Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1846-05-28
''The other Great Interests" and Slavery
BY ELIHU BURRITT.


ry, "was conceived in sin and shapen in iniqui-
ty." 1t is the offspring Of that vicious venaIlty,
"other great interests" Hardly had the sun
dried the soil Of America from the red dews Of
human blood shed in the Revolutionary war; by
those who fought for freedom, than this cardinal
doctrine of Northern politics was elevated to be
the highest and hottest attribute of their political
morality. "Other great interests" were to be
secured, first in the provisions of the national
constitution, though man were sacraflccd and
the principles contended for in the revolutionary
struggle, tramped in the dust forever. In APP
portioning out the "inherent rights Of man,
OF rather of democracy, ''the other great inter
ests" were looked after with yengence. lisa
tan had, by joint ballot, been permitted to give,
from the Speakers chair, the casting vote in IA
yor of everlasting slavery he could not have
dealt heavier blow to the cause of freedom than
was inflicted by the mole-eyed and mole-tooted
selfshness of the North in compromising to the
three-ffihs' representation basis. And one
might suppose, without superstition, that the
great Father of Lies carried his chcf FGuvre of
malignant cunning by proxy in the consummatlon
Of that measure. We are sure that the aggre-
gate genius of the Northern and Southern dele
gates that convened to form the constitution,
could not have produced such political inven-
toR for selfperpetuatlng system Of slavery,
without the fortuitous concurrence of extra hui
man influences There have been slaves from
time immemorial, they say, who have worn the
letters of bondage in every age and country and
clime-white slaves chiefly, taken captive in war,
and held to perpetual bondage by custom. But
up to the time of the great American success
sion, slavery has been deemed an involuntary
condition, and ancient heather were wont to
keep a sharp eye OH their slaves, lest they should
run away some night. But here, in this gen
Heel Egypt, slavery exists by tenure that Pha-
rao never dreamed Of when he let his bondmen
90. BY the ingenious wickedness of the Amer
lean constitution, nearly three millions of our
fellow beings are not only compelled to volun-
teer, but to uOte to be slaves themselves togeth-
er with their children to the latest generatior,-
They are not only inject to the ordinary suffer-
lhgs of ancient slavery, but mock suffrage is
forced upon them, which, at every election COM
peS i've Slaves 10 Cdsl Vii &C FulCS dBdIllSl IuClI
own emancipation. Most subtle and asute of
all human deviItries The bought, bound, chat
telized Americans grooming in bondage, in this
land of the free, have TwENTY-oNE representa-
lives in the National Congress, sent there to de-
nounce and vote down even the mdest petition
for the abolition or restraint or mitigation Of
slavery in any part of the Union Is not this
true? Who says no! BY this blasphemous
outrage on human voltion, are not three mill
ions of our chattezed bretheren and sister,
brought into the halls of the American Congress
brought and posted there in chain gangs, anC
compelled through their master representatives
to rattle their chains against any prayer for ar
alienation of their condition Who says no tC
that?
But is the south to blame for endowing sla
very with such principle of ever-expanding i'm
mortality? Who is to answer for the inhumar
cunning and ingenious wlckedness of this sys
TEN? We would draw no nvdous com
PARSONS, but we belive the South incapable
of genius and intellectual acumen. 1t was the
frst-boIn offspring ofthe two edged sclishnes,
Of the North A system that ages of batbarou.
despotism could not invent, came into being as
easily as bargain between two horse Jockeys
The North wanted to have the Southern slaves
taxed to pay the expense of fighting for theil
liberty i'll the revolution, or in any other wal
that might be waged for their inalienable rights
"The other great interests" were making earnes
demonstration of their hidden nature A pretty
H.
that the slaves were really men, nor exactly
beasts. They were determined that these
human beings should pay; that thay should
range on the tax roll somewhere between thu
upper brute and lower human. To call then
cattle would raise the taxes at the North to cal
them three ftthS human would raise the take
at The South, provided the taxes were to b.
raised by direct taxation. Had " the other yrea
interests" permitted the North TO allow tn
Southern slaves to be taxed as cattle, they woult
have escaped that terrible right of suftrag
we have decribed, and the world never wouI,
have witnessed that strange anomaly in "A repub
lie, the thrce,tfthS basis of representation
Far better-keep easy lriends-far better had
been for the slaves, ifthey had been put dow
by the North as cattle outright, in this matter q
taxation for then they would have escaped tina
iron and ironical suffrage which yearly forge
for their limbs new irons of bondage The
you'd they have been delivered from the in
yincible twcnty-one, slavery's lfe-guard in Con
gress; and by this time, perhaps, the bar of Oh
national legislature might have been to the praye
of the slave as accessible as that of Heaven
But "the other great interests" pleaded lils
horse eeches, as they always have done, an
always will do, so long as they are permitte
to usurp the throne of right and fill the holy
holes of human freedom with the seats
money changers, g. the small wares ofselfshnes
The North was determined the slaves shoul
be taxed not as cattle, but partially as mel
Well, taxation without representation was a
outrageous proposition SO very soon after Il
revolution 1t was violation of one ofthe il
herent rights Of man which could not be tolerate
If the slaves were TO be taxed as men thC