Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1847-09-29


organize band Of conspirators or assassins,
to proceed to the plantations of the South,
and prowling around at the hour Of mid.
night cut the throats of the masters. Would
he still semitic himself to our respect.
whatever his doctrines2" and should we
still be ''bound to tolerate his opinions by
lending him our countenance and our in.
Auence, and by writing an article in a
newspaper, TO allay apprehension inregard
to his errors, and to shield him and them
from deserved odium? Or is it true that
he only "entitles himself to our respect"
when, instead of attempting to reform what
is wrong, he with reckless and vandal
hand endeavors to overthrow the Govern
ment Of his country, and to sap the founda-
tions Of the church of Christi But saws
this writer, 'swe cannot doubt that these
are earnest men," Nor can we doubt that
Judas was an earnest man, earnest to be.
tray his Lord and Master-nor can we
doubt that Benedict Arnold was an earnest
man, earnest to betray the liberties of his
country. Wicked men nre generally in
earnest to accomplish 1heirschemesof villai-
ny. This writer continues, "yet the plan
they propose for the removal of slavery is
as absurd as it is possible for the mind Of
man to conceive" If this then, in the O.
pinion of the writer, is the true character
of the "plan" why does he not come out,
like bold, independent and virtuous man,
and expose its monstrous absurdities, rather
than write such passive, shielding article
as he has written, prophesying smooth
things, crying peace, peace, when there is
no peace; saying in effect, o, Mr.. Garrison
is under the impulse Of the "monitions of
conscience, he is very 'earnest man,"
we must speak rather softly of him-true
his hatred of the church cannot be denied,
he wishes it was condensed into one great
neck, and that he had his foot upon it, that
he might crush it ut blow, but "whatever
his doctrines may be, he entities himself to
our respect" and in order to tolerate his o.
pinions, we must get him up few meet.
ings, give him little money, buy few of
his books, subscribe for his papers, and
give him chance to make converts seven
fold worse than himself, for Mr.. Jefferson
has said, that, ''error is to be tolerated while
reason is left free to combat it," and swe
care not what "say be the peculiar opinions
Of any man on this subject" Is this wis
dom? Has a second Daniel indeed come
to Judgment And shall all the people re-
sPond, amen?
But after all this labored attempt to shield
the disorganizers in their assaults upon the
Government and the church, from the Sc
we're and deserved condemnation of the
community, five may believe this writer,
Mr.. Garrison is actually playing the hyp-
ocrite-he is insincere-he is not actuated
by the ''monitions of conscience" he is not
an "earnest man" in his "no-government,
no-voting, no-church" dogmas. The wri.
ter says:
"Even Garrison himself has no hope that
by separating ourselves from the Govern
ment, slavery will be removed, or that in
Government like ours, resting on the will
Of the people, this wild and suicidal scheme
will ever be adopted He has chosen this
position for agitating this question Of slave
!ry, and upon this ground his course may be
justified"
Now the writer either has, or has not
authority for the foregoing assertion. No
such idea can be drawn from Garrison's
public performances, this writer therefore
must have derived it in private interview.
And in what attitude does this place Mr..
Garrison? Why certainly in the attitude
of gross, hypocritical deceiver, for in his
public harrangues he declares his belief in
the necessity of a separation from the Gov
ernment and the church, in order to abolish
slavery, and yet, if this writer is his mouth.
piece. (and he speaks as by authority
'Garrison himself has no hope that by sep
arating ourselves from the Government,
slavery will be removed" He has then,
nsincerely, chosen false and impractical
Die position, for the purpose of ''agitating
his question of slavery" and is basely de-
leluding his followers, but, according to the
ethics of this writer, "upon this ground his
course may be justified! .-.. ,
Again this writer says: .'
sit is the politicians of the country who
re to decide this question, and he who T
rounds arms by separating from them, is n
traitor to the cause" r
What does the foregoing paragraph y
nean? | suppose when translated into v
lain language it simply means, that the
uestion Of slavery is ultimately decided by 81
'e action of political parties. and that those -"
the Garrison school who become non. r
oters, and withdraw from the ballot box, NJ
re practically traitors 10 the anti-slavery o,
ause. 81 tt
Then is not Garrison traitor to the RI