Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1846-05-22

~ - IL NuutCts Tie evil OF slavery
will be removed in almost every slave state
in the Union, by permitting the llity as we'll
as the official members Of the church, to hold
as many slaves as they please. Why Be
cause the laws Of most of the slave states
will not 4" permit the liberated slave to enjoy
freedom :" in which case the ready inference
is, that official members may hold slaves;
which Inference is sustained by the usaces
and decision of the church, and it is clear
that before lie became an official Shareholder
he must have been such as a private member.
But that there is no restriction imposed on
the members Of the NJ. F.. Church in regard
to slaveholding, win appear more clearly
from what follows. They 20 on to soy, Sc
condIy, When any travelling preacher be-
comes an owner Of slave or slaves bv arv
MEANS, he shall forfeit his ministerial char
acter in our church, unless he execute, If IL
be practicable, a legal emancipation of such
slaves, conformably to the laws of the State
in which he lives" There seems 10 be some
ambiguity here. To whom is the matter of
Sc practicability" to be referred ! And again.
what is meant by the reference to the laws
of the State in which he ~lives'l / analyze
the paragraph thus and with reference some
what to the preceding one. A slavehoiding
Annual Conference says, stealing slaves on
the coast of Africa is one way by which per-
sons come in possession of slaves; kidnap-
! r;or ot how, ;e ,notbar ~ o1toul;a- Al.
flesh mart, and saying sc $780," when no one
else will say more than "S799,99," is an
other way there are also m1ny other ways.
Now, if" by any means'any of US /" become
the owner of a slave or slaves we will, at
the next meeting of the Conference, take the
matter into consideration, and if, after duly
considering the unfriondly tenure of the law S
we have made, toward emancipation, and to-
ward the idea of tho emaneipated slave en-
Toying freedom, Y we think lit .practicahle,
TO manumit our slaves "a conclusion 10 which
they would never come then, if we refuse
to do so, we will decide that we IS forfeit our
ministerial character" and fall back into pri-
vate membership as good and acceptable
members !
Again they say, thirdly, All our preachers
shall prudenhy err force upon our members
the necessity o: teaching their slaves to read
the word of God )" &c. Here slaveholding
in the membership is clearly recognized nor
is the first prohibition to the members of the
NJ. Il. Church, holding slaves to be found in
the discipline. No matter how favorable TO
emancipation the laws of the state may be
he may yet hold on to his slaves, appropria-
ting their labor to his voluptuousness, and
Themselves to his Righteousness But the I'M
friendly nature Of the laws is urged in defence
of slaveholdihg in the church! Yes, the
church may use her influence to make those
~laws-oppose the very idea Of emancipation
resolve that they % have no right, wish, or
intention, to interfere with the civil and po-
liIical relation of master and servant" &C.,
and then plead the laws in justification of the
e%normities which they impose and permit p!
But suppose the liberated slave could not en-
Joy his freedomim the state where he lives.
Does the Discipline require that the master
take that slave to a state where he can enjoy
his freedom Not a word of it. But sup.
pose the slave does not wish TO 90 10 a free
state does not the Discipline require that
the master barely sustain the legal relation oil
r master to him, while, in all other respects Inc
is a free Managing at his pleasure and re-
turning when he will-enioying the fruit oil
his own labor 7 No! The Rev. Mr.. Malt
4, by knODs that slavery in the church differs
not essentially from slavery in the world; the
4, only difference being in favor Of its grealei
enormity in the former.
] The plea, IS raised by Mr.. NIalthy, "!hat
! the church allows of no sIayeholding, only
for the good of the slave" is worthy of tic
= man! Suppose that the church does not adj
$ nit of traffic in slaves, (and if so, Bishop
Andrew thought it a less sin for him TO VIC.
: late the discipline, than TO hire persons tc
n work for him: see his speech in Gen. Con,
C ls4l,) yet the prodigality of the master who
holds slaves for their own good, involves hin
o in debt; his daughter must have a piano
worth $500, the fruit Of the slaves toll
c Prussian carpet must cover the floor; il
short, all that prodigality which character