engages
IN it merits a fe!on5 death. Car it be ~anybetter by being
transferred across the waters Of the ocean? Are
crimes and virtues determined by latitude and longi-
tude? Is that which our laws treat as piracy on the
ocean an innocent business on the coast of America p?
L llllN vi LHC LlJUSIllUc Ol DlCttIIi1 menus IllUC utH- /
olate by this horrid trafic-of the violent s~undering
OF the %tenderest ties known on eartl-of the number
less and nameless evils flowing from this bitter fount-I
and then answer the question, Is not he that engages
IN this traffic guilty of " quitting a stumbling-block in
his brothers way ?" Oh could all the tears which
have fallen from the cheeks of innocence in conse-
quence of it be congregated together, an ocean would
roll at our feet. Could all the gfoans that have gomez Up
to heaven, caused by it, be poured down upon us, the
ears OF the Church and nation would be stunned with
their mighty thunderings.
The rumseller may plead that if he does not sell, at
least, what he has on hand, he is pennies. And the
slave-lnaster may seek justification by the same plea.
But are they justified by such a plea Have they a
right to rise on the fall of others? Have they a right
to invest property in that which causes others to fall ?
IT the stakeholder becomes poor by giving liberty to
the captive, is it not better for him to be poor and in
n%ocent, than to be rich with the blood of the poor on
his garments
3. Brother Walkers third position is, that "All who
lend their aid and influence in giving licenses to sell
intoxicating liquors to be drunk as a beverage, are
ehargeable with the guilt of putting stumblilg-block
&c, IN his brothers way" lie shows clearly that the
whole system of licenses is a bad one-it is vicious in
itself, and always was. A license to do a wrong thinr
cannot make it right. But it has the effect to quiet
the conscience of him who is engaged in the wrong
dong, and OF preventing the community from Kidding
itself Of a nuisance. There never was a greater mis-
eN0 - IhS LlhttSl u H1iSluLlUlll mn that OF OTulLllO
licenses, NC. The temperance men Of the State stand
by him in this position. Here they and the active en-
emles OF slavery take common ground again. 1t is ar
article in the creed Of both classes of reformers. " that
a license to do a wrong thing can never make it right."
That a license of this sort is productive of evil and
only evil, is too well known to be questioned. 1t
throws the shield Of law over the ruiltv TO protect
them in wrong doing. 1t is u sqIve to the conscience.
If there were no law to sustain men in wrong doing,
we might have a remedy for existing evils. "A iurv
that was not saturated with rum" or with the essence
of slavery, would not hesitate TO pronounce the man
guilty who engages in either ofthese courses of wrong
doing. u
Well, what shall be done? Mr.. Walker says, elect
those men for Commissioners who will withhold licen-
ses. So say we. a responsibility is laid upon every
one to exert an influence here, which he cannot es-
cape. lie must cast an influence at the ballot box for
temperance or against it. The a responsibility
lays upon every man in reference to the legalized sys-
TEN Of slavery. How SO? Slavery exists in the Cap
ital of the nation, and in the Territories, by the laws
OF Congress, 1t is a licensed business. Who gives
the license? Not GOD, not The Bible, but the men
whom we elect to 60 to the Capitol. Thus we sustain
the license system with all its blood. But what shall
we co? What can we do? /. Exert all the moral
power in our possession, against this system. 2. Vote
for such men as will withhold licenses to Cypress, to
buy and sell and exact labor without wages. No lon
ger put an occasion to fall in your brothers way by
S'SNNH5 mon WIZ Will OHLllItlG inc system
"And here, my friends, the whole matter comes
out" as Mr.. w. says of Temperance. Those" who
hold slaves, "and those who pocket gain from the
traffic, want the sanction of law for the business, so
ina their consclcnces may be more at case, and their
nnrlghteous gains be more secure in their PURSES
They want you and me, and all sober men to sanction
their dio?ings, and say it is right. This is the shield un-
der which they have been hitherto protected, and they
desire it still. VIII you give it them? Will YOU con-
sent, either by acting, or not acting, to have the flood
gates OF lnlquity kept open, to have men ruined, soul
and body, for time aud eternity, by law?
"Oh,l II moro men must be ruined" if increasing
millions must be kept in heathenism in this gospel land,
let 1t be done against the law! If more sons broth
ers and neighbors," ay, and sisters and mothers also,
must fall victims to the tempter's lust of gain, let i
De done against the law" If more of what one calls
"the sum of all villanies," is to curse the whole " COM
munity," bond and free, "let it be done, | pray YOU,
without the sanction of law" Let the slave,hoIder
and the slave-driver take the responsibility, and not the
whole community of the free sons of the north. This
licensed lnIoIitv cannot cton1 ,r;tbo,4 80. IL -,