Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1846-05-21

BY REV. J. h. CLARK, W. RANDOLPH.
ELilncL.

We say, then. the sin Of slavery consists IT. holding
8men property and that in every case of slave hold
ling the holder is robbing a man of his inaIenablc
Bright, and is committing an offence Of no ordinary
scharacter against God.
II TINS IS the sin, there is no slayehoding without
gsin. For, in all sIayeholdng man is unhumanizcd-
@made article of merchandise. If this is not the sir
sof slavery there is no sin in it: it is just as right t.
Sensaye man as it is to hire him on wages. If the
st1kngaw0y Of mans humanity, and the making Of hin
3an article OF trade, is not the SIM it would be as i'm
Aproper to speak OF slavery wrong, it is to speal
aof voluntary service as wrong. For that alone make.
8sIayey, Prevent the unhumanzing process, and you
9prevcnt slavery. Abolish the power to do this and yot
aabolish slavery
1 We mIy here observe how erroneous is the notion
8that some slaycholdng is without sin. 1t oy rlook,
atbe u1me of slavery altogether 1t would turn off til,
4mnd from the thing itseltl'om its very root to it,
Amerc circumstances. He who adopts this notion MUS
5Iook upon the wrongs inflicted under slavery as tht
aony sin. lie must regard the stakeholder as justified
aproylded he avoid separating husband and wife, pa
arcns and children, cruel whppngs licentous practc
Scs and the like; as Unch as the man who employs
8anotdor on hire. This is the only Legitimate grount
Che can take.
4 That these evils attend slavery we do not DENY
Il Nor are they merely incidental. They are the Ger
Btan fruits ofslavoholding. The separation Of nc.
Evil. as surely take place as slavery is sustained by
Siaw. 1t cannot be prevented under the action of any
CLAW which establishes the right Of one man to h)l,
another as property. The same law that makes hin
aproperty must protect that propcrty-must authorize
#thc owner to do what he VIII with his own so fros h
9interes can be supposed to demand it, This propert,
3must be subject to the varon5 fluctuations of cour
Smcrce like other property.
n AS certainly will cruelty and Righteousness attenc
aslayery No man can be safely entrusted with the
5kecpng OF anothcrs person or yltuc where lie hold,
4 irresponsible authority. Circumstances may indeed
gresham some. But taking men as they are, we can
mot expect it on the whole The passions are toe
strong; the heart is too much inclined to evil and toe
seasiy corrupted by the power do evil to be restrain
aed from it, where the entire power lies in its OWE
ahands That the stakeholder virtually has this power
snono will deny. With this, while there is nopossbil-
fifty of redress Of wrong to the slave, what bondman
scan be secure against the cruelty of his MASTER or
shis ccntious passions?
Besides, there is and must he change of masters
scontinually taking place. through the fluctuations Of
business Hence, those who have kind masters to-day,
may, tomorrow, be under the control OF the most cruel
land vicious
five add to these the necessary degradation ofthe
smenta powers which the system induces, how Is its
lonomy magnihed? 1t is an acknowledged fact that
cannot be maintained but by keeping slaves in ig-
snoroncc. Think OF that system which, when it has
bound the yoke to crush the body, is un5atisied
until it can brutaze its subjects 1t must sink to al
lmere animal an immortal man. Many dream ofprep-
3arng slaves for emancipation, by giving them an ed
lucation, An empty dream indeed. Ignorance is al
necessary part of the system. Without the one the
iohcr cannot exist Next to the degradation of morals
Iths is the worst attendant Of slavery. We can en-
idurc to animal crushed but who can bcar
Ito sec an immortal spirit chained, but for crime?
What shall we say of the immoral effects ofthis abom
n0tion? 1t is not too much to assert that the whoe
tendency of slavery to corrupt the entire slave popu
ation and to hold them under vice. It is well known
THAT even where they become hopefully pous so strong
arc the temptations and the force Of circumstances o
lead them to evil, little confidence can be placed nl
their word, their integrity, their purity. AS for the
latter, the law necessarily breaks down all its guards
Marriage is not recognized. Hence, the slaves can!
five together only under a system of concubnagcI
Each slave is the property Of his master:sha he not
do as he viii with his own? We do not believe that
Iall shareholders abuse this power; but while human;
mature remains what it is, many will 1t is not wth-
lin the limits of probability that the majority will COM
.tnue pure under such system; and facts will show
THAT they do not.
Hence we have to add that the slave holding popua
tion will certainly be vitiated under its unhoy tenden
,ces From infancy children are permited-not to say
.trlgM-to cherish the most lordly feelings towards
the slaves Anger and revenge cannot be safely res
trained Necessity is laid upon parents to indulge their
children in these unhallowed passions for every white
child must be the master of the slaves else they will
take unwarrantabe liberty The result Of this upon