Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1846-07-16
TIL E FIR L L VI A N.

BY W. W LOVEJOY.
TExr" Also thy skirts found blood of the
Slavery is a system of wrong, founded in
blood-fostered, sustained and perpetuated by blood
Blood follows in its wake; it stains the soil which
it grows; it sprinkcs the hand put forth to aid it, it
furnishes the weapon raised in its defence; it gushes
from the opening veins, and courses down the manged
back of its victim. What a mighty reservoir would
be required to contain the blood offered at the unhoy
shrine of slavery? This nationis a guilty nation The
dark scenes Of slavery acted the blood of the souls
of the poor nnocents flows under the shadow of our
capitol, within sight of freedoms flag under the sane
ton of our government. And we, the people, make
that government. We have placed the enactng pow
er in the halls Of legislation, That power has enacted
these accused laws which sanction and sustain this
dark system Of cold blooded cruelty and OPPRESSION
And do we refuse to place power there which will
repeal those laws? If so, who is responsible? Where
IS the blood of innocence to be found? The land is
polluted with blood and God will hold it responsible
1t will be fearful thing to meet these injured Cypress
ed, murdered bondmen at the bar Of a Just God,
No humane heart can reflect upon the wretchedness
of the slave, the wrongs practiccd upon him, and the
awful guilt of the Shareholder and his abeors with
out being moved. We at the north can know but lit
tie. We may have seen the scalding tears upon
the sable cheek. We may never have witnessed the
parting of husband of wife, or the tender infant torn
from fond mothers embrace. We may not have
seen those scenes of woe and Indebtedness which are
every day witnessed at the SOUTH but still we know
sufficient to make angel weep, if weeping could be
known by those pure spirits. Now, in relation to the
guilt Of slavery, as long our hands not literally
red with the blood of the slave because we have
owned slave, or applied the lash to his naked back
praised the deadly weapon to pour out his fes blood
we may try to plead innocent; but until we do all in
our power to wipe away the stain, to proclaim liberty
to the captive we cannot wash our hands in nnocency
and appear before the tribunal of Just God acquitted
We have been in the habit of going to France, to
England to Germany to SPAIN to the church Of Rome,
which is drunk with the blood Of the saints, to find the
victims of persecution, at whose graves may stop
and drop tear; but the time has come when it is not
necessary for to spend tears and symputhcs for
hose who have been prosecuted for righteousness
sake in other countries. We need not 90 beyond the
limits Of this boosted land of freedom--hs Christian
Amerca-this land of Bibles, Sabbaths and sanctuary
privileges, to weep the graves of those who have
fallen by the hand Of persecution whose blood has
been poured out in the cause of humanity for carrying
out the precepts of the gospel of Christ We have, in
our own favored land, not exactly Spanish inQuisi
on but southern nQuisdon 10 shed the blood of the
poor nnocents We have not exacty national
church, but national slavery, which does not scraple
to imbruc its unhallowed hands in the e-blood Of the
saints
We stop to pay tribute to another victim, just fall
en-, whose blood is hardy cold it is dripping upon
the altar Of slavery and which is even now fresh upon
the skirts Of the stakeholder Torey is dead lie
rests in his grave His work is done. lie sleeps in
peace. Slavery, to him, has done all can ever do
For what, we ask, has he been sacrificed! Has his
life been paid forfeiture for his crimes? Has the
blood Of murder been found in his hands? Not so, he
did that which the pure spirit of the gospel Dictates
and which its precepts sanction. His act was that on
which heaven would look with approbation and for
which he will receive a glorious reward When we
contemplate his character his deeds of mercy, lis I'M
prisonment and death, how true is our text when ap-
piled to his prosecutors
But the cold sympathy of some is breathed out in
words like these "Poor Torrey is dead, but he ought
not to have broken the laws. He has only suffered
the penalty of the violated law of sovereign State
And where, ask, is the martyr that has died under
no law: Was it not for the violation of law that the
nquison put in operation their machinery of the bot
tomess pit to torture and pour out the blood of the
saints? Was it not for violation of law that Iat-
mer Ridgley Rogers, were consumed by the flame
OF the kindling taggot' True, Torrey violated law,
and this is his glory that he dared to violate the law
sustaining such a heaven-daring crime as American
slavery. Why does the christian stop to talk of the
violation Of law which is such violation of the laws Of
heaven? Far better would it become him to argue a.
gainst violating the laws Of the popeof Rome
Such laws can be of no binding force upon the
christian. They are in opposition to the feelings of
our common nature. They are in opposition to right
and justice. They are in opposition to a law written,
not with ink, but with the finger of God on the tables
of our hearts, well on the tables of stone deliver
ed to Moses, on the mount Chou shalt love thy
neighbor as myself" They are in opposition to that
rule given by the Great Lawgiver Whatsoever ye
would that men should do unto YOU do yo even so to
them" This is the word which Christ has spoken to
U.S. by this word we shall be judged This is the law
which Torrey has obeyed, and by which he stands &C
quilted to-day before the bar of the Eternal Judge
How great his change! But few days since, and he
lay an emaciated frame within the cold walls of prs-
on, for violating the laws of sovereign State To-
day. appauded by the court of heaven for the act lis
tening to the voice of the dear Saviour saying "Inas-
much as ye did it unto one of the least Of these my
BRETHREN ye did it unto me-"
By another class of temporizng men, Torrey is
oburrr i II.